Like a fine gourmet meal, the BBC's 1999 adaptation of David Copperfield has something to suit every taste: a well-paced screenplay that keeps the tale bowling along without losing the delights of some of Dickens' most sparkling dialogue; a rich gallery of characters; and a cast which features many of Britain's favourite actors. There is, of course, plenty of high comedy but some very tight direction checks any tendencies to over-ripe performance. The whole production is tightly integrated: from David's idyllic if cloistered childhood with his beloved mother and their... devoted servant Peggotty, through the shattering arrival of a sadistic stepfather, rescue by his eccentric Aunt Betsey Trotwood and a journey into maturity where his very innocence makes him the unwitting agent of tragedy before all is resolved. Ciaran McMenamin is the mature David, his youthful face increasingly clouded by the gathering of experience. Trevor Eve oozes evil as his stepfather Mr Murdstone, ultimately neutralised by Maggie Smith's Aunt Betsey, a comic performance of true genius that gives frequent flashes of the vulnerable human being beneath. In other inspired pieces of casting, Nicholas Lyndhurst's incubus-like Uriah Heep haunts every scene he's in, and Pauline Quirke's Peggotty exudes the motherly warmth that sustains David during his darkest moments. Three hours of classic drama heaven. --Piers Ford [show more]
An excellent version of this story made for tv in 1999, it has become well known also for featuring a very young Daniel Radcliffe (latterly well known as Harry Potter)as young Davey. He will break your heart. Add in splendid performances by the ascerbic Maggie Smith (Betsy Trotwood), sinister Trevor Eve (Mr Murdstone), a surprisingly creepy Nicholas Lyndhurst (Uriah Heep), bucolic Michael Elphick as Barkis and lovable Pauline Quirke (as Peggoty) this is a dvd you just must have. Total joy.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 or region free DVD player in order to play David Copperfield was Dickens&39; own favourite - and was to become his most enduringly popular - novel with a host of characters which are among the most famous creations in fiction Now it burst onto screen in a dazzling adaptation which boasts a truly world-class cast there&39;s Bob Hoskins as the ever-optimistic Mr Micawber; Maggie Smith as David&39;s fearsome aunt Betsey Trotwood; Trevor Eve as the sadistic Mr Murdstone; Nicholas Lyndhurst as sly sinister Uriah Heep; Pauline Quirke as David&39;s loyal friend and servant Pegotty; and featuring Ciaran McMenamin as David with Harry Lloyd (the 15 year old descendant of Dickens himself) as the young Steerforth
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