British literature DVD gotta-see

OH. MY. GOSH.

If you have never had the chance to see the BBC production of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, you simply must go to your public library right now, not even stopping to put on your mittens or your snow boots, and borrow it right now.

This version is stuffed as full of star-power as a Thanksgiving turkey is stuffed with, well....stuffing. Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame plays the young David (the handsome Ciaran McMenamin plays David as a teenager and adult), along with Maggie Smith (who plays Professor MacGonagall in the Harry Potter movies, not to mention the rest of her distinguished career on stage and screen) and Ian MacKellan, who played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings movies and who also plays Professor Dumbledore in the HP movies, as well as a darned good Macbeth back in 1973 or whenever.

I've seen a number of different BBC productions and they've all been pretty good, but this David Copperfield is great. Really great. As in, sit-on-the-sofa-for-all-three-hours, laughing and crying and using up about half a box of tissues kind of great. Although David does go through some very difficult times in the manner of all Victorian-era heroes, the happiness of his story is much more evident. It's exuberant and a complete treat to watch. And I want to add this next part in a whisper:

It's almost better than reading the novel because you'll get to enjoy the wonderful actors, the scenery and the gorgeous costuming. But don't tell Katie I said that, okay?