‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ reviews: Critics hail color-blind casting, leading man Dev Patel
Armando Iannucci‘s “The Personal History of David Copperfield” proved to be an uplifting opener to the 2019 BFI London Film Festival. That this writer/director, best known for his savage political satires “Veep” and “The Thick of It,” delivered a straightforward adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel was a surprise to many critics. That he made it with color blind casting was hailed as a refreshing approach to the period piece genre.
John DeFore (The Hollywood Reporter) praised the picture. “Certainly the most commercial of Iannuci’s three theatrical features, it pleases without pandering, and has found an ideal title character in the form of the always-winning Dev Patel.” He singled the actor out, noting “Patel’s oft-displayed charm prevents others from upstaging him.” As he explains, “for a character who is learning more and more to observe those around him — he mimics their mannerisms when alone, making sure he can describe them correctly; it’s a natural approach to the part.”
Peter Debruge (Variety) concurred. “Patel brings just the right kind of intense likability to the role, playing the modest-born and self-effacing innocent who eventually stands up to take control of his own narrative.” He also commented on the cast. “Placing Patel at its center proves a far more effective example of color-blind casting than last year’s “Mary Queen of Scots” (where actors of diverse heritage were featured, but only in supporting roles), and further makes room for actresses Rosalind Eleazar and Nikki Amuka-Birda.”
Debruge also complimented Zac Nicholson‘s cinematography, describing it as “vaguely carnivalesque, bulgy wide-angle way of immersing himself in the action and energetically covering scenes from within, whipping around to follow the comedy à la Terry Gilliam.” He concluded that the film “comes across as a bright and jaunty corrective to the dour and stuffy Dickens adaptations that have come before.”
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Benjamin Lee (The Guardian) was effusive about both Iannucci and his eclectic cast. “From the outset, he employs some unexpected stylistic touches and adds racial diversity to his colour-blind cast – but stops short of anything that would drastically modernise the text. Instead, he finds a way of transposing his rhythm on to the source material, creating the sort of well-choreographed, well-timed group comedy that makes his narrative work so distinctive. It’s a deceptively delicate art of his, one that comes to life with sharp dialogue and canny direction. But it wouldn’t work without a cast of actors who complement each other’s performance styles so perfectly.”
He notes, “There’s been a dearth of successful big screen comedies in the past few years, with audiences rushing toward darker fare instead as a masochistic way of dealing with troubled times, but Iannucci’s joyous and crowd-pleasing tonic might well buck the trend. It’s a story that remains as witty and resilient as its main character and its charms, like David’s, remain impossible to resist.”
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