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:

Benefactor | Orphan | Lawyer | Caning | Snob

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

Also Known As:

Büyük ümitler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Cadenas rotas (Spain) [es]
Die großen Erwartungen (East Germany) [de]
Geheimnisvolle Erbschaft (Germany) [de]
Grandes Esperanças (Portugal) [pt]
Grandi speranze (Italy) [it]
Grans esperances (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Große Erwartungen (Austria) [de]
Les grandes espérances (France) [fr]
Lysande utsikter (Sweden) [sv]
Megales prosdokies (Greece) [el]
Store forventninger (Denmark) [da]
Suuret toiveet (Finland) [fi]
Velké nadeje (Czechoslovakia) [cs]

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Germany:16 | Sweden:15 | South Korea:15 (2003) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | UK:PG (re-release)

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Cineguild

Trivia:

One of the few films to be shown on commercial network television after it had been shown many times on local stations, including PBS affiliates.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: After leaving the office of Jaggers, Pip and Mr. Wemmick are walking down the street and when they approach the corner the conversation turns to a discussion of Jaggers' servant Molly; at this point the shadow of the boom mic is visible on the wall behind them in the left side of the shot.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in License to Wed (2007)

A true classic

The term 'classic' is often banded about with regard to films but I feel this one does warrant the term. A masterpiece of film-making by one of the best director's to take the chair. From the opening on the flat marshland framed by the hangman's gantry, this is wonderfully atmospheric storytelling of the highest quality which manages to capture the feel of the novel. The inspired touches with the cows muttering to Pip when he takes the stolen food to the convict and the howling wind over London as Pip's past is about to knock on his door, stay in the mind. This film is rich in character and detail. A sumptuous film that is a real treat. I can still, even today, taste the pork pie that Pip steals from the larder and feel his fear as Joe's wife goes to look for it and the sadness as the older Pip is embarrassed by Joe in his upmarket London surroundings and watches his old friend leave London from his living room window. An absolute masterpiece of cinema.