Great Expectations (Masterpiece Theatre, 1999)
by Julian Jarrold
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ioan Gruffudd; Justine Waddell; Charlotte Rampling; Angela Sims; Hugh Lloyd; Laila Morse; Gemma Gregory; Sarah Durham (II); Roland Manookian; Nicholas Woodeson; Ian McDiarmid; Jo Cameron Brown; Selina Cadell; Clive Russell; Philippa Stanton; Laurence Dobiesz; Nicholas Blane; Bernard Hill; Timothy Tranter; Sandra VoeDirector: Julian Jarrold
Brand: WGBH BOSTON VIDEO
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Unknown; Greek (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 180 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-28
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: WGBH BOSTON
Movie Reviews of Great Expectations (Masterpiece Theatre, 1999)
Movie Review: An average production....
Summary: 3 Stars
I know many people seem to love this WGBH, Masterpiece Theatre 1999 production of Charles Dickens' novel "Great Expectations." However, I did not greatly enjoy this adaptation as many people have.
My reasons:
- The picture quality is not much better than the 1981 version. Therefore, my eyes are just as content to watch the 1981 version, which develops the characters much better (even if it drags on at times.)
- This production does not develop Orick's character, or Estella's character early in the production. In fact, Mr. Pumblechook and other characters are also not as developed as I would have wished.
- Dickens' novel drags on in the middle. This production greatly contracts the plot in the central half of the novel. For example, Bentley Drummel and Matthew Pocket's characters are not developed very well in the middle part of this work. Matthew's father is nearly eliminated.
- This words spoken in this production have been updated from the 1981 adaptation and the novel. In fact, the 1974 adaptation is more accurate than this 1999 production as pertains to including famous quotes from the novel.
One positive of this adaptation is that the mood (the psychology) of this adaptation is better than the 1981 version or any other version I have seen. A second positive is that the acting is this production is just as good as the 1981 adaptation.
In summary:
I prefer the 1981 version best (even though I would only give it a 4 star). However, this production is better than the 1974 Michael York/Sarah Miles adaptation, which completely eliminates the character of Orlick.
For people who want a film to watch for pleasure (rather than to prepare for a major content examination), this adaptation may be the most interesting and best choice. Otherwise, I would recommend the much longer 1981 adaptation.
Summary of Great Expectations (Masterpiece Theatre, 1999)
Ioan Gruffudd, Justine Waddell and Charlotte Rampling star in this adaptation of Charles Dickens' enduring classic Great Expectations, the story of a young orphan named Pip who lives with his sister and her blacksmith husband, Joe.One day Pip is sent to play at the residence of Miss Havisham, a frightening, elderly woman who seems locked in the past. She wears ancient bridal attire and never moves from the dusty upper rooms of her home. Miss Havisham's beautiful but contemptuous ward, Estella, makes Pip feel appallingly inferior, creating in him a desire to better himself-changing his life forever. But despite his efforts to improve himself, the frustrated Pip seems destined to remain Joe's apprentice. Until one day a lawyer calls to inform Pip that he has "great expectations:" Pip is to be released form his apprenticeship and educated in London as a gentleman! The benefactor who has made this life transformation possible, however, wishes to remain anonymous.
This capable and intelligent adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic novel is one in a long line of Great Expectations put to film. But this two-part drama distinguishes itself with its faithfulness to the book and outstanding performances by the principal cast. Ioan Gruffudd plays the adult Pip, an orphan who lives with his sister and her kindly blacksmith husband. Pip's life changes when he is sent for by Miss Haversham (Charlotte Rampling), an eccentric and wealthy spinster who wears only her bridal gown, which she was wearing when she was left at the altar years before. Introduced to Estella (played later as a woman by Justine Waddell), Miss Haversham's contemptuous ward, Pip falls in love with the girl and spends the remainder of his youth attempting to be good enough for her--a state of affairs that suddenly seems possible when a mysterious benefactor makes Pip's education as a London gentleman possible. Gruffudd is a fine choice for the central character, and his naturally intense expression underscores Pip's problems with insecurity and sense of deservedness. Waddell is an appropriately solipsistic Estella, slightly reminiscent of Vivien Leigh, and Rampling's casting is an unexpected but terrific move on the filmmaker's part. The veteran actress's career-long air of mystery, vague suffering, and intense sexuality bring a potent power to Miss Haversham's baleful looks. Dickens would be proud of this one. --Tom Keogh
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