Great Expectations: Starring John Mills, Valerie Hobson and Tony Wager (1946 Movie)

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Great Expectations is a 1946 British film which won two Academy Awards and was nominated for three others (best picture, best director and best screenplay). It was directed by David Lean, based on the novel by Charles Dickens and stars John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Finlay Currie, Martita Hunt and Alec Guinness. Jean Simmons, who played the role of the young Estella in the film, later played Miss Havisham in a 1989 version directed by Kevin Connor.

The script, a slimmed-down version of Dickens's novel which had been inspired after seeing an abridged stage version of the novel, in which Alec Guinness (responsible for the adaptation) played Herbert Pocket and Martita Hunt was Miss Havisham -- casting that was carried over into the film - was written by Anthony Havelock-Allan, David Lean, Cecil McGivern, Ronald Neame and Kay Walsh. The film was produced by Ronald Neame and photographed by Guy Green. It was the first of two films Lean directed based on Dickens' novels, the other being his 1948 adaptation of Oliver Twist.

Cast * John Mills as Pip as an adult * Jean Simmons as Estella as a girl * Valerie Hobson as Estella as an adult * Martita Hunt as Miss Havisham * Finlay Currie as Abel Magwitch * Francis L. Sullivan as Mr. Jaggers * Bernard Miles as Joe Gargery * Alec Guinness as Herbert Pocket as an adult * Anthony Wager as Pip as a boy * John Forrest as Herbert Pocket as a boy * Freda Jackson as Mrs. Joe Gargery * Ivor Barnard as Mr. Wemmick * Torin Thatcher as Bentley Drummle * O.B. Clarence as The Aged Parent

The film won critical praises upon release, with many of them hailing it as the finest film yet made from a Dickens' novel. In 1999, it came fifth in a BFI poll of the top 100 British films, while in 2004, Total Film named it the fourteenth greatest British film of all time.

Great Expectations won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White (John Bryan, Wilfred Shingleton) and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, and was nominated for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay.

Differences from the novel

Apart from a general compression of time and detail necessary to adopt any novel to film, the major changes from the novel to the screenplay include the following: * The happy ending of the film differs greatly from the novel, which takes place 11 years after most of the events and is slightly more ambiguous. * The characters of Orlick, Matthew and Belinda Pocket, Startop, Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard, Mr. Creppock, Mrs. Wopsle, Mr. Barley, The Society of the Finches and Miss Skiffins are omitted. * The convict who is Magwitch's nemesis is not named in the film. It is revealed in the novel that he is Compyeson, the man who jilted Miss Havisham. * Pip's sister's assault at the hands of Orlick is deleted; instead she dies of illness far earlier than she does in the novel. * Biddy is portrayed as being closer to Joe's age than Pip's, and Pip never intends to marry her as he does in the book. * In the novel, the immolation of Miss Havisham happens later, after Estella is married, and is not immediately fatal. She instead passes away during Pip's illness. * Wemmick's dual personality is only briefly shown. * Drummle does not appear until after Estella arrives in London, and he does in fact marry her in the novel. * Estella's true parentage is never revealed to her in the novel.

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[dlewzey]

Charles Dickens really did know how to move the heart, I would not expect less from a victorian south Londoner

[Ace4mArk2Ark]

They don't come much better than such classics, thoroughly superb.

[MissMonsterFloss]

Joe is such a lovely character :)

[angelboydude]

How the hell did I come here by googling :

"I Hate It When (A Llama Named Carl Stabs Me 37 Times And Eats My Hands.)"

[dinitis]

this estella was pretty, the more recent 1 is UGLY!

[agora1955]

@kardsh Oh well, if you are contemplating doing what just might be the result

of your future ideas, then you might get around to it in about NEVER !!

[kardsh]

@agora1955 i'm thinking of reading it when i have some time 

[agora1955]

@kardsh You should READ the book for yourself. OK ?

[kardsh]

@agora1955 i should watch it again !

[agora1955]

@kardsh That is very odd, as there is NO story without Estella.

[kardsh]

@agora1955 couse the didnt mention estella in the book i really dont know why

[agora1955]

@kardsh Why ?