Great Expectations- A 1946 Movie - Directed by David Lean - Starring Alex Guinness, John Mills, and Jean Simmons
Available on YouTube- in a Beautifully Restored Edition
Great Expectations" (1946) is a British drama film directed by David Lean, based on the 1861 novel of the same name by Charles Dickens. The film stars John Mills as Pip, an orphan who is given the opportunity to become a gentleman by a mysterious benefactor. The supporting cast includes Valerie Hobson, Francis L. Sullivan, Jean Simmons, and Alec Guinness
The film was a critical and commercial success, winning two Academy Awards: Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Black-and-White). It is considered to be one of the best adaptations of Dickens' work ever made.
The film follows the plot of the novel fairly closely, with minor deviations.
Mrs Havisham's House was perfect, Pip's sister very mean, her husband Joe the blacksmith is a fine man who gets a happy life eventually. Estelle quite the brat. Pip's development into a young gentleman was fun to watch.
I watched this when I first tried to read the book (I often get stuck in Dickens, expecting too much of a through-plot) and quite liked it. This restored version was probably extra nice to watch though.
ReplyDeleteBuried in Print- visually this is a stunning film
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