Great Expectations (B+ or 3/4 stars)
British thespian John Mills stars in David Lean's 1947 literate epic, 'Great Expectations', Mills plays adult Pip who, when he was a young orphaned lad, was raised by his abusive sister (Freda Jackson) & kindly blacksmith brother-in-law (warmly portrayed by Bernard Miles, of 1958's Tom Thumb). When as a child (circa 1830), he's confronted by an escaped convict (a scary Finlay Currie) in a graveyard & proceeds to bring him food/alcohol. From there on out, our humble protagonist Pip starts a journey that he never would have expected. Along the way, he befriends a former child enemy in Herbert Pocket (Alec Guinness as an adult).
He then meets the nightmarish Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt) in her macabre, cobwebbed mansion. Miss Havisham was jilted on her wedding day & has spent the rest of her life in bitter resentment (all the clocks in her mansion stopped at the moment she found out that her fiance had betrayed her) -- love that. And he falls in love with Miss Havisham's beautiful but cruel ward, Estella (Jean Simmons as a teen & Valerie Hobson as an adult). When he surprisingly inherits a fortune from an unknown source, Pip tries desperately to become the gentleman that he's always wanted to be so that he can finally win-over Estella's cold heart. But will he be able to break her shell? And just who is his mysterious benefactor? Twists, turns, high drama, wonderful bizarreness, great tragedy and ... iffy romance ensues.
This film is a very good realization of Charles Dickens' classic novel. I have some issues with it (casting, over-reliance on coincidences), but it's hard to deny the greatness in a good deal of the direction, performances, writing, & visual flair. Director Lean grabs our attention right away with a heart-stopping opening scene in that dark, fog-laden graveyard. He continues to enchant us with any scene including the child actors (really, the best section of the entire movie). And the film ends - much like the novel - exceedingly well. The characters are fascinating, right down to their oddball names: Pip, Uncle Pumblychook, Magwitch, etc. I even found an interesting homoerotic subtext btwn. the Pip & Herbert Pocket characters; aided by Alec Guinness' amiable, sparkling portrayal.
Funny enough, though most of the actors here are superb, it is the performance quality which dips my rating down a bit from an A to a B. I love John Mills as an actor and, he's 'solid' as adult Pip. Having said that, though the actor certainly looks younger than his 38 yrs. ... in no way should he have been cast as someone around age 20. The biggest weakness of the film comes from actress Valerie Hobson who looks nothing like Jean Simmons (who portrayed young Estella), and lacked the same energy/verve/chemistry with the Pip character. When the film hinges on the love/hate romance btwn. these 2 characters and the portrayals aren't as good as they could be ... then ya got a little bit of a problem. Alec Guinness, in his 1st film role, is wonderful as Pocket. And Martita Hunt casts quite the ghoulish shadow as the mad Miss Havisham. Her big "incendiary" scene is horrifying; those SCREAMS! But really, I felt she could have done more with the role, as well.
The look & feel of the film is exceptional. The stark black-&-white cinematography helps establish a deliberate mood of gloominess that I loved (the marshy settings help). The production design (upper class London, rural England, small/cramped apartments, Miss Havisham's embalmed lair), period costumes, & make-up work (on Miss Havisham) are excellent. The sound design is crisp. The music score is foreboding, yet doesn't intrude on the overall story. Overall, I enjoyed this film and acknowledge its strengths. I like its message about being true to one's self regardless on monetary wealth. I like how optimistic Pip stays through all his trials & tribulations. Great as John Mills is and lovely as Valerie Hobson is - I wish different actors were hired. Having said that, I now see why 'GE' is a bonafide classic.
He then meets the nightmarish Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt) in her macabre, cobwebbed mansion. Miss Havisham was jilted on her wedding day & has spent the rest of her life in bitter resentment (all the clocks in her mansion stopped at the moment she found out that her fiance had betrayed her) -- love that. And he falls in love with Miss Havisham's beautiful but cruel ward, Estella (Jean Simmons as a teen & Valerie Hobson as an adult). When he surprisingly inherits a fortune from an unknown source, Pip tries desperately to become the gentleman that he's always wanted to be so that he can finally win-over Estella's cold heart. But will he be able to break her shell? And just who is his mysterious benefactor? Twists, turns, high drama, wonderful bizarreness, great tragedy and ... iffy romance ensues.
This film is a very good realization of Charles Dickens' classic novel. I have some issues with it (casting, over-reliance on coincidences), but it's hard to deny the greatness in a good deal of the direction, performances, writing, & visual flair. Director Lean grabs our attention right away with a heart-stopping opening scene in that dark, fog-laden graveyard. He continues to enchant us with any scene including the child actors (really, the best section of the entire movie). And the film ends - much like the novel - exceedingly well. The characters are fascinating, right down to their oddball names: Pip, Uncle Pumblychook, Magwitch, etc. I even found an interesting homoerotic subtext btwn. the Pip & Herbert Pocket characters; aided by Alec Guinness' amiable, sparkling portrayal.
Funny enough, though most of the actors here are superb, it is the performance quality which dips my rating down a bit from an A to a B. I love John Mills as an actor and, he's 'solid' as adult Pip. Having said that, though the actor certainly looks younger than his 38 yrs. ... in no way should he have been cast as someone around age 20. The biggest weakness of the film comes from actress Valerie Hobson who looks nothing like Jean Simmons (who portrayed young Estella), and lacked the same energy/verve/chemistry with the Pip character. When the film hinges on the love/hate romance btwn. these 2 characters and the portrayals aren't as good as they could be ... then ya got a little bit of a problem. Alec Guinness, in his 1st film role, is wonderful as Pocket. And Martita Hunt casts quite the ghoulish shadow as the mad Miss Havisham. Her big "incendiary" scene is horrifying; those SCREAMS! But really, I felt she could have done more with the role, as well.
The look & feel of the film is exceptional. The stark black-&-white cinematography helps establish a deliberate mood of gloominess that I loved (the marshy settings help). The production design (upper class London, rural England, small/cramped apartments, Miss Havisham's embalmed lair), period costumes, & make-up work (on Miss Havisham) are excellent. The sound design is crisp. The music score is foreboding, yet doesn't intrude on the overall story. Overall, I enjoyed this film and acknowledge its strengths. I like its message about being true to one's self regardless on monetary wealth. I like how optimistic Pip stays through all his trials & tribulations. Great as John Mills is and lovely as Valerie Hobson is - I wish different actors were hired. Having said that, I now see why 'GE' is a bonafide classic.