Great Expectations (2011)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good movie but grossly overrated

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I actually just finished the book a month ago so it might have adversely affected my opinion since this adaptation is so very different than the book. Without going into details and risk spoilers, I just have to say the casting is subpar, except for Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham. The streamlining and changes in plots are questionable, the loss of some characters and changes to their actions and personality render them un-Dickensian. There should be enough time in 3 hours to tell a closer story to the original but the 3 hours felt like 6, I was bored and unmoved. I remember watching Bleak House, also with Gillian Anderson, and couldn't get enough, this one, I couldn't wait for it to end.

I've only watched halfway through the first episodes but as far as I can tell I'm yet to hear a single line from the original text. Dickens isn't Dickens without his perfect prose. I understand the need to condense the dialogue but surely they could've done better than this. Take this example from the first chapter of the original:"Now lookee here!" said the man. "Where's your mother?" "There, sir!" said I. He started, made a short run, and stopped and looked over his shoulder. "There, sir!" I timidly explained. "Also Georgiana. That's my mother." "Oh!" said he, coming back. "And is that your father alonger your mother?" "Yes, sir," said I; "him too; late of this parish."This has been vandalized into:"Where's your parents?" "Dead and Buried"I rest my case.From the little I saw Ray Winstone was impressive.

Fine work of all of the cast relating a story that has been told so many times, that you cannot expect to feel it fresh and deeply touching, but they do. The journey of young Pip from simple kindhearted boy to knowing, kindhearted man is so capturing that, although knowing the story, I couldn't stop asking myself "what will happen at the end". The richness of the human soul have always captured me and in the this beautiful story you can see it all in one go - betrayal so bitter that makes a heart full of pride so angry and mean as to destroy several lives in a cold, premeditated scheme vexing deeply two young hearts, but mostly its own designer. You will see avarice and ambition of twisted little souls. But mostly you will see kindness - perfect scene in ep1-you will see friendship, honest and lasting, and you will see love, above passion and simplicity. I love Dickens and his way of unfolding his characters, so I was very pleased to see the series keeping close to his book, but in a fresh way suited for the understanding of 21st century audience. I very much recommend!

I had seen the South Park spoof first, and then I had seen the original film from director Sir David Lean starring Sir John Mills and Sir Alec Guinness, so I was intrigued to see that the BBC were making a three part television version, based on the famous book by Charles Dickens. Basically young Phillip 'Pip' Pirrip (Oscar Kennedy) helps the seemingly dangerous escaped convict Abel Magwitch (Ray Winstone), on the moors, break his chains with a chisel, but also gave him some food, before the police catch him and take him back to prison. Pip is an orphan, but lives with his sister (Collision's Claire Rushbrook) and her blacksmith husband Joe Gargery (EastEnders' Shaun Dooley), and they are excited to hear from Pip's uncle Pumblechook (Mark Addy) that the wealthy and secluded Miss Havisham (Gillian Anderson) wants a young man to come round to her mansion a couple of times a week. Naturally Pip is sent round to enquire about the job, and Miss Havisham does find him a suitable candidate, the role is to play with her adopted daughter Estella (Izzy Meikle-Small), who looks down on his common and poor mannerisms and demeanour. Miss Havisham decides that Pip needs to get somewhere in life, so she grants him the money he needs to start an apprenticeship with Joe as a blacksmith, and this last for seven years until Pip (Douglas Booth) is older. The next thing Pip knows, lawyer Jaggers (David Suchet) tells him that a mystery benefactor, who he must not ask questions about until he or she reveals himself or herself, has given him an apprenticeship in London to learn the ways and mannerisms to become a gentleman. So the young man of great expectations go to the city, and he shares quarters Herbert Pocket (Harry Lloyd), who is there also to help him learn to be more like a gentleman and fit into a posh and higher class society. Pip has learnt a lot in his time, and lost the common accent, and he is looking forward to seeing the now also grown up Estella (Vanessa Kirby), and he gets his chance at a big ball that she is attending. She is reasonably impressed with his efforts to become more civilised in the higher class of people, but she does not seem to have any feelings for him like he does for her, and she confesses that her (step) mother makes her fall for men to create the misery she suffered from her fiancé. Eventually Pip does learn the identity of his benefactor, it is not Miss Havisham, it is in fact Abel Magwitch, because of the kindness he was shown on the moors, the young man is for a while appalled, but eventually this feeling fades. The end sees Pip return to see Joe and try and make well with the people he formally lived with, Miss Havisham ends her life by burning herself alive, and Estella does marry Bentley Drummle (Tom Burke), but she and Pip do share a tender moment seeing the wreckage from the fire. Also starring Jack Roth as Dolge Orlick and Paul Rhys as Compeyson. Booth plays the famous lead character very well, Anderson is somewhat more sympathetic than other versions of the old woman who secludes herself, Winstone gets his time as the first scary then interesting character, and the supporting cast members are all good too. Made for television, this film like mini series sticks to the Victorian setting and illustrates it very well, with some dark undertones and themes to fit the story, it feels like a completely experience in a Dickens tale, and a most watchable one, fantastic period drama. Very good!