David Copperfield – 1935
Spoiler Alert
David Copperfield surprised me but only a little. I’ll be honest. I wasn’t expecting much more than a combination of an evening at Bob Cratchet’s house with Tiny Tim saying “And God Bless us, every one!” and Oliver holding up an empty bowl, saying “Please, Sir, I want some more.” And in that respect, I pretty much got what I was expecting. What surprised me was the caliber of the actors who did a wonderful job of making all the sappy dialogue palatable.
It is a well-known fact that David Copperfield was Charles Dickens’ favorite character in all his writings. I’ll try not to go into the plot too much, though I will need to touch on a few key points. The film, like the book, follows the character of David Copperfield beginning at his birth. He is born to a widowed mother. His cantankerous Aunt Betsey, is played by Edna May Oliver, an actress who I am growing to respect more and more every time I see her on the screen. She comes on the scene like a whirlwind, bossy and demanding, though later in the film she turns into a beloved parent figure.
When his mother marries the cruel Mr. Murdstone, played by professional villain Basil Rathbone, who moves in with his bitter and angry sister, the young David, played by Freddie Bartholomew, is terrorized and beaten. And when his mother dies, he is sent away to become a child laborer in London. Bartholomew did a surprisingly good job. The studio wanted the role to go to their contracted child actor, Jackie Cooper, but thank goodness the director, David O. Selznick got his way.
Bartholomew was able to deliver the sappy lines convincingly. His crying scenes were not overdone or fake. He was believable in everything he did. While in London, he boards with the Micawber family. The family patriarch is played by W. C. Fields. Now, here I had a little bit of a problem. Fields turned in two separate performances. At first, he played the W. C. Fields from My Little Chickadee. He used the same comical voice inflections for which he was famous, and it took me out of the story. I’m no longer watching David Copperfield. Now, I’m watching a W. C. Fields comedy routine. But later on in the film, after he falls under the influence of Uriah Heep, he started playing the part with a seriousness that transformed him into a good dramatic actor.
And speaking of Uriah Heep, actor Roland Young did a very good job at being a devious and underhanded slime-ball. He oozed his way through every scene, making it obvious from his very first appearance that he was a bad guy.
The adult Copperfield was played by Frank Lawton. Lawton’s skill as an actor matched young Freddie Bartholomew perfectly. They had a very similar look, making the transition from child to adult very convincing. Lawton gave a wonderful performance that was filled with passion and emotion. When his child wife dies, his sorrow was natural and believable. It even brought a tear to my eye to see a grown man crying for such a loss.
I have to give special mention to Madge Evans who played Agnes, the woman he eventually ends up with at the end of the film. She was very attractive and did a great job of portraying the victim of unrequited love. Her performance had an intelligence about it that made her even more pretty, especially in light of the childish behavior of David’s first wife.
There was even a little action sequence that was exciting to watch, as Copperfield’s friend with a death wish dives into the ocean during a raging storm to rescue the crew of a sinking ship.
Yes, I have to admit that though the story was slightly bland, the excellent acting did a wonderful job of keeping my attention.