David Copperfield
About David Copperfield
Thomas Bentley's film follows David from the Rookery at Blunderstone through his childhood and into his marriage to Agnes. Three actors share the part: Eric Desmond as the boy, then Len Bethel, then Kenneth Ware. The Dickensian, reviewing the British release, said the showing ran close to two hours and was split into six parts.
Cast & crew
More about David Copperfield
Cecil Hepworth produced. Thomas Bentley wrote and directed. Released in the United Kingdom in August 1913 and in the United States on 1 December 1913. Listed at 67 minutes. Alma Taylor and Reginald Sheffield are in the cast. It is the second-oldest known film of the novel.
Themes
Background
By 1913 British producers were testing feature length. A Dickens novel, already told in Bentley's readings, was one of the stories long enough to fill an hour.
Making
Bentley, who had made a living from Dickens readings, both adapted and directed. Hepworth shot it at Walton.
Reviews
The Dickensian (1913) described a showing of nearly two hours in six parts, from Blunderstone to the marriage with Agnes, and praised Eric Desmond's David.
Notes
- The Dickensian singled out Eric Desmond as one of the cleverest child actors the reviewer had seen.
- Six parts on the British show; some listings count seven reels for the 67-minute length.
- A British feature at the moment producers were leaving the one-reel length.
- Cecil Mannering and Edna May are also billed.
Scenes
- The story opens at Blunderstone and closes on David's marriage to Agnes, with three actors handing the role along.
Influenced by
- David Copperfield (Charles Dickens novel, 1850)