David Lean's reputation as a first rate director began in the 1940s with a series of films that were mostly small scale but had first rate casts and literate scripts. The most notable were his version of Noel Coward's BLYTHE SPIRIT and Coward's BRIEF ENCOUNTER, but he also did a notable film of Coward's straight play of the period between the World Wars, THIS HAPPY BREED. But you will notice that he concentrated on work by Noel Coward, and while the results were excellent it was limiting to him. Then he did two adaptations of Charles Dickens' OLIVER TWIST and GREAT EXPECTATIONS. These two films were also excellent (despite some controversy about the make-up used by Alec Guiness as Fagin in TWIST). The two Dickens' movies demonstrated that Lean was not tied to only one writer but could do others. Soon he'd do MADELEINE, HOBSON'S CHOICE, SUMMERTIME, and his epics were to come out in the 1960s. He never stopped doing adaptations (DR. ZHIVAGO and his last movie A PASSAGE TO India were great films too). He died in 1991 before making his last film - it would have been an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's masterpiece NOSTROMO.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS is claimed (by most critics) to be Dickens' masterpiece. Like it's proceeding novel A TALE OF TWO CITIES, it is among the shorter full novels of Dickens (only HARD TIMES shorter than these two) at about 600 pages each. Dickens tried to study the effect of inheritance on a human being. Philip Pirrup ("Pip" - Anthony Wager and later John Mills) is an orphan with only one older sister (Mrs. Joe Gargary) and lives with his sister, her husband the village blacksmith (Sir Bernard Miles) and Biddy (Eileen Erskine). Despite the harshness of his sister (who boasts she brings up Pip, Biddy, and even Joe "by hand", Pip has a decent life - Joe and Biddy are warm to him. One day, when visiting the graves of his parents, Pip is surprised by an escaped convict. The convict threatens Pip, who returns with food and supplies for him. Pip doesn't say anything to the anyone about the convict, but just helps him. However, the convict is caught - but he realizes Pip had been true to him. He thanks the boy before being taken away.
Some years later Pip is invited to the home of an eccentric wealthy woman named Mrs. Haversham (Martita Hunt). He is taken there and meets her lawyer, Mr. Jaggers (Francis Sullivan), a young boy (who we later learn is one Herbert Pocket - Alec Guiness plays him as a young man) and a proud, beautiful young girl named Estella (played by Jean Simmons here; later by Valerie Hobson). Pip is to come several times a week to play cards with Estella (who keeps putting him down, calling him a common boy), to the amusement of Mrs. Haversham. The old lady was the victim of betrayal when getting married, and hates the world as a result. When Estella complains about Pip being so common, Mrs. Haversham whispers to her, "You can break his heart!"
One day, Jaggers tells Pip and Joe that Pip has gotten a patron - he is to be brought up to be a gentleman by an unknown benefactor. Jaggers says that he has "great expectations" for Pip's future as a result - hence the title of the story.
That's the background. Mills slowly turns from incredulous type into a terrible snob - even making poor Joe and Biddy feel out of place in his presence. He pursues Estella, who despite his rise still considers him a poor boy. He also considers that Mrs. Haversham is his benefactor - but he is not sure. Then comes the shock - he meets the real benefactor (Finley Currie as Abel Magwich) and discovers that great wealth does not come from "gentleman" all the time.
Much has been cut out by Lean in his script. A subplot involving an attack on Mrs. Joe by an poor farm hand named Orlick is not included - as is a moment of melodrama aimed at Pip by Orlick later on. There is not enough about Pip's rival for Estella, a super snob named Bentley Drummle (Torin Thatcher). The problem of transporting of criminals to Australia and the rules regarding their returning is not really discussed in the film. Instead it is the effect of wealth on people that is the center of the film version, and the film is stronger as a result.
Mills had one of his best early roles as the hero who discovers that there are fine human beings who don't need money. Simmons and Hobson are properly selfish as Estella*. Guiness is pleasant as Pip's closest friend (but the role is not as rich as his Fagin in TWIST). As was pointed out Sullivan gives a sturdy performance as a man in a corrupt profession in a corrupt world, who tries to help people. If not as great as OLIVER TWIST was, it was Lean's fine first attempt at telling Dickens on screen
{*Dickens originally did not intend for Pip and Estella to end up together - there is a one page conclusion still extant that shows them going their separate ways. The novel and film have the ending that Dickens added at the recommendation of his friend Edward Bulwer - Lytton.)
GREAT EXPECTATIONS is claimed (by most critics) to be Dickens' masterpiece. Like it's proceeding novel A TALE OF TWO CITIES, it is among the shorter full novels of Dickens (only HARD TIMES shorter than these two) at about 600 pages each. Dickens tried to study the effect of inheritance on a human being. Philip Pirrup ("Pip" - Anthony Wager and later John Mills) is an orphan with only one older sister (Mrs. Joe Gargary) and lives with his sister, her husband the village blacksmith (Sir Bernard Miles) and Biddy (Eileen Erskine). Despite the harshness of his sister (who boasts she brings up Pip, Biddy, and even Joe "by hand", Pip has a decent life - Joe and Biddy are warm to him. One day, when visiting the graves of his parents, Pip is surprised by an escaped convict. The convict threatens Pip, who returns with food and supplies for him. Pip doesn't say anything to the anyone about the convict, but just helps him. However, the convict is caught - but he realizes Pip had been true to him. He thanks the boy before being taken away.
Some years later Pip is invited to the home of an eccentric wealthy woman named Mrs. Haversham (Martita Hunt). He is taken there and meets her lawyer, Mr. Jaggers (Francis Sullivan), a young boy (who we later learn is one Herbert Pocket - Alec Guiness plays him as a young man) and a proud, beautiful young girl named Estella (played by Jean Simmons here; later by Valerie Hobson). Pip is to come several times a week to play cards with Estella (who keeps putting him down, calling him a common boy), to the amusement of Mrs. Haversham. The old lady was the victim of betrayal when getting married, and hates the world as a result. When Estella complains about Pip being so common, Mrs. Haversham whispers to her, "You can break his heart!"
One day, Jaggers tells Pip and Joe that Pip has gotten a patron - he is to be brought up to be a gentleman by an unknown benefactor. Jaggers says that he has "great expectations" for Pip's future as a result - hence the title of the story.
That's the background. Mills slowly turns from incredulous type into a terrible snob - even making poor Joe and Biddy feel out of place in his presence. He pursues Estella, who despite his rise still considers him a poor boy. He also considers that Mrs. Haversham is his benefactor - but he is not sure. Then comes the shock - he meets the real benefactor (Finley Currie as Abel Magwich) and discovers that great wealth does not come from "gentleman" all the time.
Much has been cut out by Lean in his script. A subplot involving an attack on Mrs. Joe by an poor farm hand named Orlick is not included - as is a moment of melodrama aimed at Pip by Orlick later on. There is not enough about Pip's rival for Estella, a super snob named Bentley Drummle (Torin Thatcher). The problem of transporting of criminals to Australia and the rules regarding their returning is not really discussed in the film. Instead it is the effect of wealth on people that is the center of the film version, and the film is stronger as a result.
Mills had one of his best early roles as the hero who discovers that there are fine human beings who don't need money. Simmons and Hobson are properly selfish as Estella*. Guiness is pleasant as Pip's closest friend (but the role is not as rich as his Fagin in TWIST). As was pointed out Sullivan gives a sturdy performance as a man in a corrupt profession in a corrupt world, who tries to help people. If not as great as OLIVER TWIST was, it was Lean's fine first attempt at telling Dickens on screen
{*Dickens originally did not intend for Pip and Estella to end up together - there is a one page conclusion still extant that shows them going their separate ways. The novel and film have the ending that Dickens added at the recommendation of his friend Edward Bulwer - Lytton.)