Adaptations of classic literature are always iffy for me because a lot of the time it feels like a ton of plot is being crammed into a short runtime. At just under two hours Great Expectations is able to get enough of the story in to be one of the best Charles Dickens ever made, and director David Lean is enough of a master of the craft to make this great cinema. This is the second time that I've seen this film, and while it's not one that I was looking forward to viewing, I enjoyed it immensely the second time around because it's gorgeous, touching, and funny as hell.
The film is split almost evenly between Pip as a boy and Pip as a man. John Mills is fine as adult Pip, but I preferred Anthony Wager's scared expression and insecurity when dealing with Miss Havisham (the brilliant Martita Hunt) and Estella (an early performance by Jean Simmons). These early scenes are table setting, but being introduced to the dilapidated world of Miss Havisham deserves all the time that gets lavished on it, and really could have used some more. Her house feels like something out of a Universal horror film, covered with spider webs, rats and rotting curtains. Havisham herself is bitter and is downright gleeful when telling Estella that she can break his heart, but what I love is that she is never personally mean to Pip. She treats him sweetly, all the while vicariously taking revenge on all men by having Estella behave like a snarling cunt to him.
Simmons' performance as young Estella one-note but works. Valerie Hobson does much better as adult Estella, with a deadened cruelty that doesn't take joy in torturing Pip; she just does this because that's all she knows how to do. Alec Guinness has a fun role as Pip's roommate Herbert Pocket, but the heart of this film is in the escaped convict Abel Magwitch (Finlay Currie), who is both terrifying and lovable at the same time. I also liked Francis Sullivan as the lawyer Mr. Jaggers, but that's mainly because gruff fat dudes with deep voices are a personal favorite cinematic character for me. Nearly everyone in the cast is superb, with nary a fall note in any of the performances. Sure, Mills plays Pip as something of a saint, but fuck it, you still like the guy and keep rooting for him.
I love some of Lean's choices here, and this is one of my favorite films of his. A surprising moment is a terrified Pip running through a farmer and hearing angry accusations from a bunch of cows. The film hits all the right notes, with Havisham being portrayed as the tragic figure she really is and the romance between Pip and Estella actually working in the end. It moves at a brisk pace and doesn't feel either like a two hour film nor an adaption of a classic novel. It's just a damn fine movie.
All that sounds like I'd be ranking this film pretty high, but that's not the case. I enjoyed this movie a lot, but I'm probably not going to watch it again. Also, while Lean is a great director and this is one of my favorite films of his, he falls into that category of directors who I like and respect, but not one who particularly excites me. This film is a masterpiece and deserves all the praise that gets heaped on it, but it's not a film that I personally would go on raving to people about. It's odd, but there you go. Sometimes a brilliant movie that I really like won't get ranked as high as lesser movies that nonetheless stick in my head for years after the fact. #18 seems fair.
1. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
2. Robocop (1987)
3. Seven Samurai (1954)
4. The Seventh Seal (1957)
5. M (1931)
6. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
7. Grand Illusion (1937)
8. High and Low (1963)
9. Shock Corridor (1963)
10. Hard Boiled (1992)
11. Sid and Nancy (1986)
12. The 400 Blows (1959)
13. Walkabout (1971)
14. The Killer (1989)
15. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
16. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
17. Dead Ringers (1988)
18. Great Expectations (1946)
19. The Naked Kiss (1964)
20. A Night to Remember (1958)
21. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
22. The Samurai Trilogy (1954-1956)
23. The Long Good Friday (1980)
24. Blood For Dracula (1974)
25. Flesh for Frankenstein (1973)
26. Amarcord (1973)
27. Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
28. Summertime (1955)
29. Alphaville (1965)
Next time: the Lean/Dickens double feature ends with Oliver Twist. Since much of the same cast and crew returns, I'm expecting more brilliance. Don't let me down, Lean.
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