Personally I am not very intent or motivated on black and white films; but Carlton's production of "Great Expectations" digitally remastered on DVD took me by surprise. David Lean (director) did a fantastic Job. The use of music and fade edits to show emotion and time pass really astonished me- I thought it was pretty rare for a film produced in the 40's to use such advanced technology and special effects. The film really grabs the attention if the viewer from the start; it uses mist which makes the audience fell like they are going on an adventure and don't know what to expect.
To be honest, I'm not a sensitive, lovey, duvey kind of person, but it was the heart warming story that grabbed my concentration. The themes consist of; loyalty, Love and human relationships. The scenario is about, a poor orphan who befriends a fugitive convict and who grows up in the company of a bitter old woman, Miss Havisham, and her young associate, Estella.
English: Miss Havisham, Pip, and Estella, in art f...
English: Miss Havisham and Pip, in an illustration...
CHAD TOWNSENDPip (John Mills) learns the rewards of both vindictiveness and gratitude as a result of these events. All along he wanted to get the love of his life Estella played by Valerie Hobson; which he finally completes after all the ups and downs he goes through. But I thought that in the end Pip became a miserable old fool.
If I had to choose my best actor I would choose Valerie Hobson; I thought she played pretty well- considering she had a huge part in the film. Her character at the same time is intrigued by Pip but she acts all vain and snobbish. The character which I hated was Ms Havisham (Martita Hunt). She was a sad low life. She wanted people like Estella to follow her footsteps and end...