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Game Of Thrones - Season 1
TV Season Watch
Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne continues. ...
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Richmond Park
Book
Sir David Attenborough has described Richmond Park as 'A very special place' - and with good reason....
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The New Yorker Book of Money Cartoons
Robert Mankoff and David Sipress
Book
A charming, irreverent treasury from the cartoonists at The New Yorker Money doesn't just make the...
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Bleak House
Charles Dickens and David Stuart Davies
Book
At the court of Chancery, the interminable law suit of Jarndyce and Jarndyce rolls on and on,...
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Lee (2222 KP) rated The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) in Movies
Jan 26, 2020
Dev Patel stars as Copperfield, the star and narrator of the story which charts his personal rise from rags to riches during Victorian England. We begin though with Copperfield as an adult, recounting his life story to a small theatre audience as he steps into a painted backdrop behind him on stage, transporting him, and us, to the location of his birth. He enters the family home and continues to narrate from within the scene as his mother struggles with labour. It’s just one of a variety of wonderfully inventive storytelling devices that the movie employs throughout.
While the chaos of childbirth plays out, the first in a long line of star-studded supporting characters arrives, David’s eccentric Aunt Betsey (Tilda Swinton), and we immediately get a glimpse of the kind of humour Iannucci has brought to the story as she sets about upsetting Peggotty, the family housekeeper, and declares that the baby will definitely be a girl.
From there, the storyline is fast paced, weaving between locations as David grows up - from an overturned boat house in Yarmouth, to the chaos of London and the difficulties of working in a bottle factory, and on to the Kent countryside. Along the way we meet yet more big names, including Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw, Hugh Laurie, Paul Whitehouse and Benedict Wong. Not to mention countless other recognisable faces.
The Personal History of David Copperfield is a real mixing pot of beautiful visuals, quirky humour and larger than life characters. Realism has been ditched in order to deliver a whimsical tale that is accessible to all ages. Unfortunately though, it just didn’t work for me. Aside from the opening scenes, and the occasional moment later on, the humour didn’t land at all. In fact, I got more laughs from the incredible movie Parasite that I saw just the night before seeing this.
Dev Patel, always impressive and enjoyable in everything he does, is charming as David Copperfield and is definitely the standout. Benedict Wong and Hugh Laurie were both enjoyable, but I felt the others all suffered from a script that just wasn’t strong enough. A beautifully shot movie, bold and bright and vibrant, but instantly forgettable.
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The Oval World: A Global History of Rugby
Book
Rugby has always been a sport with as much drama off the field as on it. For every thrilling...
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Todd and The Book of Pure Evil
TV Show Watch
Todd Smith, Curtis Weaver, Jenny Kolinsky and Hannah Williams are students at Crowley High, the only...
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Body Bags (1993)
Movie
Three short stories in the horror genre: the first about a serial killer, the second about a hair...
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Stitch Alphabets & Numbers: 120 Contemporary Designs for Cross Stitch and Needlepoint
Book
Make incredible personalised gifts for friends and family with this collection of over 100 letter...
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The Dressmaking Technique Bible: A Complete Guide to Fashion Sewing Techniques
Book
All the guidance you need to create beautiful clothes, whether you are following a pattern, adding...