Great Expectations (1946)

Director:

David Lean

Writers:

Charles Dickens (novel) and
Anthony Havelock-Allan (adaptation)

Release Date:

26 December 1946 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

From the Vivid Pages of Charles Dickens' Masterpiece !

Plot:

A humble orphan suddenly becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.

Plot Keywords:

19th Century | Abusive Wife | Social Consciousness | Star Crossed Lovers | Galley

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 nominations

Cast

John Mills	...	Pip
Tony Wager	...	Young Pip (as Anthony Wager)
Valerie Hobson	...	Estella
Jean Simmons	...	Young Estella
Bernard Miles	...	Joe Gargery
Francis L. Sullivan	...	Mr. Jaggers
Finlay Currie	...	Abel Magwitch
Martita Hunt	...	Miss Havisham
Alec Guinness	...	Herbert Pocket
Ivor Barnard	...	Mr. Wemmick
Freda Jackson	...	Mrs. Joe Gargery
Eileen Erskine	...	Biddy
George Hayes	...	Convict
Hay Petrie	...	Uncle Pumblechook
John Forrest	...	The Pale Young Gentleman

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | South Korea:15 (2003) | Germany:16 | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Cineguild

Trivia:

During one scene where she had to carry a candle while walking up the stairs, Jean Simmons' apron caught fire.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Uncle Pumblechook parks his carriage in front of the gate at Satis House and drops off the young Pip, Estella leads Pip away from the gate. First, the carriage is clearly seen parked outside the gate. In a later shot, as Pip is walking, the carriage is gone, and in a subsequent shot, the carriage is back in view outside the gate again.

Quotes:

Pip: [narrating] I realized that in becoming a gentleman, I had only succeeded in becoming a snob.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Zhivago: Behind the Camera with David Lean (1965)

Lean's Masterpiece

David Lean's version of Great Expectations, although simplified and given a happy ending, is perhaps the closest in atmosphere of any Dickens adaption to the original. The lonely desolation of the Kent marsh where Pip grows up is perfect, as is his initial transformation into a gentleman.

The acting is almost uniformly superb, with perhaps only Valerie Hobson striking a slightly flat note. However this is a minor problem and detracts little from the film as a whole.

If you only ever watch one Dickens adaption, make sure it is this one. Nowhere else is the atmosphere better captured than here.