David Copperfield

With live piano accompaniment by Costas Fotopoulos on Sunday 8 Jan and by Neil Brand on Tuesday 10 Jan.
Bentley was a 'Dickensian Character Actor', endearing him to Cecil Hepworth, whose father had presented Magic Lantern shows of Dickens topography. Bentley went on to direct six Dickens adaptations in the silent period, of which this is the only known survivor. David Copperfield is considered by some to be the first British feature, hailed for its pictorial composition, its life-like acting and use of actual locations from the book.
Plus The Early Life of David Copperfield / Little Em'ly and David Copperfield / The Loves of David Copperfield (USA 1911-12, dir George O Nichols, c40min): a trio of films from the Thanhouser Company, originally released separately.