“The Personal History of David Copperfield” re-imagines Charles Dickens’ classic ode to grit and perseverance through the comedic lens of its award-winning filmmakers — giving the Dickensian tale new life for a cosmopolitan age with a diverse ensemble cast of stage and screen actors from across the world.
Emmy-winners and Oscar-nominees Armando Iannucci and Simon Blackwell lend their wry, yet heart-filled storytelling style to revisiting Dickens’ iconic hero on his quirky journey from impoverished orphan to burgeoning writer in Victorian England.
“The Personal History of David Copperfield” stars Oscar-nominee Dev Patel in the title role and features: Aneurin Barnard, Peter Capaldi, Morfydd Clark, Daisy May Cooper, Rosalind Eleazar, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw, Paul Whitehouse, Gwendoline Christie, Anthony Welsh and Benedict Wong.
“Joyous and crowd-pleasing!” — The Guardian
“Riotously funny! A treat for Dickens fans!” — Screen Daily
“It will make your heart sing.” — SlashFilm
“Imaginatively conceived and gloriously cast.” — BBC
A lifelong fan of Charles Dickens, director Armando Iannucci had a creative spark a few years ago while re-reading the author’s acclaimed eighth novel, “David Copperfield”, which was first published in 1850.
“I thought, ‘I want to make this as a movie,’” says Iannucci. “It felt so contemporary, but also because the past adaptations I’ve seen are all so serious and centered on the drama and the plot. There is a lot of plot and drama, but to me those are the least interesting things about the story.”
“The hilarious scenes in the book were the most exciting to explore. It’s a very surreal, yet very real book. I wanted to get that across in the movie.”