David Copperfield (1935)
by Gene Burdette, George Cukor, Hugh Harman
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Frank Hayes, Frank Lawton, Freddie Bartholomew, Jay Eaton, Sam McDanielDirector: Gene Burdette, George Cukor, Hugh Harman
Brand: Warner Brothers
Writer: Gene Burdette
Writer: Alexander Van Dorn
Writer: Charles Dickens
Writer: Howard Estabrook
Writer: Hugh Walpole
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 131 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-10-10
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of David Copperfield (1935)
Movie Review: Not Exactly Like the Novel, But Good On It's Own
Summary: 4 Stars
Let me preface this review by saying that most of the merit of this film comes from the fact that, like MGM's "The Wizard of Oz" it is a nice movie on its own, without complete adherence to the original story. Many of the actors - particularly Edna Mae Oliver and W.C. Fields - put their own comical twists on the characters so that they are fresh but still recognizable as the people Dickens created. I really enjoyed the film from beginning to end and I would certainly recommend it.
However, I don't know if it can be called the "definitive" version of DC because it does take several liberties with the story - it is NOT the most book-accurate version of David Copperfield. Though it was of course necessary to condense and combine the plots, the screenplay seemed at times a bit too merry, missing the darker themes Dickens included. In addition, some important scenes were either cut entirely - like the experience at Salem House - or overly minimized, like the development of David's relationship with Agnes. The film also suffered from a bit of bad acting from both the young and adult versions of David and a very lame Steerforth.
Overall I will have to honestly say that you should not expect the accurate "page-to-screen" adaptation this movie is often called, but you should expect a very pleasurable, family-friendly, Dickens-inspired film that is nevertheless worth watching. :)
Summary of David Copperfield (1935)
"We are friends for life." The man speaking: Micawber, played by W.C. Fields with great comedic charm and human warmth. The child addressed: David, played by Freddie Bartholomew in his Hollywood debut. The movie: David Copperfield, still one of the best-ever screen adaptations of a Charles Dickens novel. "To call the casting inspired is to underrate it," historian David Shipman wrote in his The Story of Cinema. Lionel Barrymore, Edna May Oliver, Maureen O'Sullivan, Basil Rathbone and more joined Fields and Bartholomew in portraying the eccentrics, cads and loving family of this film directed by George Cukor. David O. Selznick produced, insisting on an attention to Dickensian detail that included matching the sets to the first edition's illustrations. The result: one of the greatest page-to-screen adaptations ever.DVD Features:
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The rich beauties of Dickens come to flavorful life in David Copperfield, a scrupulous example of a sprawling novel distilled into manageable movie form. The saga of young master Copperfield moves quickly through Dickens' marvelous gallery of eccentrics, with David played as a youth by the exceptionally good Freddie Bartholomew (you'll see why he became a star) and as an adult by Frank Lawton. The remainder of the cast is an almost unbelievable feast of acting, most famously with W.C. Fields stepping out of character--but not too far--as the grandiloquent Mr. Micawber ("You perceive before you the shattered fragments of a temple that was once called Man"). Basil Rathbone is David's stepfather, the ice-cold Murdstone; Lionel Barrymore is warm-hearted Dan Peggoty; Maureen O'Sullivan the adorable Dora; and Roland Young a creepy-crawly Uriah Heep. But best of all is Edna May Oliver, whose Betsy Trotwood bustles through the movie like a no-nonsense field general (if Oscars for supporting acting had been invented in 1935 instead of 1936, Oliver surely would have bagged the first award). The film is a shining example of producer David O. Selznick's Tradition of Quality approach, given all the sheen MGM could apply. Director George Cukor brings empathy and an unfailing sense of dramatic craftsmanship to the episodic material, which throbs with genuinely Dickensian wit and heart. --Robert Horton
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