Stars: John Mills, Alec Guinness, Jean Simmons, Bernard Miles, Valerie Hobson, Francis Sullivan, Finlay Currie, Freda Jackson, Hay Petrie, Torin Thatcher, Martita Hunt, Ivor Barnard, O. B. Clarence, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Anthony Wager

Director: David Lean

Summary: David Lean directs this definitive version of the Charles Dickens classic about an orphaned boy befriended by a mysterious benefactor who enables him to become a gentleman of means. In the gloom of a country graveyard, the young boy encounters an escaped convict, and a chance meeting years later leads the boy to mysterious adventure, wealth and joy.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on March 18, 2006 9:26 PM

David Lean's spellbinding screen translation effectivelly captures the spirit of Charles Dickens' literary masterpiece . It tells the story of young Pip ( John Mills ) who experiences two distinctly different encounters with the escaped convict Abel Magwitch ( Finlay Currie )
and the eccentric Miss Havisham ( Martita Hunt ) . With a life of hard grind in a blacksmith's looking the most likely prospect , Pip's fortunes change dramatically when the generosity of a mysterious benefactor propels him to London to begin his journey towards becoming a gentleman of ' great expectations' . Winner of 2 Academy Awards , this is a wonderful film .

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David Lean's handsome adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel captures the warm humour and richness of character that so many film-makers miss in their reverent recreations of Victorian England. From the nightmarish opening sequence on the windswept graveyard where young orphan Pip (Anthony Wager) meets the desperate escaped criminal Magwitch (Finlay Currie) to the shadowy, musty mansion of the widow Miss Haversham (Martita Hunt) where he first meets the impertinent young beauty Estella (Jean Simmons), Lean captures a child-like exaggeration of reality with his elegant expressionism. When Pip's sudden change in fortune sends him to London as a burgeoning gentleman in high society, Lean sketches a beautiful, bustling city.

John Mills's performance as the adult Pip charts his change from the wide-eyed wonder and generous spirit of the child he was to the class snob transformed by money and social standing, an ugly flaw that Pip confronts when his mysterious benefactor is finally revealed. The outstanding cast also features Valerie Hobson as the grown-up Estella, now a beguiling enchantress, a bright young Alec Guinness in his film debut as Pip's jovial London roommate Herbert Pocket, and the imposing Francis L. Sullivan as the decidedly humourless lawyer Jaggers. Exquisitely photographed by Guy Green (who won an Oscar for his work). Lean and his collaborators effectively maintain the heart of Dickens's epic drama while cutting it to its essentials in this vivid, compelling film. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com

Aspect Ratio:	4:3 Full Frame
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interactive Menus, Biographies, Scene Access
Subtitles:	None
Year:	1946
Release Date:	April 12, 1999
Runtime:	118 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	37115 00083
Keywords:	Great, Family, Classic, Book, General, Expectations, Drama, Period, Based
Genre:	Family