Great Expectations
It was indeed with great expectation that I looked forward to seeing this newest version of Dickens' classic story. In the past there have been several films that with varying success tried to capture that great work. 52 years ago, with a great cast consisting in part of John Mills, Alec Guiness, Valerie Hobson, and Jean Simmons, David Lean directed perhaps the best of all.. In 1988, BBC did an admirable TV version. A year later, there was an excellent mini-series made in Britain that starred Anthony Hopkins, Jean Simmons, John Rhys-Davies, Ray McAnally, and Kim Thompson, directed by Kevin O'Connor. Pretty much of a disaster was the 1983 animated version directed by Jean Tych. ThE 1987 GREAT EXPECTATIONS ---THE UNTOLD STORY was the worst of all.
We come now to this new attempt.. Perhaps taking a cue from the modern Romeo and Juliet of 2 years ago, the well-known producer Art Linson decided to make an updated GREAT EXPECTATIONS. A big mistake. Too many changes had to be made in the plot so that it no longer resembled the Dickens work. Despite that the credits list "Based On The Charles Dickens classic" or words to that effect,. Dickens would have been horrified with the result.
Perhaps the only element common to both the book and the current film scripted by Mitch Glazer, is that both rely on the themes of trying to obtain respect, the aspect of coincidence, and wanting things one could not have. While the Dickens story is very much concerned with the conflict between the rich and the poor, the commoner and the aristocracy, Glazer opted to delete that part "because it didn't have to be about that at all." Really?!?
As screenwriter Glazer did not want to do a literal remake of the novel (Then why use the book's name? Why say "based on the book by Dickens?) he even changed the names of all the characters except for Estella. One of the charms of reading Dickens is the unique names he gave his characters. Glazer did not think "Magwitch" and "Miss Haversham" were suitable names for this version.
The story, you will recall, is of an 8-year-old, Finn Bell becoming a man (Ethan Hawke), his life being changed by three people. They are convict Lustig (Robert De Niro) and Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft) and Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow.)
When the young Finn (Jeremy James Kissner) meets the beautiful Estella (Raquel Beaudene), they are both 10-years-old. Ms. Dinsmoor warns Finnegan that Estella will break his heart and even if he is warned, he will pay no heed. And that is what happens. She runs off with someone else; he turns to painting and becomes famous. The film ends in a corny and unbelievable scene.
De Niro is the one redeeming feature. Others in the cast include Hank Azaria, Chris Cooper, Josh Mostel, Kim Dickens.
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron.
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Copyright 1998 Ben Hoffman
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