Movie

The Personal History of David Copperfield

2019 · 119 min

A vibrant, witty, and warm-hearted romp through a chaotic life, balancing humour and tragedy with a theatrical, sentimental charm.

Directed by: Armando Iannucci
Genres: Comedy
Starring: Dev Patel, Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw

Tagline: From rags to riches... and back again.
Overview: A fresh and 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, colour and humanity.

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Directed by: Armando Iannucci
Genres: Comedy
Starring: Dev Patel, Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: whimsicalstrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 2 of 3
satiricalstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: identity
family
class
love
redemption
Places: big city
countryside
home
Era: period
Audience: teen
Form: ensemble
nonlinear
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	3
Horror	1
Humour	7
Realism	6
Romance	5
Tension	4
Darkness	4
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	6

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Where to watch in the UK

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Details

Genres: comedy
Directed by: Armando Iannucci
Written by: Armando Iannucci, Simon Blackwell
Starring: Dev Patel, Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw, Tilda Swinton, Gwendoline Christie, Hugh Laurie, Anthony Welsh, Aneurin Barnard
Music: Christopher Willis
Cinematography: Zac Nicholson
Runtime: 119 min
Country: United Kingdom, United States of America
Languages: English

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The Personal History of David Copperfield

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