A total, out-of-left-field critical darling, The Personal History of David Copperfield has received near-universal acclaim for its fresh and humorous take on a done-to-death Dickens story. Armando Iannucci's casting of Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) is a welcome dose of diversity that belies an earnest fondness for and understanding of the source material that really proves how pliable and timeless Dickens remains to this day.
Though anyone with a high school diploma likely encountered (and detested) Dickens as assigned reading, his novels are best experienced as leisure, and The Personal History of David Copperfield distills the Dickens charm for easy consumption. Though some movie/tv adaptations are a bit stuffier than Iannucci's rendering, there's a rich history of Dickens on film just ripe for the sampling. Below, we list ten of our favorites.
David Copperfield (1935)
When his mother dies, David Copperfield (Freddie Bartholomew) forsakes his abusive stepfather's (Basil Rathbone) home and instead grows under the care of Mr. Micawber (W.C. Fields) and later finds a happy home life in his gentle Aunt Betsey (Edna May Oliver). When he reaches adulthood, David gets involved in the affairs of the marriageable Agnes Wickfield (Madge Evans) and does all he can to extricate her family from the clutches of a blackmailing villain (Roland Young).
Far more traditional than Iannucci's film but no less wondrous, George Cukor's Oscar-nominated classic features an insanely iconic cast and is an early high-water mark for Dickens adaptations.
Great Expectations (1946)
Lowly orphan Pip (John Mills) comes into unimaginable wealth via an unnamed benefactor in this adaptation of one of Dickens' best-loved novels. As he comes of age and gets ever closer to becoming a gentleman and discovering the individual responsible for his fortune, he romances the standoffish Estella (Valerie Hobson) and gets to know the iconic Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt), an aged, jilted spinster driven to madness by the abandonment of her fiancee as a young woman.
Mike Newell's 2013 take on this oft-told story was buzzy (especially for Helena Bonham Carter's turn as Havisham), but couldn't best the abject perfection of this David Lean classic, which is frequently cited as the finest of all Dickens films.
A Tale of Two Cities (1958)
English barrister, Sydney Carton (Dirk Bogarde) crosses paths Charles Darnay (Paul Guers), an aristocrat on the run as revolution grips France. Having once defended Charles and jealous of his romance with Lucie Manette (Dorothy Tutin), Sydney puts aside his envy to assist the fugitive in avoiding execution.
Jack Conway's 1935 treatment of Cities, may be better regarded, but this 1958 version better captures the full sweep of Dickens revolution epic.
Oliver! (1968)
In this all-singing, all-dancing adaptation of Oliver Twist, the titular waif escapes a brutal orphanage and finds a makeshift family in a pack of adolescent petty criminals headed by the Artful Dodger (Jack Wild) and lorded over by an aged mentor in crime, Fagin (Ron Moody).
Somewhat dated though undeniably infectious, this beloved movie musical was nominated for a gobsmacking eleven Academy Awards (taking home Best Picture and Best Director, among others) and, via a poll of actors, directors, writers, producers and critics, was ranked the 68th greatest British film ever made by Time Out magazine.
Scrooge (1970)
Of all the familiar Dickensian plots, A Christmas Carol is the one least in need of rehashing: the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Albert Finney) is visited by a group of spirits who remind him what it means to be a good person on Christmas Eve.
Inspired by what is likely the most frequently adapted Dickens work, this somewhat forgotten 1970 musical take is an interesting bridge between the earlier, more straightforward versions and looser, more convivial films like The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992).
Hard Times (1977)
Set in the fictional industrial burg of Coketown, Patrick Allen stars as Thomas Gradgrind, a hard-edged, ultra-pragmatic self-interested merchant who rules over his children, Louisa and Tom with an iron fist. But when he takes in Sissy Jupe, the daughter of a disappeared circus performer, and his children come of age, Gradgrind begins to question his rationalistic approach to life.
From Dickens most adapted work to his least, Hard Times is a strange novel that is rarely cited as a favorite, but this four-part miniseries is one of the truest retelling of the author's works: retaining the majority of its cast of characters and plotlines while keeping its sharp social commentary intact.
Martin Chuzzlewit (1994)
In this television adaptation of the last of Dickens' picaresque novels, the ailing, elderly Martin Chuzzlewit (Paul Scofield) is hounded by his mealy-mouthed and sycophantic relatives who see his declining health as an opportunity to seize control of his estate.
Whereas Hard Times may be a bit dour and glacial for some, this BBC-produced miniseries based on another unpopular Dickens novel is an absolute joy from start to finish.
Nicholas Nickleby (2002)
Nicholas Nickleby (Charlie Hunnam) and the rest of his family are scattered to the wind after the death of the Nickleby patriarch. After escaping an oppressive school operated by principal Wackford Squeers (Jim Broadbent) with his pal, Smike (Jamie Bell), Nicholas locates his loved ones and must save his sister from Sir Mulberry Hawk (Edward Fox), a villainous suitor who seeks her hand in marriage.
Before he became a household name with Sons of Anarchy, Hunnam headlined this blithe and charming Dickens adaptation that leans as heavily on its comedic content as its more meaty thematic material.
Bleak House (2005)
In this adaptation of Dickens serial, a cast of characters find themselves affected by a convoluted legal case in which a testator has created a series of conflicting wills.
Featuring Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), Carey Mulligan (An Education), and Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), is ultimately far less miserable than its title would suggest, relying heavily on melodrama, stylization, and a more modern tone to craft one of the best-of-all BBC period dramas.
Little Dorrit (2008)
Amy Dorritt (Claire Foy) works hard to support her family in the absence of her father, who is in lockup in a London debtors prison. When the son of her boss (Matthew Macfadyen) takes an interest in his father's business, he discovers that his and Amy's legacy's may be mysteriously intertwined.
Winner of seven Emmy Awards, this much-decorated miniseries was an early career highlight for Claire Foy and deserves to be seen by both Dickens die-hards and the uninitiated.