Great Expectations
A young boy called Pip stumbles upon a hunted criminal who threatens him and demands food. A few years later, Pip finds that he has a benefactor. Imagining that Miss Havisham, a rich lady whose adopted daughter Estella he loves, is the benefactor, Pip believes in a grand plan at the end of which he will be married to Estella. However, when the criminal from his childhood turns up one stormy night and reveals that he, Magwitch, is his benefactor, Pip finds his dreams crumbling. Although initially repulsed by his benefactor, Pip gradually becomes loyal to him and stays with him until his death.
-
- Cast:
- Ioan Gruffudd , Justine Waddell , Charlotte Rampling , Laura Aikman , Nicholas Blane , Selina Cadell , Jo Cameron Brown
Similar titles
Reviews
I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
This one is surely my favorite rendition of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations into a movie. The story is brilliantly told and masterfully executed thanks to the stellar performances by Ioan Gruffudd, Charlotte Rampling, Daniel Evans and others. Gruffudd's Pip is more believable and mysterious at the same time. He plays him very convincingly. Gruffudd should do more of period pieces as he does them SO artistically well. Such roles come to him so naturally. And his voice: He brings all the charm, music and pathos only by uttering his thoughts in words. You could linger on every word that he utters. Such is the beauty and spell of his voice!Joe and Biddy are beautifully depicted. They bring joy to an otherwise sad story by their mere presence. Miss Havisham looks ravishing and tragic at the same time. In my opinion, this is by far the finest version of the Great Expectations. I,therefore, highly recommend it to the true lovers of literature. They would not only love the movie but they would adore the book even more after watching this. Its kinda sad to see that such masterpieces don't make their inroads into the mainstream Hollywood cinema. Coz if they do, I am certain that they would gain more popularity and recognition which pieces like this truly deserve in tons. All and all a beautiful beautiful period drama not to be missed at any cost.
What can I say, this version of Dickens classic is beautiful. The casting is superb the script is nice and rich, the costumes were to die for. I can see why Justine Waddell favoured hers so much. What really caught my eye was the girl who played the younger version of Estella. What a great actress she is!I really cannot say a bad thing about this film.:) Leah.
Director Julian Jarrold does a truly excellent job of bringing Charles Dickens' finest novel to the screen. Filled with haunting camera angles, a magnificent score by Peter Salem, and superb acting by Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd and Justine Waddall, this version of GREAT EXPECTATIONS is defintly worth multiple viewings!!
This absorbing adaptation is a pleasure to watch. Inevitably some of the nuances of the novel, such as the turning of Pip from his roots, are made abrupt in this three hour adaptation. The acting is superb and not overly mannered. Ian McDiarmid makes a complex Jaggers, and Charlotte Rampling is ravishing and vulnerable as Miss Havisham. There are fine performances from familiar actors as Joe and as Abel as well. Ioan Gruffudd is a stunning Pip. An ideal romantic hero, as we have already seen in the Hornblower series, he is physically stunning and manages to act as well. (For my liking a bit more smoldering wouldn't go amiss.) I enjoyed his reading of Latin to Abel with a Welsh accent!