David Copperfield
Omnibus & 20th Century Fox - 1970
Director: Delbert Mann
Script: Jack Purlman

Cast: Robin Phillips, Susan Hampshire, Cyril Cosack, Pamela Franklin, Ralph Richardson, Michael Redgrave, Ron Moody, Laurence Olivier, Richard Attenborough, Edith Evans

Produced as a television special for America and released in the cinemas in the UK, this 20th Century Fox production certainly had an all-star supporting cast.
The film revolves around David Copperfield as he wanders up and down the beach reflecting on his life in a series of flashbacks which tend to become confusing at times.

East Anglia locations feature strongly in this production.
The isolated beach at Benacre between Lowestoft and Southwold provided the location for Peggotty's boat, and Southwold itself undergoes a transformation with sand filled roadways taking it back to the days of the stagecoach.

Southwold: East Anglia map Ref: F4
Benacre Beach: East Anglia map Ref: F4

One of the stars (Susan Hampshire) is no stranger to East Anglia. Early in her career she was one of the resident personalities with the launch of Anglia TV in 1959.

The beach at Benacre could soon be lost to the sea if current predictions of rising sea levels due to global warming come true.

David Copperfield on TV (1999)

Copyright © Ken Ward 2004
Last Updated: 08 November 2004