great expectations movie review 1998

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, great expectations.

Now streaming on:

This is not, says Finn, the way the story really happened, but the way he remembers it. That is how everyone tells the stories that matter to them: through their own eyes, rewritten by their own memories, with bold underscores for the parts that hurt. Finn's story is the life of a poor boy who falls in love with a rich girl who has been trained since childhood to break the hearts of men.

This tale has been borrowed from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, where it is told in less lurid images and language, to be sure, but with the same sense of an innocent boy being lured into the lair of two dangerous women. That the women are lonely, sad and good at heart makes it bittersweet. "What is it like not to feel anything?" Finn shouts at Estella after she has abandoned him. Of course if you cannot feel anything, that is exactly the question you cannot answer.

The story has been updated by director Alfonso Cuarón, who moves it from Victorian England to a crumbling neo-Gothic mansion in Florida. It stars Ethan Hawke as Finn (Pip in the book), and Gwyneth Paltrow as Estella, the beautiful niece of the eccentric millionairess Ms. Dinsmoor ( Anne Bancroft ). Their paths cross in one of those backwaters of Florida that have been immortalized by writers like Elmore Leonard and John D. MacDonald , where creeping condos from the North have not yet dislodged small fishing shacks and the huge masonry pile of Paradiso Perduto, which once was a glittering showplace but is now engulfed in trees and creepers, and falling into decay.

Finn lives with his sister Maggie and "her man," Joe ( Chris Cooper ), who raises him after Maggie disappears. One day he is seen by Ms. Dinsmoor, who invites him to Paradiso Perduto to play with her niece. The two children are about 10. Finn is a gifted artist, and as he sketches the young girl, the old crone perceives that he will eventually fall in love with the girl and sees her chance for revenge against men.

The original of Ms. Dinsmoor is of course Dickens' Miss Havisham, one of the most colorful and pathetic characters in Dickens, who was left stranded on her wedding day by a faithless lover. This version of "Great Expectations" spares us the sight of her wedding cake, covered in cobwebs after the decades (in Florida, tiny visitors would make short work of that feast). But it succeeds in making Ms. Dinsmore equally sad and venomous, and Anne Bancroft's performance is interesting: Despite the weird eye makeup and the cigarettes, despite the flamboyant clothing, she is human, and not without humor. "That's the biggest cat I've ever seen," Finn says on his first visit. "What do you feed it?" She waits for a beat. "Other cats," she says.

Paradiso Perduto and its inhabitant reminded me of " Grey Gardens ," the 1976 documentary about two relatives of Jackie Onassis who lived in a decaying mansion in East Hampton with countless cats. There is the same sense of defiance: If I was once young, rich and beautiful, these women say to the world, see what you have made of me! Cuarón, whose previous film was "The Little Princess," brings a touch of magic realism to the setting, with weeping willows, skies filled with sea birds, and a scene where Finn and Estella dance to "Besame Mucho" while Ms. Dinsmore looks on, cold-eyed.

Time passes. The young actors who played Finn and Estella are replaced by Hawke and Paltrow, who meet again at the mansion after several years, and share a sudden kiss at a water fountain, which is cut between backlit shots from moving cameras so that it seems more orgiastic than most sex scenes. After this romantic spark, Estella again dances away, and the story continues some years later in New York, where a mysterious benefactor offers to bankroll Finn's show at an important gallery, and Estella again appears on the scene, this time with a hapless fiance/victim named Walter in tow.

"Great Expectations" begins as a great movie (I was spellbound by the first 30 minutes) but ends as only a good one, and I think that's because the screenplay, by Mitch Glazer , too closely follows the romantic line. Dickens, who of course had more time and space to move around in, made it the story of a young man's coming of age, and the colorful characters he encountered--from the escaped prisoner of the opening scenes (played here by Robert De Niro ) to good old, proud old Joe. The moment this movie declares itself as being mostly about affairs of the heart, it limits its potential.

And yet the film is a successful translation of the basic material from one period and approach to another. Especially in the early Florida scenes, it seems timeless. Hawke and Paltrow project that uneasy alertness of two people who know they like each other and suspect they'll regret it. But the subplot involving the escaped prisoner doesn't really pay off (it feels more like a bone thrown to Dickens than a necessity of the plot). And I am not quite sure that any good artist can create only when he's in synch with the girl of his dreams: Some artists paint best when their hearts are broken, and most artists paint no matter what, because they have to.

"Great Expectations" doesn't finish at the same high level that it begins (if it did, it would be one of the year's best films), but it's visually enchanted; the cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki uses lighting and backlighting like a painter. And the characters have more depth and feeling than we might expect in what is, underneath everything, a fantasy. There's great joy in a scene where Finn sweeps Estella out of a restaurant and asks her to dance. And sadness later as she observes that Ms. Dinsmore's obsessions have become her own.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Now playing

Monica Castillo

Marya E. Gates

Sleeping Dogs

Brian tallerico.

Simon Abrams

You'll Never Find Me

Sheila o'malley.

Matt Zoller Seitz

Film credits.

Great Expectations (1998)

Rated R For Language and Some Sexuality

111 minutes

Ethan Hawke as Finnegan Bell

Anne Bancroft as Ms. Dinsmoor

Chris Cooper as Joe

Gwyneth Paltrow as Estella

Hank Azaria as Walter Plane

Robert De Niro as Prisoner/Lustig

• Mitch Glazer

Directed by

• Alfonso Cuaron

Based On The Novel by

• Charles Dickens

Latest blog posts

The 2024 Chicago Palestine Film Festival Highlights

Man on the Moon Is Still the Cure for the Biopic Blues

Part of the Solution: Matthew Modine on Acting, Empathy, and Hard Miles

The Imperiled Women of Alex Garland’s Films

Great Expectations

Where to Watch

Ethan Hawke (Finnegan Bell) Gwyneth Paltrow (Estella) Hank Azaria (Walter Plane) Chris Cooper (Joe) Anne Bancroft (Ms. Dinsmoor) Robert De Niro (Prisoner) Josh Mostel (Jerry Ragno) Kim Dickens (Maggie) Nell Campbell (Erica Thrall) Gabriel Mann (Owen)

Alfonso Cuarón

Modernization of Charles Dickens' classic story finds the hapless Finn as a painter in New York City pursuing his unrequited and haughty childhood love.

Recommendations

More about Great Expectations

To begin, heresy: Great Expectations is one of Charles Dickens’ weaker novels—too heavily plotted, with a surfeit of …

Advertisement

Alfonso Cuarón puts a steamy spin on Great Expectations

Every day,  Watch This  offers staff recommendations inspired by a new movie coming out that week. This week: Baz …

There once was a time when the world had to content itself with only a few versions of Great Expectations : the …

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

FILM REVIEW

FILM REVIEW; Tale of Two Stories, This One With a Ms.

By Janet Maslin

• Jan. 30, 1998

When filmmakers today talk about updating the classics, chances are they have a music video format in mind. That's the spirit of the new pop overhaul of ''Great Expectations,'' but the director, Alfonso Cuaron, also has lovelier aspirations. With the same visual enchantment he brought to ''A Little Princess,'' Mr. Cuaron does turn the famous story into one Charles Dickens would barely recognize, complete with a renamed Miss Havisham (Anne Bancroft) campy enough to suggest Baby Jane in Las Vegas. The directorial approach is so bold and vulgar that it has no business working. But often it does.

Largely because Mr. Cuaron is such a voluptuous visual stylist, this ''Great Expectations'' is capable of wonder even when its wilder ideas misfire. Without resorting to purely random change, the filmmaker does dust some cobwebs off its radically abridged version of Dickens. Anyone who minds the loss of the name Pip (it's now Finn) or the substitution of pelican-filled Gulf Coast landscapes for English moors can be duly horrified and should assuredly stay home. But the switches made by this American version can be adventurous, even apt. And the film makes up in visual exoticism some of what it loses in character and context.

The bare bones that remain here are the story of Finnegan Bell (Ethan Hawke plays him as an adult) and the strangely significant figures he meets in childhood. Robert De Niro, giving the most successfully Dickensian performance in the movie, plays the mysterious convict who bullies young Finn into saving his life. Finn's chance encounter with this man (once Magwitch, now Lustig) makes no more or less sense than his summons to the overgrown Gothic palazzo where Nora Dinsmoor (Ms. Bancroft) lives in the past. Feminist update: this tragically unmarried lady is more festive than gloomy and no longer wears a tattered wedding dress. She's painted up and ready to party, and she's now called Ms.

At the Dinsmoor mansion, strikingly filmed at a Sarasota Bay relic built for the Ringling circus family, Finn becomes lovestruck at the sight of the beautiful blonde who will haunt him through the rest of the story. This is Estella, ravishingly introduced as a child and then seen dancing gracefully into the grown-up incarnation of Gwyneth Paltrow.

Though the film, being more visual than verbal, is especially weak in explaining Estella's enigmatic behavior toward Finn, Ms. Paltrow does turn herself into the elegant object of desire that the story requires.

Her presence is as coolly striking as her role (in Mitch Glazer's screenplay) is underwritten. Incidentally, this is one more film in which the heroine's posing nude for an artist is supposed to make her more fully defined.

Ms. Paltrow oozes such metropolitan sophistication here that it even makes sense for the film to follow her from Florida to New York. This, less convincingly, is supposed to be the trajectory of Finn's brilliant career in the art world. Thanks to limpid portraits of the cast members supplied by Francesco Clemente, Finn becomes the toast of SoHo and re-encounters Estella at her most bewitching. Mr. Hawke seldom registers anything more interesting than astonishment at Finn's good fortune.

With Chris Cooper, Hank Azaria, Josh Mostel and Kim Dickens playing supporting figures in Finn's story, the film moves through a series of spacious, romantically pretty settings that set the film's fairy-tale mood.

Even a New York subway where Mr. Cuaron sets the story's most melodramatically tragic event manages to gleam here. And the characters, especially Ms. Bancroft's, become less mannered and jarring as the film takes shape, moving decoratively toward the sunnier of two closing sections that Dickens wrote for ''Great Expectations.'' The author was made to revise his initially honest, gloomy finale to close this tale more palatably. Even in his day, when sugarplum storytelling like this must have been unimaginable, there was a taste for the Hollywood ending.

''Great Expectations'' is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It includes profanity and one especially nonliterary sequence with Ms. Paltrow posing in the buff for her centerfold.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron; written by Mitch Glazer, based on the novel by Charles Dickens; director of photography, Emmanuel Lubezki; edited by Steven Weisberg; music by Patrick Doyle; production designer, Tony Burrough; produced by Art Linson; released by 20th Century Fox. Running time: 115 minutes. This film is rated R.

WITH: Ethan Hawke (Finnegan Bell), Gwyneth Paltrow (Estella), Hank Azaria (Walter Plane), Chris Cooper (Joe), Anne Bancroft (Nora Dinsmoor), Robert De Niro (Prisoner/ Lustig), Kim Dickens (Maggie) and Josh Mostel (Jerry Ragno).

Skip to content , or skip to search .

Search Help Home > Movies > Great Expectations (1998)

• READER REVIEWS

Great Expectations (1998)

Distributor.

20th Century Fox

Release Date

Jan 30, 1998

Release Notes

Official website.

• www.foxmovies.com

Alfonso Cuaron (The Little Princess) directed this Mitch Glazer screenplay, a modernization of the 1860-61 classic by Charles Dickens. Some situations in the film are presented as memories -- the way the central figure, Finnegan Bell (Ethan Hawke) recalls events many years later. At a Florida fishing village, eight-year-old orphan Finn Bell (Jeremy James Kissner), talented at art, is left in the care of his sister and her husband, Joe (Chris Cooper). One day, Finn helps a chained, escaped convict who appears in the surf. On other days, he visits Paradiso Perduto, where he plays with young Estella (Raquel Beaudene), niece of the mansion's colorful, flamboyant, and extremely wealthy owner, Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft), who parallels the novel's tragic Miss Havisham, a woman jilted at the altar and left emotionally scarred and mentally imbalanced. As Ms. Dinsmoor watches Finn draw a portrait of Estella, she plots to mold Estella into a hard woman capable of destroying men. In a flash forward to the '90s, Finn (Hawke) and Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow), now in their late teens, re-create the water-fountain kiss of their childhood, but Estella vanishes, breaking Finn's heart to such a degree that he doesn't draw or paint for seven years, choosing to eke out a marginal existence with his uncle Joe (after Finn's sister abandons the two). Then Manhattan art representative Jerry Ragno (Josh Mostel) turns up with a startling offer -- if Finn will return to painting and relocate in New York, Ragno will give him a one-man show. With an apparent assist from Ms. Dinsmoor, Finn makes the move and begins his new life with great expectations and a deadline of 10 weeks to complete the necessary paintings. When Finn next encounters Estella, she has a wealthy boyfriend, Walter (Hank Azaria). As Finn once again becomes entranced by Estella, he also begins to question exactly how his life is being manipulated. Francesco Clemente did the paintings and drawings seen in the film. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Great Expectations

This "Great Expectations" is something less than a pip. A fanciful and free modern-day adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel about a poor boy's circuitous ascent in the world, beautifully made production lacks the emotional depth and dramatic tension needed to command audience attention beyond the level of a talented curiosity.

By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

• Remember Me 14 years ago
• Shutter Island 14 years ago
• Green Zone 14 years ago

This “Great Expectations ” is something less than a pip. A fanciful and free modern-day adaptation of Charles Dickens ‘ classic novel about a poor boy’s circuitous ascent in the world, beautifully made production lacks the emotional depth and dramatic tension needed to command audience attention beyond the level of a talented curiosity. Without top reviews, this picaresque drama describing several characters’ peculiar destinies will have trouble raising much interest among the general public.

Intriguing due to its rich source material, which served as the basis for David Lean’s classic 1946 film, and as the second American effort by the gifted Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron after his splendid “The Little Princess,” this dazzlingly colorful film boasts any number of memorable images and vividly realized scenes. But the overall effect is strangely opaque and lacking in resonance due to a number of factors.

Popular on Variety

Eight-year-old orphan Finn Bell is growing up in marginal circumstances in a sleepy fishing village along the Florida coast. With no warning, his trashy sister takes off, leaving him in the care of his “uncle” Joe (Chris Cooper). Certainly the most momentous incident of his young life is strikingly conveyed: While in shallow water, Finn is accosted by a shackled escaped convict (Robert De Niro) who coerces the boy into helping him but whose urgent humanity later inspires Finn to give him aid when he needs it most.

The convict’s visually startling but physically implausible rise out of the surf underscores the film’s premise, that the events on view are presented as Finn remembers them years later, not necessarily the way they happened. That the boy’s one notable talent is drawing further asserts the primacy of the film’s interest in the imagination over the literal.

The other highlight of Finn’s youth are his visits to Paradiso Perduto, a crumbling old Venetian-style mansion where he is periodically paged to play with the lovely young Estella, the niece of the house’s owner, Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft). The film’s version of the novel’s Miss Havisham, Ms. Dinsmoor is a flamboyantly self-dramatizing creature, complete with heavy makeup and cigarette holder, who has spent most of her life feeling tragic over having been abandoned by a man. Watching Finn fall for her beautiful blond niece while he draws her, the old lady devotes herself to vengefully molding Estella into a hard woman who will make men weep.

A half-hour in, action jumps to the ’80s. Finn and Estella, now in their late teens and played by Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow, meet once again and experience a highly erotic encounter — an extension of an unforgettable kiss at a water fountain they shared as kids. But Estella has learned her lessons well and, at a crucial moment, abruptly disappears, leaving a bewildered Finn heartbroken. For seven years he doesn’t draw or paint, living on the margins with Joe until a mysterious stranger, a New York art world rep (Josh Mostel), appears to offer Finn a one-man show if he’ll come to Manhattan and start painting again.

With Ms. Dinsmoor as his apparent benefactor, Finn takes up the artist’s life in Gotham. Inevitably, Estella re-enters his life, and although she has a wealthy boyfriend, Walter (Hank Azaria), she first sits for a nude portrait, then finally allows their long flirtation to be consummated. This presumably heightens the work Finn needs to complete in 10 weeks to make his opening, but the film’s intensity and occasional bursts of magic begin to ebb just as the story reaches the heart of the matter.

Despite its narrative flights and abundance of coincidences and interconnections, pic lacks complexity and genuine surprise. Dickens’ story has been too pared down by screenwriter Mitch Glazer , to the point where it comes close to seeming like just another success story with a few regrets piled up along the way. Director Cuaron has attempted to replace Dickens’ wealth of social detail with flourishes of magical realism, particularly in the florid Florida sections, but they don’t carry anywhere near the equivalent weight.

While appealing enough, Hawke exhibits limited range and depth as Finn. Despite his unusual life, Finn doesn’t come across as all that interesting, and Hawke provides him with little perceptible inner life or ambition.

Paltrow serves up the requisite flintiness and flightiness for Estella, while also nicely conveying the sense of loss in living as effervescently as she does. Bancroft’s theatrical turn is colorful but predictable, while De Niro, after the “Cape Fear”-like bullying of his opening scene, returns late in the show in a very different, highly engaging and personable mode.

Despite a host of the same collaborators and excellent individual contributions, the visual style doesn’t coalesce here as brilliantly as it did in “The Little Princess.” Emmanuel Lubezki’s widescreen lensing is eye-popping at times in its moves and colorations, and Tony Burrough’s production design shows extravagant imagination. Paintings and drawings by Francesco Clemente, repping the work done by Finn, are distinctive and eye-catching.

• Production: A 20th Century Fox release of an Art Linson production. Produced by Linson. Executive producer, Deborah Lee. Co-producer, John Linson. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Screenplay, Mitch Glazer, based on the novel by Charles Dickens.
• Crew: Camera (Technicolor, Deluxe prints; Panavision widescreen), Emmanuel Lubezki; editor, Steven Weisberg; music, Patrick Doyle; production design, Tony Burrough; art direction, John Kasarda; set decoration, Susan Bode; costume design, Judianna Makovsky; sound (Dolby digital), Tom Nelson; sound design, Richard Beggs; artwork, Francesco Clemente; assistant director, Thomas A. Reilly; casting, Jill Greenberg. Reviewed at 20th Century Fox studios, L.A., Jan. 12, 1998. (In Sundance Film Festival -- special screening.) MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 111 MIN.
• With: Finnegan Bell - Ethan Hawke Estella - Gwyneth Paltrow Walter Plane - Hank Azaria Joe - Chris Cooper Ms. Dinsmoor - Anne Bancroft Prisoner/Lustig - Robert De Niro Jerry Ragno - Josh Mostel Maggie - Kim Dickens Erica Thrall - Nell Campbell Owen - Gabriel Mick Finnegan, age 10 - Jeremy James Kissner Estella, age 10 - Raquel Beaudene Carter Macleish - Stephen Spinella

More From Our Brands

Camila cabello joins lana del rey during weekend two of coachella, inside the hidden world of vip perks at america’s marquee sports arenas, buffalo bills hire allen & company to sell stake in team, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, ratings: svu hits 2-month audience high, ties for thursday demo win, verify it's you, please log in.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Abigail Link to Abigail
• Civil War Link to Civil War
• Arcadian Link to Arcadian

New TV Tonight

• The Sympathizer: Season 1
• Conan O'Brien Must Go: Season 1
• Under the Bridge: Season 1
• The Spiderwick Chronicles: Season 1
• Our Living World: Season 1
• Orlando Bloom: To the Edge: Season 1
• The Circle: Season 6
• Dinner with the Parents: Season 1
• Jane: Season 2

Most Popular TV on RT

• Fallout: Season 1
• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• Ripley: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• We Were the Lucky Ones: Season 1
• Sugar: Season 1
• Parasyte: The Grey: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Under the Bridge Link to Under the Bridge
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

All Guy Ritchie Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

All A24 Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Renewed and Cancelled TV Shows 2024

Best Moments From The Migration Movie

• Trending on RT
• Migration Best Moments
• TV Premiere Dates
• Play Movie Trivia
• Renewed & Cancelled TV

Great Expectations Reviews

The film has a defining contemporary hipness, and features good work by Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. But it's more a meditation on its source than a filming of it.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jan 19, 2023

Where the film fails is in its commercial proclivity to centre the narrative trajectory around a fairly asinine updating of the Pip/Estella love-match into a soppy romance.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 27, 2019

Visually stunning retelling has nudity, lots of swearing.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 8, 2016

Cuarn and company end up throwing all the style they've got at the film... to compensate for a perpetually stalled drama.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Sep 22, 2013

In the end, shiny surfaces are just that--surfaces, with nothing necessarily underneath.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 30, 2009

It's a fairly minor film, but quite lovely and successful at creating its own time and place.

Full Review | Jan 9, 2009

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Mar 25, 2004

Charles Dickens' novel has been pared to the bone and set in the present day, and the result is a beautifully shot mess. The characters' motivations could not be any less clear.

Full Review | Original Score: D+ | Aug 11, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 20, 2003

The film's exectution is more of a tragedy than the story.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 8, 2003

his film doesn't have anything to say, it just wants to make a fashion statement: Pretty people should get to do stuff other people don't get to do.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Nov 1, 2002

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | Jun 18, 2002

Sua 'moral' pode at ser simples, como em todas as fbulas, mas o processo pela qual 'ensinada' interessante - e espantosamente otimista.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 31, 2002

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 12, 2002

The drama has a surface charm and panache that draws out the romantic in all of us.

Full Review | Mar 1, 2002

Una obra maestra.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Aug 31, 2001

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Feb 27, 2001

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Jan 1, 2001

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | Jan 1, 2000

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Jan 1, 2000

Culture | TV

Great Expectations: the best (and worst) adaptations of Charles Dickens' 1861 classic novel

Charles Dickens has long been regarded as one of the world’s most beloved authors, with his books being endlessly revisited in almost every form. Adapted at least 28 times across the stage, film and TV, Great Expectations returned to the screens once again most recently in a BBC six-part series starring Olivia Colman as the deeply troubled Miss Havisham.

Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight, who created the adaptation, said he chose Dickens’ tale because it’s “a story of class mobility and class intransigence” that remains “very timely”. His attempt received mixed reviews, some harsh. Though Collider said the classic had been “deftly reborn”, The Standard’s Melanie McDonagh said, “I can’t think of an adaptation I’ve hated more” .

And while many welcomed the remake – Great Expectations is, undoubtedly, one of Dickens’ most beloved novels – some sighed at the choice to adapt the book, again .

“With so many to dive into why are they doing Great Expectations again?” said one Twitter user, while another said, “I love Dickens AND Olivia Coleman, but do we really need another adaptation of ‘Great Expectations’?”

The Telegraph said: “My issue is: why make it at all? To coincide with its release, the BBC has just put its 2011 adaptation on iPlayer, starring Ray Winstone as Magwitch and Gillian Anderson as an otherworldly Miss Havisham. That’s before we get into the many, many other film and TV versions out there. Why does anyone need another?”

And some of those adaptations have been brilliant. Some not so much. So let’s walk the Victorian cobbles of memory lane with our pick of standout TV and film adaptations (not always for the right reasons), from worst to best.

If you haven’t seen this 1974 adaptation, that’s probably down to the fact it was heavily panned and quietly disappeared into the annals of Great Expectations adaptation history.

Directed by Tony Award-winning Joseph Hardy, it had a script by American playwright Sherman Yellen, and a score by Grammy-winning composer Maurice Jarre (who composed the score to Lawrence of Arabia and Dead Poets Society among others) – but it failed to land, partly and was criticised as being far too sentimental.

As a review in the BBC magazine The Listener, which ran from 1921 to 1999, put it: “Everything is wrong about it with a sort of dedicated, inspired wrongness that, in itself, is breath-taking.”

Props to Alfonso Cuarón for trying to adapt Great Expectations into a modern day tale set in Florida of all places. Given just how much of the book turns on British 19th century societal structures and sensibilities, it must have been a real task. The film is enticing for a good half an hour but then starts to focus too much on the romance between Estella (who is played by Gwyneth Paltrow) and the Pip character, Finn (who is played by Ethan Hawke). The Florida setting feels a looooong way from Victorian London and Kent.

This 2011 film adaptation starring Jeremy Irvine as Pip, Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch, Robbie Coltrane as Mr Jaggers and Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham, was neither here nor there, which was a real let down given the absolutely stellar cast. We know that Helena Bonham Carter plays a great complicated woman and she once again did a compelling job here.

Although Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell was behind the camera and the script was adapted by David Nicholls who wrote One Day and Us, the film, somehow, was totally forgettable: “This is a decent, slightly unadventurous film that gets the basics right,” said The Guardian.

We thought this 2011 three-part BBC drama was pretty good. Despite viewers and critics initially being up in arms about Gillian Anderson being cast as Miss Havisham (they argued that she was far too young and beautiful) this criticism was later shelved as Anderson played the character brilliantly, conjuring up a visceral hysteria. It should be pointed out that being 43 at the time, Anderson was actually older than the character. While Miss Havisham’s age is not mentioned in the book, Lithub points out that in his annotations, Dickens refers to her as “scarcely 40”.

Anyway, despite a great cast (Douglas Booth played Pip, Ray Winstone played Magwitch and David Suchet played Jaggers) and despite being written by Sarah Phelps (who went on to write A Very British Scandal) the miniseries failed to create that unsettling atmosphere and terrifying strangeness which is such an overwhelming component of the book.

Quite frankly this BBC2 1999 film adaptation is so high up on our list because it stars Charlotte Rampling as the Miss H. Whoever organised this casting deserves an award: captivating, alarming and deranged – she is a treat to watch. Ioan Gruffudd starred as Pip while Justine Waddell starred as Estella in this faithful adaptation.

There’s no doubt that this classic film is the undefeated champion Great Expectations screen adaptations. Directed by filmmaking master David Lean and starring acting legends including John Mills, Valerie Hobson and Jean Simmons, it made sense that the brilliant film was nominated for five Academy Awards (winning two). Though some of the actor’s plummy accents may grate on the ears of today’s viewers, the film is pitch perfect. Its potency has not lessened over the decades, which we put down to its absolutely chilling and unforgettable atmosphere.

Great Expectations (the latest one) is on BBC iPlayer

The best books adapted into film and TV this year including Hotel Portofino and House of the Dragon

Shadow and Bone season two: everything you need to know about the return of the hit Netflix show

You season 4 part 2 on Netflix review: too ridiculous for its own good

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Forgotten username or password ?

• Start a new list…
• Add all films to a list…
• Add all films to watchlist

Add to your films…

Press Tab to complete, Enter to create

A moderator has locked this field.

Add to lists

Review by chavel Patron

Great expectations 1998 ★★★.

Watched Feb 19 , 2024

chavel’s review published on Letterboxd:

At the beginning, Lustig (scary mode Robert DeNiro) is a prison fugitive who menaces the young Finn. The events blow over, with suggestions that Lustig was eventually caught. Later, Finn will get invited to a dilapidated Palm Beach mansion run by the nutty Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft) who so badly wants Finn to pair as a dance partner with her niece Estella. The two children are friends, become adults, and have, you know, yearnings as well as denied feelings.

In this liberal and modernized adaptation of the Charles Dickens story, Alfonso Cuarón brandishes it with dutch angles, with tracking shots through swank settings, with a swiveling camera to catch – I dunno – magic in the air. It’s a romantic picture he’s crafted, and not a bad one, but it could have probably used less alternative rock needle drops that scream, ultra-modern!

Adult Finn (Ethan Hawke) becomes a painter who receives angel financial backing, but with that opportunity, wants to use his talent to sweep away the heart of childhood love Estella (Gwenyth Paltrow). Hawke is genteel and earnest at the same time, wearing his heart on his sleeve as the type of man who is more romantic than the woman. Paltrow is gorgeous in this picture, with so much demure put-ons, teasing smiles, mischievous gestures, as the girl who would be perfect if she was not so stuck-up. Paltrow is fine, but the character as written, is a woman who doesn’t know what she wants.

We get high melodrama with this 1998 Great Expectations that almost goes beyond the tipping point, but this is a lusty and fantastical picture that wins me over with its images and sexy excess. A supple showcase for Hawke, Paltrow, and DeNiro. Also, Chris Cooper and Anne Bancroft doing small miracles playing fools you believe in, within their small roles.

• Moderator dashboard
• Block this member This member is blocked
• Report this review
• 90's movies
• ethan hawke
• gwenyth paltrow
• robert deniro
• chris cooper

sean_chavel liked these reviews

Select your preferred poster

Upgrade to remove ads.

Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. Please consider upgrading to a Pro account —for less than a couple bucks a month, you’ll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages ( example ), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads!

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Get the app
• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

Explaining the News to Our Kids

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

Great expectations, common sense media reviewers.

Dickens' suspenseful tale a great classic for 10+.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Pip steals from his house for a criminal. Pip'

Lots of foreboding and threats of violence, first

Pip kisses Estella on several occasions, but only

Lots of abusive language towards Pip, but no swear

The convict chugs brandy and later, Pip and Magwit

Parents need to know that Pip faces a lot of abuse, threats, and difficult situations, complete with foreboding music and characters who are scary to look at. Two main characters die (one engulfed in flames) and Pip nearly dies once. Pip sees criminals hanged. Estella and Miss Havisham are also models of man-hating…

Positive Messages

Pip steals from his house for a criminal. Pip's sister is abusive, saying she wishes she never had to care for him. Miss Havisham conspires to have Estella break Pip's heart. The overall message, however, is to be true to yourself, regardless of monetary wealth, and to show your true love no matter what.

Violence & Scariness

Lots of foreboding and threats of violence, first by Magwitch, then by Pip's sister. Magwitch threatens to "have your heart and liver out" and to eat it. Pip's sister beats him with a switch. Estella slaps Pip on the face. Herbert and Pip box and Pip knocks Herbert down twice, causing him to bleed. Pip sees criminals get hanged. Miss Havisham's dress catches fire and she dies violently. Several men are nearly killed by a ship's engine.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Pip kisses Estella on several occasions, but only on the cheek.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Lots of abusive language towards Pip, but no swearing.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

The convict chugs brandy and later, Pip and Magwitch share a drink.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Pip faces a lot of abuse, threats, and difficult situations, complete with foreboding music and characters who are scary to look at. Two main characters die (one engulfed in flames) and Pip nearly dies once. Pip sees criminals hanged. Estella and Miss Havisham are also models of man-hating women, which may offend both sexes and be worth discussing. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Community reviews.

• Parents say (1)
• Kids say (2)

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

John Mills stars in GREAT EXPECTATIONS as the adult Pip, the orphan raised by his abusive sister (Freda Jackson) and kindly blacksmith brother-in-law (Bernard Miles). When as a child he's accosted by a fugitive (Findlay Currie) and brings him food and alcohol, Pip begins a journey he never would have expected. He meets the creepy Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt) at her cobwebbed wedding banquet, and the beautiful but cruel Estella. When he inherits a fortune, Pip tries to become the gentleman he's always wanted to be and to win Estella's cold heart. But will he be able to? And who is his mysterious benefactor?

Is It Any Good?

It's a classic, yes, and it's in black and white, but it's Dickens, so you can still keep your expectations great that kids will find something to capture their attention and imaginations here. Especially when they meet Pip, the incurably optimistic and big-hearted main character, and following him through all the crazy plot twists and turns.

Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations like many of his other works, as serials for magazines. That means they're set up with plenty of twists and cliffhangers to string readers along. This makes for an even more exciting story, full of mistaken identities, secrets, manhunts, and double-crosses -- all the things many young viewers love. And the characters are fascinating, right down to their names: Uncle Pumblychook, Magwitch, Havisham, Mr. Jaggers. Pip's family may be one J.K. Rowling 's inspirations for the Dursleys, the mean guardians in Harry Potter .

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Pip keeps his optimism throughout his life. How important is class standing to him? Why? Does he give up anything about himself to be the kind of gentleman he always wanted to be? Do you ever try to give up or ignore parts of yourself because you want others to like you? It's also a good opportunity to introduce children to the book Great Expectations .

Movie Details

• In theaters : May 22, 1947
• On DVD or streaming : January 12, 1999
• Cast : Alec Guinness , John Mills , Valerie Hobson
• Director : David Lean
• Studio : Criterion Collection
• Genre : Classic
• Run time : 118 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : June 20, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

Nicholas Nickleby

Oliver Twist

Classic Books for Kids

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Shat the Movies

The Best 80s & 90s Movie Podcast

Search Movie Database

• 1990s Best Movies / View All

Great Expectations (1998)

Published March 1, 2023 · Updated May 17, 2023

“Shat The Movies” has seen its share of literary adaptations but never one that inspired Big D to draw, Gene to regain his teen mojo and Ash to besmirch the good name of coastal Florida. It’s Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations!”

This 1998 drama looks great on paper, boasting a star-studded cast including Robert De Niro, Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Cooper, Hank Azaria and Anne Bancroft. The killer soundtrack features two original songs by Tori Amos and Pulp (remember that nude posing scene? Yow!) And yet somehow the director, Alfonso Cuaron, was disappointed in how it turned out.

So we re-watched “Great Expectations” for commissioner Rachel C. and came up with our own ideas of where the movie falls short (mainly costuming) and where it really shines (sexy times).

In this episode, find out why Big D hated the art, why Ash loved the sets, why Gene felt weird and how the whole movie did Joe dirty.

Android: https://shatpod.com/android

Apple: https://shatpod.com/apple

All: https://shatpod.com/subscribe

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://shatpod.com/movies

Leave a Voicemail: Web: https://shatpod.com/voicemail

Leave a Voicemail: Call: (914) 719-7428

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Donate or Commission: https://shatpod.com/support

Shop Merchandise: https://shatpod.com/shop

Theme Song – Die Hard by Guyz Nite: https://www.facebook.com/guyznite

Check out this episode!

Tags: 1998 Ambition Anne Bancroft Atmospheric Betrayal Character Development Charles Dickens Cinematic coming of age Desire Drama Enigmatic Estella Ethan Hawke Fate Forbidden Love Great Expectations Adaptation Gwyneth Paltrow Hank Azaria Haunting Literary Adaptation Love Story Memorable Performances Miss Havisham Obsession Period Drama Pip Rags to Riches Redemption Robert De Niro Romance Secrets Social Class Tragic Romance Transformation Unrequited Love Victorian Era

• Next story  Near Dark (1987)
• Previous story  Outside Providence (1999)

You may also like...

Magnolia (1999)

December 8, 2019

 by Dick Ebert · Published December 8, 2019 · Last modified February 10, 2022

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

May 14, 2022

 by Dick Ebert · Published May 14, 2022 · Last modified May 16, 2022

Valley Girl (1983)

January 6, 2021

 by Dick Ebert · Published January 6, 2021 · Last modified February 10, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

THE 1990’S BEST MOVIES

THE 1980’S BEST MOVIES

THE 1970’S BEST MOVIES

HELP SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Upcoming Events

Who’s harry crumb (1989), krush groove (1985), desperado (1995), la bamba (1987).

20th Century Fox 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1993 1994 1995 1998 1999 Action Adventure Amblin Entertainment California Comedy Commissioned Crime Drama Family Fantasy Friendship High School Horror Los Angeles Mystery New Line Cinema Oscar Nominees Oscar Winners Paramount Police Rated PG Rated PG-13 Rated R Romance Science Fiction Thriller Time Travel Universal Pictures Violence War Warner Bros. Pictures

"One of the 50 Coolest Websites...they simply tell it like it is" - TIME

Great Expectations | 1998 | R | - 4.3.7

SEX/NUDITY 4 - Lots of sexual tension and some passionate kissing. A man fondles a woman's thighs and clothed crotch. A woman is shown sitting nude from behind, the side of a woman's breasts and a woman's bare buttocks are glimpsed briefly, and a woman is shown in her underwear. A woman is seen nude from behind apparently after having had sex and a woman is seen fully nude from a great distance, so nothing is really clearly seen. Sketches of a woman fully nude are seen several times.

VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - A man is stabbed and killed, and he is left very bloody. A man's very bloody ankle is seen. A man threatens to kill another man.

LANGUAGE 7 - A couple of dozen F-words, several scatological references, several mild obscenities and insults.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Pretending to be something you are not, unrequited love.

MESSAGE - Ambition must be tempered by humility.

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated , Special , Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.

REVIEWS See ratings & reviews at Critics.com

FILTER by RATINGS Did you know you can now filter searches by any combination of ratings? Just go to our search page or use the search bar, with or without a keyword, from the top navigation menu. Move sliders from 0-10 in any combination, check and uncheck MPAA ratings and use keywords to further filter results -- please let us know what you think.

THE ASSIGNED NUMBERS Unlike the MPAA we do not assign one inscrutable rating based on age but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY , VIOLENCE/GORE & LANGUAGE on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest depending on quantity & context | more |

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

• Follow Follow

how to support us

PLEASE DONATE

We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.

NO MORE ADS!

Become a member of our premium site for just $1/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we don't always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.

Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.

We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we will accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we do not always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Know when new reviews are published We will never sell or share your email address with anybody and you can unsubscribe at any time

You're all set! Please check your email for confirmation.

Pin it on pinterest.

• New Reviews
• ★ JOIN TODAY! ★

Discovering good movies, one bad movie at a time

Great Expectations

Alfonso cuar_n retrospective: so i called my self pip, and came to be called pip, connect with us.

Support The Show

Great Expectations (United States, 1998)

You have to give a film maker credit for exhibiting the necessary chutzpah to take one of the most beloved classics in the English language, Charles Dickens' Great Expectations , and transform it into a modern-day morality play/romance. Viewers who approach this motion picture with the mistaken expectation that it's going to be the kind of rigorously faithful adaptation that David Lean produced in 1946 are likely to be disappointed. Nevertheless, while Alfonso Cuaron's Great Expectations falls considerably short of being a definitive interpretation of the novel, it still offers an entertaining two hours.

Great Expectations is considered by many to be Dickens' finest novel. It is certainly among his darkest, even with the less-downbeat ending that the author's friends prompted him to include. Like Oliver Twist before it, Great Expectations draws heavily from events in the writer's own life, which in part explains its believability and strength of character. One of the book's chief themes – that of a poor boy crossing class barriers to pursue the girl of his dreams – offered Cuaron ( A Little Princess ) and writer Mitch Glazer their biggest challenge. With the setting changed from 19th century England to contemporary Florida and New York, the social scale of Victorian England lost its validity. Surprisingly, however, the story survived the transition relatively unscathed.

Even as the setting has changed, so have the names and occupations of many of the characters. The lead is no longer Pip; he's now called Finn, and is played by Ethan Hawke (with an assist from Jeremy Kissner as a ten-year old). Estella, the love of Finn's life, is still Estella, and she is portrayed by a radiant-yet-restrained Gwyneth Paltrow (and Raquel Beaudene at a younger age). Mad Miss Havisham has become the equally deranged Miss Dinsmore, who spends her days in a ruined house mourning a wedding that never took place. With Anne Bancroft in this part, it's easy to imagine that Nora Dinsmore could be Mrs. Robinson gone bonkers, thirty years later. The criminal Magwich has become Lustig, an escaped death row inmate, and is essayed by Robert DeNiro, who leaves a stronger impression here than in the recent Jackie Brown . Finally, Chris Cooper ( Lone Star ) plays Finn's "uncle", Joe Gargery (no name change), and Hank Azaria is Walter Plane, Finn's rival for Estella.

The story has Finn meeting Estella in the late 1970s, when both are ten years old. Neither has any parents. Finn lives with his sister and her boyfriend; Estella has been adopted by Miss Dinsmore, who, despite being insane, is one of the richest women in Florida. Despite a warning from the old lady that Estella will break his heart, Finn falls for the golden-haired girl, but their relationship never progresses beyond wet kisses at a water fountain. Finn is in earnest, but Estella likes to tease. More than a decade later, they meet in New York City. He's there to break into the Manhattan art scene (and earn enough money to impress her), while she's contemplating marriage to a man named Walter Plane, who has commitment problems. And, hidden beneath the love story, there's a mystery. Someone is bankrolling Finn's success. He assumes it's Miss Dinsmore, but is the truth perhaps less obvious?

I have heard this version of Great Expectations mentioned in the same breath as 1996's Romeo + Juliet . And, while there are some similarities, it doesn't seem like the most appropriate comparison to make. Romeo + Juliet used Shakespeare's original text and pumped up the visual elements, using riotous colors and camera tricks. Although director Cuaron has a distinctive visual style, it's much more sedate than that of Baz Luhrmann, and the only color to have any prominence is green. The dialogue is definitely not Dickens. On the other hand, Great Expectations bears a strong resemblance to Clueless , a re-working of Jane Austen's Emma , in both intent and execution. The story and themes are still there, mostly intact, yet those unfamiliar with the original text might not realize that the essential elements have been lifted from a classic novel.

The actors do admirable jobs. Hawke is earnest and likable; Paltrow is erotic but icy; Bancroft is off-the-wall; and DeNiro is suitably sinister. There's no real heat between Hawke and Paltrow, but there is a connection, and the manner in which these two play their scenes has the perfect pitch for such an ambiguous, and possibly one-sided, relationship. All of the performances feed into the essence of Great Expectations , with its elements of unrequited love, broken class barriers, and unexpected revelations.

The script, written by Mitch Glazer (who previously updated another Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol , as the almost-unwatchable Scrooged ), is straightforward, and sticks to the spirit of the original (the ending is not embellished, Hollywood-style). For the most part, this motion picture feels like a contemporary fable. (After all, where else but in a fairy tale could you find an empty New York City subway train at six o'clock in the morning?) The majority of the film's missteps are not so much the result of shifting the novel in time and place, but of condensing it to fit into a two-hour time slot. Great Expectations may not be an absolute triumph, but it's significantly better than just a good effort.

Comments Add Comment

• Cider House Rules, The (1999)
• Citizen Kane (1941)
• War Zone, The (1999)
• Hole in My Heart, A (2005)
• Neon Demon, The (2016)
• Showgirls (1995)
• Before Sunrise (1995)
• Before Midnight (2013)
• Gattaca (1997)
• Purge, The (2013)
• Hamlet (2000)
• Getaway (2013)
• Sliding Doors (1998)
• Iron Man (2008)
• Proof (2005)
• Running with Scissors (2006)
• Shallow Hal (2001)
• Country Strong (2011)
• Antz (1998)
• (There are no more better movies of Anne Bancroft)
• G.I. Jane (1997)
• Graduate, The (1967)
• (There are no more worst movies of Anne Bancroft)

Great Expectations (1998)

Great expectations (1998) review.

By Christopher Null

Facts and Figures

Year : 1998

Contactmusic.com : 2 / 5

Cast & Crew

Director : Alfonso Cuarón

Producer : Art Linson

Screenwriter : Mitch Glazer

Also starring : Ethan Hawke , Gwyneth Paltrow , Hank Azaria , Chris Cooper , Anne Bancroft , Robert De Niro , Josh Mostel , Kim Dickens , Art Linson , Mitch Glazer

• Rotten Tomatoes

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Actors Index: 0 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Help Contact Us About Us Advertise Business Write For Us T&Cs Privacy Cookie Policy Site Map Consent Settings

Copyright © 2024 Contactmusic.com Ltd, all rights reserved

• Editors Recommended Editors Recommended
• News Headlines News Headlines Trending Headlines
• Music / Festival News Music / Festival News Musicians & bands in the news
• Movie / TV / Theatre News Movie / TV / Theatre News Actors & filmmakers in the news
• Lifestyle / Showbiz News Lifestyle / Showbiz News Celebrities in the news
• News Archive News Archive
• Music Reviews Music Reviews Best Rated Music Reviews
• Music Video Music Video Top Music Videos
• Most Mentioned Most Mentioned Bands and Musicians in Music
• Movie Trailers Movie Trailers
• Movie Reviews Movie Reviews Best Rated Movies
• Most Mentioned Most Mentioned Actors and Filmmakers in Film
• Latest Photos
• Popular Photos Latest Photos Updated Galleries
• Most Mentioned Most Mentioned People in Photos
• Photo Archive Photo Archive
• Trending Artists Trending Artists
• Actors and Filmmakers Actors Filmmakers
• Celebrities Celebrities
• Bands and Musicians Bands Musicians
• Interviews Interviews
• Movie Trailers Movie Trailers Top Movie Trailers
• Video Chart Video Chart
• Most Mentioned Most Menioned Artists in Video
• Music Video
• Movie Trailers
• Video Chart
• Most Mentioned
• Trending Artists
• Actors and Filmmakers
• Bands and Musicians
• Celebrities
• Popular Photos
• Photo Archive

Go Back in Time using our Photos archive to see what happened on a particular day in the past.

• Movie Reviews
• Music Reviews
• News Headlines
• Music / Festival News
• Movie / TV / Theatre News
• Lifestyle / Showbiz News
• News Archive

Go Back in Time using our News archive to see what happened on a particular day in the past.

• Editors Recommended

Great Expectations

• Podcast Episode

Add a plot in your language

User reviews

• April 8, 2024 (United Kingdom)
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 36 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed