David Copperfield (1999 film)
| David Copperfield | |
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DVD cover
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| Written by | Adrian Hodges (from the novel by Charles Dickens) |
| Directed by | Simon Curtis |
| Starring |
Daniel Radcliffe Ciarán McMenamin Maggie Smith Pauline Quirke Alun Armstrong Trevor Eve Bob Hoskins Zoë Wanamaker Emilia Fox Oliver Ford Davies Nicholas Lyndhurst Imelda Staunton Ian McNeice Ian McKellen Michael Elphick Dawn French |
| Composer(s) | Rob Lane |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Jane Tranter Rebecca Eaton |
| Producer(s) | Kate Harwood |
| Running time | 185 minutes |
| Production company(s) | WGBH productions for the BBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Picture format | PAL (576i), 16:9 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 25 December – 26 December 1999 |
David Copperfield is a two-part BBC television drama adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield, adapted by Adrian Hodges. The first part was shown on Christmas Day and the second on Boxing Day in 1999. The production is notable for being the first screen work of actor Daniel Radcliffe, who would later achieve fame as the star of the Harry Potter films, where he would collaborate with his David Copperfield co-stars Maggie Smith, Zoë Wanamaker, Imelda Staunton, Dawn French and Paul Whitehouse. The film was co-produced by BBC America and Boston television station WGBH, and first aired on American television in April 2000, as a feature in the PBS series Masterpiece. It won a Peabody Award in 2000.
David Copperfield is a posthumous child. He was born in Blunderstone, Suffolk, three months after the death of his father, who was also called David Copperfield. On the night of David's birth, his Great-Aunt Betsey Trotwood arrives at the "Rookery" - the Copperfield family home - and eagerly anticipates the birth of a baby girl. She insists that Clara Copperfield's baby must be called Betsey Trotwood Copperfield, and that she will be her godmother. However, when the delivered child turns out to be a boy, Betsey is horrified (as her previous experiences with men have all ended tragically) and storms out, fuming. David grows up loved and cared for by Clara and their maid, Peggotty. When David turns eight, Clara meets and falls in love with Edward Murdstone, a stern man of whom David appears frightened and who takes an immediate dislike to David. Peggotty offers to take David with her to Yarmouth to visit her brother, Dan, and his family, and he accepts, forming a special bond with Dan's niece, Emily (or Little Em'ly). When they return, David sees, to his horror, that his mother has married Murdstone. Murdstone invites his equally stern, sexist sister, Jane, to live with them, and the two Murdstones quickly dominate the household with their callous personalities. Clara briefly objects to having little to no say in the affairs of her own house, and Murdstone responds by asserting his authority and sending David to bed with no dinner, following with more strict and unfair rules upon Clara, David and Peggotty. When Murdstone canes David for falling behind in his studies (although it was Murdstone who deliberately asked David particularly difficult questions), David bites him severely and as punishment, is sent to Salem House, a boarding school owned by Murdstone's abusive friend, Creakle, who torments David on Murdstone's request. David's only comfort at the school is his friendship with James Steerforth, an older student from a wealthy and influential family.
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