The Personal History of David Copperfield

The Personal History of David Copperfield is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Armando Iannucci, based on the 1850 Victorian era novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. It stars Dev Patel as the title character, and Aneurin Barnard, Peter Capaldi, Morfydd Clark, Daisy May Cooper, Rosalind Eleazar, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw and Paul Whitehouse.The world premiere was at the Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2019. It was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 24 January 2020 by Lionsgate UK and in the United States on 28 August 2020 by Searchlight Pictures.
== Plot ==
David Copperfield is born to his mother Clara, who was widowed before her son's birth. He has an idyllic life. David visits the family of his nanny Peggotty in their boathouse in Yarmouth as a child. When he returns, he finds out Clara has married the sinister and cruel Mr. Murdstone. David is then studying along with his new stepfather and step-aunt, but is having trouble doing so. When Murdstone is harassing at Clara, David tries defending her, but is then beat up by Murdstone. David is then sent to work in Murdstone's factory in London where he lodges with the Micawbers, who are pursued by their creditors.
A few years later, David is now a young man still working at Murdstone's factory. He has been jotting quotes by people important in his life down on pieces of paper. The Micawbers have been driven out of their house by creditors, who also snatch their possessions. A few days later, David is told of his mother's death and funeral, finding out that his aunt Betsey Trotwood is his only living relative now. David goes back to Dover and finds his wealthy aunt and her lodger, the eccentric Mr. Dick.
David helps Mr. Dick clear his mind by flying a kite every day, which has David's writings on them. David then also meets Mr. Wickfield, Betsey's accountant, and his daughter Agnes. To continue his studies, David is admitted to a school for boys, where he meets James Steerforth. David has a friendly boxing match with Steerforth and is knocked out in two punches, knowing nearly nothing about boxing. David's apprentice Uriah Heep invites him for tea at his house. Mr. Micawber then joins the school as a teacher, only for the purpose of meeting David, but is exposed by Steerforth and is shown the door out.
David goes to Uriah's house for tea, as he had promised a few days earlier. After a few days, there is a party at the boys' school, where David meets Steerforth's mother and a girl named Dora Spenlow, whom he falls in love with. Eventually, David then finds out Uriah has been hired as an assistant to Mr. Wickfield at his firm and is in love with Agnes.
David goes back to his aunt Betsey, who has left her house with Mr. Dick as her wealth is now gone due to unknown reasons. David then visits Pegotty's house with Steerforth, who later runs away with Pegotty's daughter Emily, making her brother Ham angry. Mr. Micawber is now living on the streets with his family and his concertina has been taken from him, which he asks Mr. Dick to buy back. However, when Mr. Dick is given a price of a pound for the concertina, he tricks the shopkeeper and steals it. The Micawbers are then given shelter by Betsey and Mr. Dick.
Agnes tells David, Micawber, Betsey and Mr. Dick that she wants a letter written by Mr. Wickfield as evidence against Uriah, who she knows is doing something corrupt. David, Agnes and others confront Uriah, who had been embezzling funds from the firm by forging Mr. Wickfield's signature on documents. Wickfield then dismisses Uriah from his firm. Dora calls off her engagement with David, asking him to write her out of his book. Emily, who had run away with James Steerforth, is seen by someone and is approached by David, others with him and Mrs. Steerforth. Emily says that James Steerforth abandoned her and went away to France, but would return the following day to Yarmouth.
There is a storm at sea and knowing that Steerforth may not be able to reach Yarmouth, Ham comes to help. He swims to Steerforth's boat, but Steerforth is killed by an oncoming wave, which injures Ham. Emily and Mrs. Steerforth mourn James Steerforth's death and David and Agnes fall in love again. At this point, David has finished writing his book and publishes it; it is a success. Betsey and Mr. Dick get their money back and move back into their house, Mr. Micawber now works multiple paid jobs and does not live on the streets anymore and David and Agnes are married and have a daughter.
== Cast ==
* Dev Patel as David Copperfield
** Jairaj Varsani as young David Copperfield
* Aneurin Barnard as James Steerforth
* Peter Capaldi as Mr. Micawber
* Morfydd Clark as Dora Spenlow / Clara Copperfield
* Daisy May Cooper as Peggotty
* Rosalind Eleazar as Agnes Wickfield
* Hugh Laurie as Mr. Dick
* Tilda Swinton as Betsey Trotwood
* Ben Whishaw as Uriah Heep
* Paul Whitehouse as Mr. Peggotty
* Benedict Wong as Mr. Wickfield
* Nikki Amuka-Bird as Mrs. Steerforth
* Darren Boyd as Edward Murdstone
* Gwendoline Christie as Jane Murdstone
* Matthew Cottle as Mr Spenlow
* Bronagh Gallagher as Mrs Micawber
* Anthony Welsh as Ham Peggotty
* Aimee Kelly as Emily
* Anna Maxwell Martin as Mrs. Strong
* Victor McGuire as Creakle
* Peter Singh as Tungay
* Ruby Bentall as Janet
* Divian Ladwa as Dr. Chillip
* Rosaleen Linehan as Mrs. Gummidge
* Sophie McShera as Mrs. Crupp
== Production ==
It was announced in February 2018 that Armando Iannucci would be writing, directing, and producing a new adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel. Iannucci wrote the screenplay with co-writer Simon Blackwell. Dev Patel was cast in the title role later that month. In April, the supporting cast was added, which included Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Aneurin Barnard, Ben Whishaw and Morfydd Clark. In May 2018, Peter Capaldi was cast to play Mr. Micawber and pre-production was underway.
Filming began in June 2018 in Norfolk and Suffolk, with Gwendoline Christie, Benedict Wong, Paul Whitehouse, and Daisy May Cooper joining the cast. Scenes were shot in Hull, Bury St Edmunds, Weybourne and King's Lynn in July. Aimee Kelly was added to the cast the same month. Principal photography on the film concluded in August 2018. In filming David Copperfield, it became the first theatrical film production of the novel in 50 years.
== Release ==
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2019, followed by its European premiere on 2 October 2019, acting as the opening film of the 63rd BFI London Film Festival. It was the Surprise Film at the 39th Cambridge Film Festival. It was released in the United Kingdom by Lionsgate UK on 24 January 2020. Searchlight Pictures acquired distribution rights for the United States and scheduled the release on 8 May 2020. However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema, it was theatrically released later on 28 August 2020.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
The Personal History of David Copperfield has grossed $1.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $12.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $14.2 million, against a production budget of $15.6 million.
In the United States, the film debuted $520,000 from 1,360 theaters. Playing in 1,550 theaters the following weekend it fell 24% to $361,000.
=== Critical response ===
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 242 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Personal History of David Copperfield puts a fresh, funny, and utterly charming spin on Dickens' classic, proving some stories truly are timeless." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". PostTrak reported that 74% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 50% saying they would recommend it.
Writing for The Observer, Mark Kermode awarded the film a full five stars and stated: "It really is a wonderfully entertaining film, managing to both respect and reinvent the novel from which it takes its lead."
== Awards ==
Award 	Date of ceremony	Category 	Recipient(s) 	Result 	Ref.
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best British Independent Film 	Armando Iannucci, Simon Blackwell & Kevin Loader	Nominated	
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Actor 	Dev Patel 	Nominated	
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Supporting Actor 	Hugh Laurie 	Won 	
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Supporting Actress 	Tilda Swinton 	Nominated	
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Screenplay 	Armando Iannucci and Simon Blackwell 	Won 	
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Casting 	Sarah Crowe 	Won 	
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Cinematography 	Zac Nicholson 	Nominated	
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Costume Design 	Suzie Harman and Robert Worley 	Won 	
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Editing 	Mick Audsley and Peter Lambert 	Nominated	
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Make Up & Hair Design 	Karen Hartley-Thomas 	Nominated	
British Independent Film Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Production Design 	Cristina Casali 	Won 	
London Film Week Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Film 	Armando Ianucci 	Nominated	
London Film Week Awards 	1 December 2019 	Best Screenplay 	Armando Ianucci and Simon Blackwell 	Won 	
British Academy Film Awards 	2 February 2020 	Best Casting 	Sarah Crowe 	Nominated	
Boulder International Film Festival Awards	5 March 2020 	Best Feature Film 	Armando Iannucci 	Won 	
European Film Awards 	12 December 2020	Best Production Designer 	Cristina Casali 	Won 	
St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards 	 	Best Production Design 	Cristina Casali 	Nominated	
Satellite Awards 	15 February 2021	Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical 	 	Nominated	
Satellite Awards 	15 February 2021	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical	Dev Patel 	Nominated	
Satellite Awards 	15 February 2021	Best Costume Design 	Suzie Harman and Robert Worley 	Won 	
Satellite Awards 	15 February 2021	Best Art Direction and Production Design 	Cristina Casali and Charlotte Dirickx 	Nominated	
Golden Globe Awards 	28 February 2021	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical Comedy 	Dev Patel 	Nominated	
Hollywood Critics Association Awards 	5 March 2021 	Best Comedy/Musical 	 	Nominated	
Hollywood Critics Association Awards 	5 March 2021 	Best Costume Design 	Suzie Harman and Robert Worley 	Won 	
Hollywood Critics Association Awards 	5 March 2021 	Best Production Design 	Cristina Casali 	Nominated	
Critics’ Choice Movie Awards 	March 7, 2021 	Best Costume Design 	Suzie Harman and Robert Worley 	Nominated	
Critics’ Choice Movie Awards 	March 7, 2021 	Best Production Design 	Cristina Casali and Charlotte Dirickx 	Nominated	
Casting Society of America 	April 15, 2021 	Feature Big Budget – Comedy 	Sarah Crowe 	Nominated	
== Reference ==
To Be Added
Category:Films
Category:2010s films
Category:Comedy films
Category:Drama films
Category:Comedy-drama films
Category:2019 films
Category:English-language films
Category:British films
Category:British comedy-drama films
Category:American films
Category:American comedy-drama films
Category:Films based on David Copperfield
Category:Films shot in England
Category:Films shot in Norfolk
Category:Films shot in Suffolk
Category:Films shot in Yorkshire
Category:Fox Searchlight Pictures films
Category:Films directed by Armando Iannucci
Category:Films with screenplays by Armando Iannucci
Category:2010s comedy-drama films
Category:Rated PG