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Davcid Copperfield

(53 Posts)
Teetime Sat 25-Jan-20 10:41:53

We saw this at the cinema yesterday. If you want to cheer up a dull January day this is the thing - very cleverly done.

nanafish Fri 31-Jan-20 08:43:16

I went to see this last week.. Not sure I like it very much maybe I am a purist... I did not find it funny.. yes Dev cracks some of his humour.. is that how Dickens wanted to portray this character?
Jurys out...

Labaik Fri 31-Jan-20 15:50:08

I agree;I went to see 1917 the other day and the trailer for DC came on. I pondered on why I hadn't raved about it but decided that most of the funny bits were in the trailer so I'd already seen them before I saw the film. Dickens is funny [eg The Pickwick Papers] but it's a gentle humour, not funny ha ha stuff. To me it was more a film to see on dvd [which I shall probably get] unlike1917 which takes cinema to a whole new level.

Chestnut Fri 31-Jan-20 16:17:06

SirChenjin: I don’t think there should be a rule that says something can only be remade if the previous one is dated
I don't think there is such a rule! Although remakes are not always necessary or desirable if there is a fairly recent version which ticks all the boxes and appeals to modern audiences. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of today's movie-making. They often seem to be made in the same style with over-use of dark filters and CGI.

Moocow Fri 31-Jan-20 16:41:35

Brilliant! Such an interesting way to tell the story. I do not want to spoil it for anyone so I will just say, very clever indeed!

SirChenjin Fri 31-Jan-20 18:15:22

Obviously not a rule as such Chestnut - but directors will interpret a story in many different ways. So what if there’s been a fairly recent, popular version? Different interpretations bring different things to the table for different audiences and that’s a good thing imo.

Wheniwasyourage Fri 31-Jan-20 19:53:18

Saw it. Loved it!

Grammaretto Fri 31-Jan-20 20:31:36

I saw it yesterday and liked it a lot! It was surprising, witty, the sets were brilliant and Laurie as Mr Dick. Say no more, Perfection,

I loved that the casting was colourblind too.
Much better than the Death of Stalin which was Ianucci's last movie and I did not enjoy very much.

Helennonotion Fri 31-Jan-20 20:47:14

Some of the filming was done in our old town. (Hull) It was fascinating to see how they transformed the streets. I will definitely be going to the cinema , I'm looking forward to seeing how our local area looks on the big screen!

Moocow Fri 31-Jan-20 21:07:06

That's interesting helennonotion!

Floradora9 Fri 31-Jan-20 22:37:30

DH loved it I was not so sure as they deviated from the book quite a bit. I also felt that to get the laughs they made bits farsical . Well acted though and good to see the fact they actors were not picked for their colour.

Jane10 Sun 02-Feb-20 17:53:14

It was OK. Hugh Laurie was easily the stand out performance.
The multicultural casting was heavy handed I thought and seemed a bit artificial and a bit smug frankly. Sort of 'Ooh look how politically correct we are!'
Dev Patel is lovely. I've always liked him but he's not a 19th century middle class English boy.

Iam64 Sun 02-Feb-20 20:50:12

Just home from seeing it - loved it. A fabulous film, excellent cast, Hugh Laurie wonderful, Dev Patel ditto and Tilda as Betsy Trotter a joy. Ben Wishart. Oh yes and Mr MacAwber and family. In fact, there wasn't a weak link in the casting. I'm another who enjoyed the colour blind casting.
Glorious film of a wonderful story that can continue to be told many more times I'm sure.
Dickens - genius.

Grandma2213 Sun 02-Feb-20 21:20:06

I love watching remakes, good or bad. It makes me rethink my own views and see a different side to characters and stories. I don't mind a little poetic license or story tweaking either. I have been known to go back and read the original to find points of view and details that escaped me before. Mind you, reading books (and watching films) at different ages does tend to give you a whole new perspective,

QuaintIrene Sun 02-Feb-20 21:53:56

One of my favourite books. I am going this week to see it. I am no film critic and something has to be really terrible for me to complain. It sounds good !

PECS Sun 02-Feb-20 22:25:46

I think you have to look at the title as this is the story of David Copperfield seen through his own eyes as a budding writer and not a direct retelling of the book.. it is really a light-hearted bio of Charles Dickens. Quirky and amusing and well acted too!

Labaik Sun 02-Feb-20 23:40:52

True. I often find myself disappointed with films that aren't quite what I expect them to be. I think I'll enjoy it far more when I rewatch it on dvd without being critical.

nanafish Mon 03-Feb-20 10:01:27

Could not agree with you more. well said.

jaylucy Mon 03-Feb-20 10:05:30

Just think ! remake of Jane Austen's Emma is out at the end of this month in the UK !

Iam64 Mon 03-Feb-20 13:40:47

The trailers for Emma make the film look very entertaining. I tried to re-read it recently because I loved it in my teens. I found it far too dense and wordy - I think I've become lazy about reading page turners. Modern novels tend to have quicker plots I think.

Jane43 Mon 03-Feb-20 15:56:16

I feel there is little point in rehashing a classic with different actors so this is probably why I enjoyed the film so much. You have to let go of your preconceptions of the story and just sit back and enjoy it, yes it does come across as a farce but that was fine for me. I agree if you are a purist you probably won’t enjoy it. Hugh Laurie and Ben Whishaw were the stand out performances for me.

Cunco Tue 04-Feb-20 21:37:02

I saw the film this afternoon as part of two couples. The other 3 people enjoyed it but it didn't work for me. No problems with casting or acting but I didn't get engaged with the re-working of a familiar story and characters. I heard an occasional chuckle but there was less humour than I had expected. It is after all a Dickensian story with plenty of hardship, even if we know it will have a happy ending.

Parsley3 Sat 08-Feb-20 10:12:22

I saw this film yesterday and loved it. If you are going, don’t expect a retelling of the familiar story as it isn’t. It is an original take on Dickens’s life and work. The casting is excellent. However, my best ever Uriah Heep has to be Nicholas Lyndhurst. He made my flesh creep with his
’ umbleness’

sodapop Sat 08-Feb-20 13:04:17

Looking forward to seeing it soon. I can imagine Nicholas Lyndhurst being an excellently 'umble' Uriah Heep Parsley3

Susie42 Wed 12-Feb-20 15:13:40

OH and I went to see David Copperfield, I loved it but OH didn't. However, I do wish that someone would use some of Dickens's lesser known books rather than the same ones all the time.

Grandma2213 Wed 19-Feb-20 02:34:18

Finally went to see it this afternoon with an open mind and looking forward to it . Unfortunately I missed most of the funny comments as I couldn't hear them. It was as loud as the cinema usually is and I don't normally have a problem so can't explain it. I loved the casting and found the presentation interesting but the cruel/sad bits upset and angered me as much as they did in the book, the factory, the stepfather, David's mum's death for example. I especially loved Hugh Laurie and Peter Capaldi but something about the whole did not quite work for me. Worth watching though!