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The Personal History of David Copperfield(2020)
Searchlight Pictures Aug 28, 2020 | Limited
A modern take on Charles Dickens's classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles.
Releases
Original Release | Aug 28, 2020
Box Office
Results
$475,800
$1,876,298
$12,522,972
$14,399,270
Director & Top Cast
Technical Specifications
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1
Other Details
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Summaries
Plot Summary
- David Copperfield is born to his mother Clara, who was widowed before her son's birth. He has an idyllic life. David visits the family of his nanny Peggotty in their (upturned) boathouse in Yarmouth as a child. When he returns, he finds out Clara has married the sinister and cruel Mr. Murdstone. David is bullied by his new stepfather and step-aunt. When Murdstone harasses Clara, David tries to defend her, but is beaten by Murdstone, who sends him to work in Murdstone's factory in London where he lodges with the Micawbers, who are pursued by their creditors.A few years later, David is now a young man still working at Murdstone's factory. He has been jotting quotes by people important in his life down on pieces of paper. The Micawbers are driven out of their house by bailiffs, who also seize their possessions. David is told of his mother's death and funeral, wreaks havoc in the factory, and finding out that his aunt Betsey Trotwood is his only living relative, goes back to Dover where he finds his wealthy aunt and her lodger, the eccentric Mr. Dick, who has an obsession with King Charles I's head. He thinks that when Charles was executed, the King's troubled thoughts took up residence in his own mind. He, like David, jots them down on pieces of paper.David helps Mr. Dick clear his mind by transferring these papers to a kite which Mr Dick then flies. David also meets Mr. Wickfield, Betsey's accountant, and his daughter Agnes. To continue his studies, David is admitted to a school for boys, where he meets James Steerforth. David has a boxing match with a local thug who mocks him and Steerforth, and is knocked out in two punches, knowing almost nothing about boxing. Wickfield's clerk Uriah Heep invites him for tea with his mother. Mr. Micawber briefly joins the school as a teacher, but is exposed by Steerforth and is shown the door.David goes to Uriah's house for tea, as he had promised a few days earlier. Uriah tries to blackmail him with the knowledge he gained of David's past. Later, David finds out Uriah has been hired as an assistant to Mr. Wickfield at his firm and is attempting to court Agnes. There is a farewell party at the boys' school, where David meets Steerforth's mother and a girl named Dora Spenlow, whom he falls in love with. He is hired as a trainee lawyer in Mr Spenlow's law firm in London. There he lives the life of a 'young gentleman', and courts Dora.His aunt Betsey turns up unexpectedly at his London lodgings with Mr. Dick: she tells him she has been ruined, and they all decamp to a slum dwelling. David visits Pegotty's house with Steerforth. Pegotty's adopted daughter Emily runs away with Steerforth, leaving her fiancé and childhood 'brother' Ham. Mr. Micawber is now living on the streets with his family and has pawned his concertina, which he asks Mr. Dick to buy back. However, when Mr. Dick is given a price of a pound for the concertina, he tricks the shopkeeper and steals it. The Micawbers are then given shelter by Betsey Trotwood and Mr. Dick.Agnes tells David, Micawber, Betsey, and Mr. Dick that she wants a letter written by Mr. Wickfield to use as evidence against Uriah, who she knows is doing something corrupt. David, Agnes and others confront Uriah, who had been embezzling funds from the firm by forging Mr. Wickfield's signature on documents. One of these had robbed Betsey Trotwood of her fortune. Wickfield then dismisses Uriah from his firm. Dora calls off her engagement with David, asking him to write her out of his book. Emily, who had run away with James Steerforth, is spotted in London by the Pegotty family. She tells them and David that Steerforth had abandoned her in France, but would return the following day to Yarmouth.There is a storm at sea and the boat with Steerforth is about to be wrecked on the Yarmouth beach. Ham swims out to it on a line, but Steerforth refuses to be rescued and is drowned. Emily and Mrs. Steerforth mourn his death and David realises he is in love with Agnes. David finishes writing his book. It is published, and is a great success, critically and financially. David buys the house back, Betsey and Mr. Dick move back into it, Mr. Micawber appears to have acquired some form of financial stability, and David and Agnes are married and have a daughter.
Storyline
- A fresh, distinctive take on Charles Dickens' semi-autobiographical masterpiece, "The Personal History of David Copperfield," set in the 1840s, chronicles the life of its iconic title character as he navigates a chaotic world to find his elusive place within it. From his unhappy childhood to the discovery of his gift as a storyteller and writer, David's journey is by turns hilarious and tragic, but always full of life, color, and humanity. — yusufpiskin
