Great Expectations | | Cast : | John Mills, Valerie Hobson | | Director : | David Lean | | Studio : | Criterion Collection | | Format : | Black & White, Dolby | | Released Date : | January 01, 1946 | | DVD Released Date : | June 07, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | NR (Not Rated) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 17, 2005 | | Summary | The work of two master storytellers | Content
 | Novelist Charles Dickens and director David Lean -- an irresistible combination. The atmosphere and drama never let up in this sterling adaptation of the famous tale. The first third has the feel of a horror film, replete with eerie shadows, graveyards, and ghostly, cobweb-filled houses. Thereafter the film is a gripping human drama and romance, handled deftly by a great cast and crew among whom stars Jean Simmons, Martita Hunt and Finlay Currie stand out, along with composer Leroux and cameraman Guy Greene. Lean's melodramatic style has often received a slating from critics, but he knows just how to spin a yarn. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 11, 2005 | | Summary | Brilliant adaptation of a Dickens classic | Content
| David Lean spectacularly transformed Dickens' classic "Great Expectations" into a worthy screen version.
A frightened Anthony Wager playing the young Pip is terrorized into aiding an escaped convict named Abel Magwitch from a prison ship in the marshes nearby his residence. The orphaned Pip is living with his strict and impatient sister and her husband the kind hearted blacksmith Joe. Pip brings the convict tools and food to help him escape but he is still recaptured.
A short while later Pip is summoned to play at the behest of a reclusive and odd Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham's mansion is in a state of decay unchanged since she was jilted as a bride at the altar. She sits adorned in her tattered wedding gown never seeing the light of day. She has a ward Estella, played by a young Jean Simmons initially and later by Valerie Hobson as she grows older. At first glance she becomes the focus of Pip's attention.
Years pass by and Pip now grown and apprenticed as a blacksmith and now portrayed by fine actor John Mills, is sought out by a lawyer Mr. Jaggers. Jaggers played wonderfully by corpulent English actor Francis L. Sullivan, announces that Pip has an unknown benefactor. Pip will henceforth receive an annual stipend and will be schooled into becoming a gentleman. All the while Pip's heart yearns for Estella who has been schooled by Miss Havisham into being a heart breaker.
The ultimate revelation of the identity of Pip's benefactor sends the flick into an all together different tangent as the nicely conceived Dickensian drama plays out.
Lean marvelously captures the classic historical characters and settings created by the descriptive imagination of an immensely talented author. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 26, 2005 | | Summary | Keep still, you young devil, or I'll slit your throat! | Content
| I must admit, this film was brilliant. I have never been so captivated by such powerful acting, intense storytelling, and such beautiful landscapes ... all created in the 1940s. The work that I witnessed in this film could rival that of most modern films today. For once, the acting was perfection. David Lean, the director, has this direct sense of finding the best actors for the roles. It is as if the actors really want to embody their characters. This was an acting driven film. Without strong players, I don't think it would have had such a big impact on me, but everyone involved surprised me. From the larger roles like Pip played by John Mills (flopsy, but filled with charisma and charm), to the smaller roles like Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt) and Mr. Jaggers (brilliant portrayal by Francis L. Sullivan), everyone seemed in tune, prepared, and excited about their part in Lean's masterpiece. You just don't see acting like this anymore. My mind's eye, from reading the books, seemed to even been excited by what they saw. It was nearly as if Lean was reading my mind and casting accordingly. It was impressive, honestly, to say the least.
From my previous adventures into Lean's work with Brief Encounter (a personal favorite of mine) and Blithe Spirit (another immaculate tale), I knew he could tackle the voluptuous story of Great Expectations, but what I wasn't prepared for was the gorgeous scenery and ability to capture the sensation of the film. For many directors today, the lack of proper cinematography can sometimes ruin the themes or feelings of a film, and even sometimes disrupt the power of the actors, but for Lean this was no problem. His eye for filmmaking is unmatched, and his ability to create is on of Hollywood's greatest treats. Lean has this power to pull the right people, the best scenes (even with a black and white structure), and create the most intense themes that will continue to pull you deeper into a picture that you may think that you are not going to enjoy. There has yet to be one David Lean film that I have found distracting or below par. Lean's passion for creation is obvious with the work that he has done, which I think was rather visionary for the time. You can see it in Brief Encounter, and you can especially see it in this film. I cannot speak any higher of Lean because his work speaks for him. If you want to see cinema in its best form, I always suggest a David Lean film.
Finally, this film's structure was exactly what this story needed. While I will agree that it is a love story (and future adaptations would say it was more of a love story than anything else), Lean transformed it more into a story of discovery. This is a story about Pip, and his ability to be a person that many of us long to be. While some would have fled in the sight of an escaped convict, or at least turned them into the police, you see a very humble human going beyond that and reaching out his timid hand to help. This is what will change Pip forever. Even if we think we are going to loose that person throughout the film (when money enters the picture), we eventually see that Pip's honesty is true. Lean develops more of a relationship between Magwitch and Pip than he does Pip and Estella. This worked perfectly for me, because it allowed me to see Pip for who he was, and the heart that he had developed. While I am very happy with the ending to this film, the direction that Lean pushed us was perfect. The balance was never tipped and our foundation never broke, a rarity in cinema today.
Overall, I was more than impressed with this film. David Lean continues to prove that he was a formidable director at his time, and I cannot wait to immerse myself in more of his work. This film wasn't just about Lean though, it was the actors that carried it and built such a solid story. The reason this movie is so enjoyable to watch is because you don't see the actors, but instead the characters that they represent. They carry this film on their shoulders and never let it fall or slip. Whether you have read the story a million times or just once, or even never, this is a film that will capture your attention and excite your mind. I read a review that stated it was "intelligent", and I couldn't agree more. Lean forces you to think and commands your attention. I just wish more films were made like this today. If I could have experienced cinema in the 1940s, I think I would have been a very happy man!
Grade: ***** out of ***** |
| Rating | | | Date | May 06, 2005 | | Summary | They Don't Make Them Like They Used To | Content
| Very seldom do I stick my 2 cents into this forum. Suffice to say movies these days leave much to be desired both in dialogue and redeeming social value (my favorite expression). "Great Expectations" is one of those films that leaves you gasping for air! Absolutely beautiful. The photography is magnificent, it's lights and shadows placing you in the scene with it's particular mood, and actors ACTING! Yes, ACTING. Today you're called a good actor if you have a pretty face and nice belly button, and can shake your booty better than most. Not so "Great Expectations". This movie has ACTORS. This movie has INTELLIGENCE. A very young Jean Simmons is absolutely gorgeous, and all players positively reeked of talent. It definitely belongs on that special shelf of your library of movie classics. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 11, 2005 | | Summary | The best Dickens on film | Content
| The book was Dickens's best, and appropriately this is the best movie adaptation of the book. Not only that, in my book it's one of the best movies ever made. The picture is a faithful rendering of the novel, from the first meeting of Pip and the convict Magwitch in the graveyard at the opening, to the scenes with Miss Havisham and Estella in their house of death and decay, to London where we meet unbending upholder of the law Jaggers. The movie is exciting and emotional because director David Lean allows Dickens to be Dickens on screen: Hollywood could never improve upon Magwitch and Miss Havisham and the good Joe and Jaggers and all the rest; these characters are played to perfection. The ending, where Pip gets his Estella, has been a bone of contention since the book came out - it is a tag-on to procure a happy ending, but so what - there is so much greatness here it hardly matters. A must-see movie. |
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