Stars: Bob Hoskins, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Pauline Quirke, Maggie Smith, Zoe Wanamaker, Alun Armstrong, Thelma Barlow, Michael Elphick, Trevor Eve, Oliver Ford Davies, Emilia Fox, Dawn French, Cherie Lunghi, Ian McKellen, Ciaran McMenamin, Ian McNeice, Oliver Milburn, Joanna Page, Daniel Radcliffe, Estelle Harris, James Thornton, Paul Whitehouse, James Grout, Amanda Ryan

Director: Simon Curtis

Summary: The classic BBC adaptation, which traces the life of David Copperfield from birth, and a pleasant upbringing, through hardship and adventure to his days as a successful novelist.

Masterpiece Theatre presents this BBC adaptation of Dickens' beloved novel about a plucky young scamp's journey from hellish public schools to a job in a London factory, and into adulthood as a mature writer amongst in mid-nineteenth century industrial London. Dickens was famous for creating a supporting cast of memorable characters, and Wilkins Micawber, Copperfield's semi manic depressive father figure (portrayed memorably by W.C. Fields in George Cukor's 1935 film), is one of Dickens's most memorable comic characters. Here, Bob Hoskins takes on the role and proves to be one of the many highlights of this delightful adaptation, which is bolstered by a number of fine supporting roles, especially Ian McKellen's turn as the nefarious Mr. Creakle.

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Like a fine gourmet meal, the BBC's 1999 adaptation of David Copperfieldhas something to suit every taste: a well-paced screenplay that keeps the tale bowling along without losing the delights of some of Dickens' most sparkling dialogue; a rich gallery of characters; and a cast which features many of Britain's favourite actors. There is, of course, plenty of high comedy but some very tight direction checks any tendencies to over-ripe performance. The whole production is tightly integrated: from David's idyllic if cloistered childhood with his beloved mother and their devoted servant Peggotty, through the shattering arrival of a sadistic stepfather, rescue by his eccentric Aunt Betsey Trotwood and a journey into maturity where his very innocence makes him the unwitting agent of tragedy before all is resolved. Ciaran McMenamin is the mature David, his youthful face increasingly clouded by the gathering of experience. Trevor Eve oozes evil as his stepfather Mr Murdstone, ultimately neutralised by Maggie Smith's Aunt Betsey, a comic performance of true genius that gives frequent flashes of the vulnerable human being beneath. In other inspired pieces of casting, Nicholas Lyndhurst's incubus-like Uriah Heep haunts every scene he's in, and Pauline Quirke's Peggotty exudes the motherly warmth that sustains David during his darkest moments. Three hours of classic drama heaven. --Piers Ford

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Special Features:	Documentary, The Making Of, Music Edit
Year:	1999
Release Date:	August 20, 2001
Runtime:	180 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B B C D V D 1075
Keywords:	Classic, Theatre, Book, General, David, Copperfield, Wide, Screen, Drama, Period, Based, Masterpiece, Exxonmobil
Genre:	Drama