“Great Expectations” is the story of a poor orphan boy named Pip who discovers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he become a gentleman. So the boy gets an allowance, a free education, and life experiences making for an interesting story which director David Lean (“Blithe Spirit” 1945) faithfully adapts from the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens. He co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan.
The cast members turned in excellent performances including John Mills as Pip and Valerie Hobson as Estella, Anthony Wager as young Pip, Jean Simmons as young Estella, Alec Guinness, Torin Thatcher, Bernard Miles, Francis L. Sullivan, Martita Hunt, Finlay Currie, Ivor Barnard, and Edie Martin as Mrs. Whimple. The watchable “Great Expectations” was very popular at the box office for Cineguild and General Film Distributors Ltd.
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two: Best Cinematography/Black-and-White (Guy Green) and Best Art Direction/Set Direction. The non-winners were Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. (“The Best Years of Our Lives” won Best Picture.) It was filmed mostly in Kent, England, and in studio in London. Many commentators and critics consider “Great Expectations” to be the finest film of David Lean’s career.
Great Expectations (1946)
cinema
My Review
“Great Expectations” is the story of a poor orphan boy named Pip who discovers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he become a gentleman. So the boy gets an allowance, a free education, and life experiences making for an interesting story which director David Lean (“Blithe Spirit” 1945) faithfully adapts from the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens. He co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan.
The cast members turned in excellent performances including John Mills as Pip and Valerie Hobson as Estella, Anthony Wager as young Pip, Jean Simmons as young Estella, Alec Guinness, Torin Thatcher, Bernard Miles, Francis L. Sullivan, Martita Hunt, Finlay Currie, Ivor Barnard, and Edie Martin as Mrs. Whimple. The watchable “Great Expectations” was very popular at the box office for Cineguild and General Film Distributors Ltd.
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two: Best Cinematography/Black-and-White (Guy Green) and Best Art Direction/Set Direction. The non-winners were Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. (“The Best Years of Our Lives” won Best Picture.) It was filmed mostly in Kent, England, and in studio in London. Many commentators and critics consider “Great Expectations” to be the finest film of David Lean’s career.