The Early Life of David Copperfield (1911)
Drama | 17 October 1911
A Thanhouser Co. advertisement in the 14 Oct 1911 Moving Picture World described The Early Life of David Copperfield as: "First in the series from the novel by Charles Dickens. The people who most affect the early life of David Copperfield are his mother, Mr. Murdstone, Peggotty, Ham, Little Em'ly, Uncle Dan, Mr. Creakle, Steerforth and Aunt Betsey. All exert their influence either for good or evil. The associations and environments of his younger days indelibly stamp upon David's character strongly defined traits. David and his early associates are reproduced amidst a Dickensian atmosphere, with remarkable fidelity t the great novel. All the most dramatic and picturesque incidents of this period of his life are shown."
Released on Tuesday, 17 Oct 1911, The Early Life of David Copperfield was followed on the next two Tuesdays by Little Emily and David Copperfield (24 Oct 1911) and The Loves of David Copperfield (31 Oct 1911) [see entries].
The 4 Nov 1911 Moving Picture World ran the following review of all three of Thanhouser's "David Copperfield" films, which were often screened together (see below): "Such a picture as this depends largely on characterization, and also on the atmosphere that is given by costumes and settings. In both, the Thanhouser Company has been very successful and is worthy of high praise. The story is well acted and made clear; how could it help being interesting? It is a masterpiece. Perhaps Aunt Betsy is most praiseworthily pictured, but all of the parts are well done. (Second part) This, of course, is a seaside picture. It has the good qualities of the first ...
A Thanhouser Co. advertisement in the 14 Oct 1911 Moving Picture World described The Early Life of David Copperfield as: "First in the series from the novel by Charles Dickens. The people who most affect the early life of David Copperfield are his mother, Mr. Murdstone, Peggotty, Ham, Little Em'ly, Uncle Dan, Mr. Creakle, Steerforth and Aunt Betsey. All exert their influence either for good or evil. The associations and environments of his younger days indelibly stamp upon David's character strongly defined traits. David and his early associates are reproduced amidst a Dickensian atmosphere, with remarkable fidelity t the great novel. All the most dramatic and picturesque incidents of this period of his life are shown."
Released on Tuesday, 17 Oct 1911, The Early Life of David Copperfield was followed on the next two Tuesdays by Little Emily and David Copperfield (24 Oct 1911) and The Loves of David Copperfield (31 Oct 1911) [see entries].
The 4 Nov 1911 Moving Picture World ran the following review of all three of Thanhouser's "David Copperfield" films, which were often screened together (see below): "Such a picture as this depends largely on characterization, and also on the atmosphere that is given by costumes and settings. In both, the Thanhouser Company has been very successful and is worthy of high praise. The story is well acted and made clear; how could it help being interesting? It is a masterpiece. Perhaps Aunt Betsy is most praiseworthily pictured, but all of the parts are well done. (Second part) This, of course, is a seaside picture. It has the good qualities of the first film. It is a sadder story and was harder to act convincingly. It is, however, very successful and effective. Some of its scenes are very highly commendable. Little Em'ly is charming, and the other characters are very well portrayed. (Third part) A very great deal of matter is crowded into this part. It doesn't grip quite so powerfully as the first two parts, but that isn't saying that it is weak. It is very interesting and good. Taken as a whole, the three reels are very much worthwhile. The novel has been done before. No comparison is needed. Spectators may prefer this character as portrayed in one and that character as portrayed in the other. But most will be very much pleased and delighted with these other motion pictures of our best novel."
According to the 30 Sep 1911 Moving Picture News, "The smoothness and finesse of the entire performance [in all three movies] is evidence of the attention the Thanhouser directors paid to details. The reproduction of the quaint Dickensian atmosphere made the demands on the directors exacting. They did their share of the work creditably. This production can well be featured as 'An Evening with Dickens.'"
See also Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's David Copperfield (1935).
"(Part I): The film starts with the time that Aunt Betsey, an eccentric spinster, flattens her nose against the windowpane before she enters the Copperfield home, over which the stork is hovering. Aunt Betsey, in anticipation of a birth, had set her mind on a girl—because she abhors boys. When it is therefore announced that the stork has brought a boy, she vanishes from the house 'like a discontented fairy.' David's mother is a helpless young woman, impractical and unassertive. She married an elderly gentleman, who dies before David is born. Eight years after David's birth, she is flattered by the attentions of Edward Murdstone, who is ardent in his courtship because the widow's money is such a tantalizing incentive. David shows his dislike for Mr. Murdstone. His mother marries, however, while he is absent on a trip with Peggotty to her brother's house at Yarmouth. There he meets hearty fish-folk, among whom he finds little Em'ly. With the marriage of his mother to Murdstone begins a series of hardships which finally end when his mother dies. After his mother's death, Mr. Murdstone places him in a bottling factory, but David runs away and finds refuge with his Aunt Betsey."—14 Oct 1911 Moving Picture World ...
"(Part I): The film starts with the time that Aunt Betsey, an eccentric spinster, flattens her nose against the windowpane before she enters the Copperfield home, over which the stork is hovering. Aunt Betsey, in anticipation of a birth, had set her mind on a girl—because she abhors boys. When it is therefore announced that the stork has brought a boy, she vanishes from the house 'like a discontented fairy.' David's mother is a helpless young woman, impractical and unassertive. She married an elderly gentleman, who dies before David is born. Eight years after David's birth, she is flattered by the attentions of Edward Murdstone, who is ardent in his courtship because the widow's money is such a tantalizing incentive. David shows his dislike for Mr. Murdstone. His mother marries, however, while he is absent on a trip with Peggotty to her brother's house at Yarmouth. There he meets hearty fish-folk, among whom he finds little Em'ly. With the marriage of his mother to Murdstone begins a series of hardships which finally end when his mother dies. After his mother's death, Mr. Murdstone places him in a bottling factory, but David runs away and finds refuge with his Aunt Betsey."—14 Oct 1911 Moving Picture World
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