192. Great Expectations (1946)

Running Time: 118 minutes
Directed By: David Lean
Written By: Anthony Havelock-Allan, David Lean, Ronald Neame, from novel by Charles Dickens
Main Cast: John Mills, Jean Simmons, Valerie Hobson, Martita Hunt, Alec Guinness

GREAT EXPECTATIONS? NOT WHAT I HAD FOR THIS FILM, BUT I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED

I know, I know...This isn't a work by Federico Fellini, but I figured I could squeeze a few non-Fellini films into this week as well. Before I begin my review I want to make the admission that I have NEVER read the Dickens novel of which this film is based upon, nor have I seen any of the over 250 adaptations for "Great Expectations", so anything I say is purely based on this particular David Lean adaptation, as I went in very ignorant to the plot of GE.

"Great Expectations" is based around it's central character Pip and follows him from his early memory of smuggling food and a file to an escaped convict, Magwitch, to being summoned to the home of Miss Havisham so that he may play and mingle with the "boy-hater" Estella and finally we follow Pip as he is taken to London per the orders of a secret benefactor, where he will become a gentleman...one with great expectations. We meet a smattering of characters along the way, some delightful, others just interesting, from Pip's very moody older sister and her husband Joe, to Pip's guardian in London Mr. Jaggers' to the very joyful and quaint Herbert Pocket.

The first thing that really impressed me about "Great Expectations" is the fact that for a novel written in the 1800s and a film made in the 1940s it still holds up really well and doesn't seemed to have aged, as it is still as enjoyable today, as I'm sure it was back in 1946. I thought everyone turned in really good performances, but I was especially fond of Alec Guinness' Herbert Pocket, John Mills' Pip and Jean Simmons' Estella. Jean Simmons was radiant on the screen and makes me long to see more of her movies, where she is a bit older, with possibly more refined acting skills and not on the cusp of womanhood. I loved the voice over effect, as I'm really a sucker for that. It's such a small, almost-insignificant thing that I just think can really add to a story and make it seem much more meaningful and deep. The movie did, however, drag just a smidgen and only in certain spots and I think there were a few scenes that could've been trimmed out to make the film flow along at a much smoother pace, such as some of the earlier Miss Havisham scenes and the scenes with Drummle, a man that Estella is leading on, yet eventually marries.

One scene that I'll make mention of real quick, simply so that I can look back at this review and remember it and so that you may watch the movie and keep an eye out for it, is the scene where Pip goes to visit Mr. Wemmick and we in turn meet Mr. Wemmick's father, a seemingly senile old man who's only joy in life is being nodded at in agreement. Such an amusing scene that really made me and my wife giggle and such a breath of fresh air, during a point in the movie where a lot of dread is occurring...Estella telling Pip that she plans to marry, Pip being informed that an enemy is in town, etc.

RATING: 6.5/10 At the end of September I plan to post a list of all the films I've watched this month and their respective revised ratings (or their rating after a few days of reflection). Possibly Great Expectations' rating will rise.

MOVIES WATCHED: 148
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 853

September 21, 2010 9:41pm