Charles Dickens' The Personal History of David Copperfield adaptation in HBO Max might result in the streaming platform dropping its best literary adaptation honor.
HBO Max may Lose Best Literary Adaptation of Charles Dickens' Work
Only William Shakespeare can rival Charles Dickens in people's lives, especially if they grow up in the UK. His books are everywhere, and his phrases are commonplace. When you say "The Creeps" or "butterfingers," you're quoting Dickens. They'll be on reading lists for centuries.
Dickens' work tends to make adaptors stick to the source's original setting, and even the Muppets Christmas Carol is set in Victorian London.
It goes beyond setting. Dickens' words seem to bind screenwriters and directors to their chosen tone. These are dark, dank, cruel dramas about the worst of humanity.
The Personal History of David Copperfield is a 2019 revelation. It's the best literary adaptation of the 21st century. Watch it before it leaves HBO Max at the end of the month. The following are the reasons why:
It's Director
The Personal History of David Copperfield was written and directed by Armando Ianucci, known for The Thick of It, VEEP, and Alan Partridge with Steve Coogan.
Dickens' book follows Copperfield from birth to adulthood, through fortune and famine, love and loss, and complex love life.
Ianucci gives the story a madcap spirit and exploits eccentric characters. The movie radiates kindness and warmth even when the subject is harrowing. The casting is mainly responsible for that.
The Great and the Good
Despite a $15 million budget, Ianucci assembles a solid cast. Dev Patel plays the title role superbly. Since it's his life story, he's in every scene and guides us through every life change.
But the cast is impressive. Tilda Swinton is a quirky marvel as Betsey Trotwood, and Hugh Laurie is a mystical scene-stealer as his eccentric cousin Mr. Dick. Ben Whishaw is a dastardly Uriah Heap, the man who will plot to steal Copperfield's inheritance, Benedict Wong is a coarse, but hilarious Mr. Wickfield and Morfydd Clark's Dora Spendlow is a shrill, but strangely.
The cast is vast, and Ianucci chose every role well.
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Taking in New Life
Somehow, Ianucci condensed a 624-page book that many scholars interpreted as Dickens lecturing on the injustices of British society into a light, funny, kind, and utterly heartwarming comedy-drama into a neat two-hour package.
HBO Max's to Change European Originals Strategy
On July 4, Warner Bros. Discovery announced a change in strategy for its streaming business in Europe.
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, it would stop producing original content for HBO Max in the Nordics and Central Europe and had already contained its early development work in the more recent territories of the Netherlands and Turkey.
The media behemoth announced at the beginning of the week that it had stopped producing original content in some European countries in the wake of the merger that gave rise to the new market leader and in the midst of its efforts to combine HBO Max and Discovery+.
According to sources, the company is also evaluating shows produced or edited in the Nordics, Central Europe, and the Netherlands. This is to determine whether they will be made available on HBO Max's streaming service or if a separate licensing agreement needs to be made for them.
According to those sources, the company's original programming initiatives in France and Spain are unaffected by the change in strategy.
Warner Bros. Discovery's management has promised profitable streaming subscriber growth and $3 billion in cost savings. CEO David Zaslav emphasized his team's focus on creating fewer, better shows on Tuesday (July 5) at the Allen & Co. gathering in Sun Valley, Idaho.
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