"GREAT EXPECTATIONS" Adaptations
Charles Dickens' 1861 novel, "Great Expections" is highly regarded as one of the author's best works. Although there have been numerous adaptations, I have seen only three of them. Needless to say, I have mixed feelings about them:
"GREAT EXPECTATIONS" ADAPTATIONS
1. "Great Expectations" (1946) - Directed by David Lean and starring John Mills, this adaptation from 1946 seemed to be regarded as the benchmark all versions of Dickens' novel are compared. And for the likes of me, I cannot see why. Thanks to Guy Green and Robert Krasker's photography, it is a beautiful looking movie. The movie also featured some excellent performances, especially from Jean Simmons, Finlay Currie and Alec Guinness. However, I ended up feeling less than satisfied with the screenplay written by Lean and co-screenwriters Anthony Havelock-Allan and Ronald Neame. I found the movie’s second half rushed and unfulfilling.
2. "Great Expectations" (1999) - Directed by Julian Jarrold and starring Ioan Gruffudd, this television adaptation seemed to be an improvement over the 1946 movie. I thought it did an excellent job of conveying Pip’s obsession with Estella and in becoming a gentleman. And I loved Odile Dicks-Mireaux's costume designs, along with Ian McDiarmid as the attorney Jaggers. I was also impressed by Gruffudd’s portrayal of Philip "Pip" Pirrip. However . . . I thought Charlotte Rampling had been miscast as Miss Haversham. Her take on the character seemed to lack bite. And I did not care for the miniseries' ending. Following a major character's death, the narrative's ending seemed to peter out in a vague manner.
3. "Great Expectations" (2023) - Directed by Brady Hood and Samira Radsi, and starring Fionn Whitehead; this television adaptation was loathed by the critics. I actually enjoyed it, but I had some quibbles that included the heavy and unnecessary use of profanity, the resolution of Magwitch's arc occurring at Miss Haversham’s home, instead of the Thames River; and Pip's fate regarding his profession. On the other hand, I really liked the performances, especially those from Olivia Colman as Miss Haversham and Ashley Thomas as Jaggers. I also liked how the miniseries conveyed Pip's obsession with Estella and in becoming a gentleman, along with how the access of easy money came dangerously close to corrupting him.
But if I must be frank, the above adaptations had failed to knock my socks off. In other words, I have yet to see an adaptation of "Great Expectations" that has impressed me. Considering the numerous adaptations I have yet to see, there is the chance I might come across that exceptional adaptation.