The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)
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GPOY whenever I go out anywhere lmao
The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) is a beautiful movie with colour-blind casting, a modern take on a 19th-century novel.
Some quips I had with it:
1. Mr. Murdstone sends David directly to the blacking factory instead of Salem House.
2. David learns of his mother's death when he is fully grown into Dev Patel.
3. The Salem House part of David's life is combined with the Wickfields.
4. David never marries Dora.
5. David never has a baby brother.
6. Tommy Traddles is Mr. Dick's friend.
7. David often has outbursts of anger - like when he yells at Mr. Murdstone. He was always very peaceful in the book, even when he was treated badly.
8. Uriah Heep was a red-head in the book, but I guess with the colour-blind casting that doesn't matter too much.
8. A lot of minor characters are omitted - Martha, Dora, Barkis.
Although they kept in the scene where David gets drunk. LOL.
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I did like that the movie focused on David's writing career. And the kite flying scene was really beautiful. And Hugh Laurie was just perfection as Mr. Dick.
Peter Capaldi, however, just seemed kind of off as Mr. Micawber. I'm not sure what it was. Tilda Swinton also seemed off. I thought she was too American to play Betsey Trotwood.
Really though I just wish they kept to the order of the book. Peggoty, Yarmouth + Peggotys, Salem House + Steerforth, Blacking factory + Micawbers, Aunt Betsy, Mr. Wickfield, Dora, and finally Agnes.
But this movie was enjoyable. Something about it felt a bit...half-baked though. I felt like they tried to cover too much in too little time (squishing the factory with the boarding school), and spent too much time on the artsy-whimsical moments (kite flying, Mr. Dick's obsession with King Charles. But it was nice that the crocodile book was mentioned.