Great Expectations (1934)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Stuart Walker

Writers:

Charles Dickens (novel) and
Gladys Unger (writer)

Release Date:

22 October 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Charles Dickens' classic tale of Pip, a poor orphan who befriends an escaped convict and who grows up in the company of a bitter old woman...

Plot Keywords:

Dickens | Orphan | Convict | Escaped Convict | Charles Dickens

Cast

Henry Hull	...	Abel Magwitch
Phillips Holmes	...	Pip
Jane Wyatt	...	Estella
Florence Reed	...	Miss Havisham
Alan Hale	...	Joe Gargery
Rafaela Ottiano	...	Mrs. Joe
George Barraud	...	Compeyson
Francis L. Sullivan	...	Jaggers (as Francis Sullivan)
Douglas Wood	...	Wopsle
Forrester Harvey	...	Uncle Pumblechook
George P. Breakston	...	Pip, as Child (as Georgie Breakston)
Harry Cording	...	Orlick
Eily Malyon	...	Sarah Pocket (as Eily Malyan)
Anne Howard	...	Estella, as a child
Walter Armitage	...	Herbert Pocket

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Universal Pictures

Movie Connections:

Version of "Great Expectations" (1959)

Plain But Watchable Version of a Great Novel

This 1934 version of "Great Expectations", directed by Stuart Walker, has been largely ignored because it pales in comparison with the masterpiece that David Lean made from the same story in the 40's. By comparison, this earlier version is plain and undistinguished, but it is not a bad film in its own right. It is a faithful rendering of the Dickens novel, which is a fascinating story that in itself makes any reasonable movie version worth watching.

The main thing that limits the effectiveness of this version is that most of the acting is so routine. Dickens' characters are always very distinctive (if not peculiar), and to be most effective in a movie they must be slightly exaggerated. Characters like Pip, Magwitch, Miss Havisham, and Estella all have quirks and/or inner conflicts that are very important in making the story work. That is what made David Lean's two adaptations of Dickens stories such brilliant films - he was able to get his actors to portray the characters in exactly the way Dickens created them. But here, only Henry Hull as Magwitch fully realizes the potential of his character.

Still, the story itself is told well enough. The novel was one of Dickens' best, a brilliant study of the main characters: Pip, whose entire life depends on a stroke of good fortune that he misunderstands; Miss Havisham, who spends her whole life reliving one awful experience from her youth; Estella, torn between Pip's warm innocence and Miss Havisham's cold psychological cruelty; Magwitch, desperately trying to leave behind something positive after a sordid, dishonorable life. Although this film version does not realize the full potential of all of these characters, it does at least make sure that we can see who they are, and can ponder the possibilities for ourselves.

The great Lean version of "Great Expectations" is now very hard to find, and for those who like Dickens' stories, this version, while by no means a worthy replacement, is at least a watchable substitute.