David Copperfield (1969 film)

David Copperfield is a 1969 British film directed by Delbert Mann based on the 1850 novel of the same name by Charles Dickens, adapted by Jack Pulman. The film was released in the UK in 1970. It stars Robin Phillips in the title role and Ralph Richardson as Micawber, and features well-known actors Richard Attenborough, Laurence Olivier, Susan Hampshire, Cyril Cusack, Wendy Hiller, Edith Evans, Michael Redgrave and Ron Moody.

David Copperfield
Directed byDelbert Mann
Written byJack Pulman
Based onDavid Copperfield
1850 novel
by Charles Dickens
Produced byFrederick H. Brogger
StarringRobin Phillips
Ralph Richardson
Ron Moody
Laurence Olivier
CinematographyKen Hodges
Edited byPeter Boita
Music byMalcolm Arnold
Production
company
Release dates
  • 2 January 1970 (1970-01-02) (UK)
  • 15 March 1970 (1970-03-15) (US)
Running time
118 minutes
120 minutes (US)
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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Charles Dickens's story of a young man's journey to maturity. This version finds David Copperfield as a young man, brooding on a deserted beach. In flashback, David remembers his life in 19th century Britain, as a young orphan, brought to London and passed around from relatives, to guardians, to boarding school. He relives his struggle to overcome the loss of his idyllic childhood and the torment inflicted by his hated stepfather after his mother's death. Then virtually abandoned on the streets of Victorian London, David Copperfield is flung into manhood and contends bravely with the perils of big-city corruption and vice; hardships which ultimately fuel his triumph as a talented and successful writer.

Cast

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Production

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It was made in the UK for 20th Century Fox Television with some exteriors filmed in Suffolk,[1] and interior scenes filmed at The Swan Hotel in Southwold.

The music score was the last Malcolm Arnold wrote for a film.

Release

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The film was made to be shown on television in the United States, but was released to cinemas in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

The film had its premiere at the Carlton Haymarket in London on 2 January 1970. It opened at Studio One and on the Rank Organisation's circuit in North London on 4 January 1970.[2]

Home media

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The film is available on a variety of budget label DVDs, but all of them are very poor-quality transfers.

References

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  1. ^ "David Copperfield". Old City. 8 November 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  2. ^ "'Copperfield' kicks off well with gala premiere". Kine Weekly. 10 January 1970. pp. 6–7.
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