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: Mood is the Strong Point in Jarrold's 'Expectations'
Summary: 5 Stars
Julian Jarrold's adaptation shines not because of its faithfulness to the plot of the novel, but because of its effective use of character and mood. Both Abel Magwitch and Miss Havisham appear as ominous figures, much more so than in any other attempt to put Dickens' classic novel to film. Ioan Gruffuld's Pip, likewise, is more frightened as a child, more vulnerable as an adult, than we have ever seen him before. Estella is crueler and more beautiful. The mood throughout, from Pip's strange encounter in the graveyard, to his peculiar encounter with Orlick, to his final encounter with Estella, is often more grim, never more comic than the Dickens. A cloud seems to hang over everything, even its brightest comic moments, offered up in the movie by Wemmick and Herbert.
Often, what works well in a novel does not work well on screen. Jarrold understands this, and presents Dickens' characters as real human beings, establishes a setting that complements mood, and creates a version of 'Great Expectations' that is, in my opinion, one of the best every made.
Summary of Great Expectations (Masterpiece Theatre, 1999)
Is the story of the orphan Pip and his tireless struggle to escape his apparent destiny as a blacksmith s apprentice.Miss Havisham a vengeful woman frozen in time irrevocably changes Pip s simple life when she invites him into her home to entertain her young ward Estella. A beautiful girl raised in Miss Havisham s image Estella s contemptuous air creates intense feelings of inferiority in Pip.Pip believes he is condemned to the life of a tradesman. Until that is an anonymous benefactor sends word that Pip is to be released from his apprenticeship and educated in London as a gentleman. Educated and groomed as her equal and full of great expectations Pip resolves to prove to Estella that he s changed and with her elusive heart.System Requirements: Running Time 180 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre:?DRAMA Rating:?NR UPC:?783421337596 Manufacturer No:?WG33759This 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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