david copperfield (1999)

daniel radcliffe stars in the first half of this version of dickens' david copperfield. the narrator points out that while david himself is a rather bland and very good hero, with not much exceptional about him other than his will to keep going and to survive on his own terms---- one of my favorite moments is when he walks all the way, many miles, to his aunt's house, running away from his horrible factory job in london---- the best characters, though, are the supporting ones. mr. micawber is an interesting fellow, always in trouble with his debts and being hauled off to debtor's prison. and the characters are many, many good people, and a few bad ones. but it is friendship that redeems this story, and love. yes, i can safely say i love this film, i love this story, and i am grateful to dickens for having created it. a few notes on the villain of the second half, uriah heep---- there is a part of me that enjoys how evil and loathsome he is, just as he is, but there is a part of me that resents just how evil his character is, as if the audience must hate him for being as evil as he is. he is a criminal. he steals money. he tries to ruin the main character. he wants what he should not have, the love of a woman who does not want anything to do with him. and yes he has to be stopped. but a villain this evil is a bit bothersome. maybe it is that i think that in a modern novel a villain should be a bit more of a round, three dimensional character. the same holds true, in the opposite sense, with david copperfield himself---- he is a survivor, and he is good, and he eventually becomes successful and a good father and husband. but there is something i don't quite like about a main character who is always virtuous and good. still, it is a film about a somewhat naive person becoming more experienced and successful in life, and as such the story redeems itself. i have to be honest and say that i have put my study of shakespeare on hold for a time, and my other pursuits, the films of hitchcock, and jimmy stewart movies. i am going to spend some time with the stories of dickens, whether in the form of a film or a book. charles dickens is a master of reversals of fortune over a long period of time, the ups and downs of a person's life. it is good to see a main character like david copperfield being hospitable and generous with those who were in the past hospitable to him, yet are now down on their luck. a good book asks the question, what is human nature? at its best? at its worst? and illuminates wisdom through the characters in the book. there is much wisdom in this book, in this story, in this movie.