Technically, in most ways this is a very well made movie. It's obvious David O. Selznick and MGM put a lot of time and money into this production. However, I also felt that some of the acting was a bit suspect and there was way, way too much plot for a single movie--as a result it all came off as very episodic.
The film begins with young David losing his father. As for the mother, she is a weak individual--and so it's interesting that later in the film David marries an even weaker woman. Anyway, this weak lady marries a man she thinks will make a good father (Basil Rathbone). However, Rathbone moves in with his sister and they are awful--cold and cruel. The weak mother soon dies and David is sent off to work--though he only looks to be about 8. From this point on in the film, David bounces around a lot--but fortunately for his Aunt (Edna May Oliver) and a few good friends, he manages to grow into a nice and reasonably level-headed man. In this film portion of the film, lots of very episodic-like things happen--almost like we're seeing a highlights reel of his life from age 18-35 or so. Much of it was entertaining, much of it made me feel lost trying to keep up with all the characters--some of which weren't all that interesting (such as David).
Now the film did have some excellent aspects. A few of the actors were very, very good. In particular, Edna May Oliver was (as usual) great--very entertaining--so much so I wish the movie had been a story of her life! Basil Rathbone was great--and he was always wonderful in villain roles. W.C. Fields was pretty good--especially since his role was not a comedic one. As for the low-points, the mother (Elizabeth Allan) and David's wife (Maureen O'Sullivan) were supposed to be very weak characters--but the film managed to also make them pretty annoying (particularly O'Sullivan)--a definite weakness in the film. As for Una O'Connor, she, too was weak in the film--way too whiny--and a bit too much like the characters she plays in "The Invisible Man" and "Bride of Frankenstein".
It's obvious from my review that I had very mixed feelings about this film. Perhaps it could be I just don't like Dickens all that much but part of the problem is that although the film was set in the 1800s, it came off as too antiquated and stilted at times. And, the episodic nature sure didn't help. I'd really rather see this as a mini-series--the type the Brits make so well. I'll check and see if there is one, as the basic story wasn't bad--just flawed.
The film begins with young David losing his father. As for the mother, she is a weak individual--and so it's interesting that later in the film David marries an even weaker woman. Anyway, this weak lady marries a man she thinks will make a good father (Basil Rathbone). However, Rathbone moves in with his sister and they are awful--cold and cruel. The weak mother soon dies and David is sent off to work--though he only looks to be about 8. From this point on in the film, David bounces around a lot--but fortunately for his Aunt (Edna May Oliver) and a few good friends, he manages to grow into a nice and reasonably level-headed man. In this film portion of the film, lots of very episodic-like things happen--almost like we're seeing a highlights reel of his life from age 18-35 or so. Much of it was entertaining, much of it made me feel lost trying to keep up with all the characters--some of which weren't all that interesting (such as David).
Now the film did have some excellent aspects. A few of the actors were very, very good. In particular, Edna May Oliver was (as usual) great--very entertaining--so much so I wish the movie had been a story of her life! Basil Rathbone was great--and he was always wonderful in villain roles. W.C. Fields was pretty good--especially since his role was not a comedic one. As for the low-points, the mother (Elizabeth Allan) and David's wife (Maureen O'Sullivan) were supposed to be very weak characters--but the film managed to also make them pretty annoying (particularly O'Sullivan)--a definite weakness in the film. As for Una O'Connor, she, too was weak in the film--way too whiny--and a bit too much like the characters she plays in "The Invisible Man" and "Bride of Frankenstein".
It's obvious from my review that I had very mixed feelings about this film. Perhaps it could be I just don't like Dickens all that much but part of the problem is that although the film was set in the 1800s, it came off as too antiquated and stilted at times. And, the episodic nature sure didn't help. I'd really rather see this as a mini-series--the type the Brits make so well. I'll check and see if there is one, as the basic story wasn't bad--just flawed.