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Great Expectations (1946)

 -  Drama | Romance  -  26 December 1946 (UK)
8.0
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Ratings: 8.0/10 from 13,394 users  
Reviews: 85 user | 48 critic

A humble orphan suddenly becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.

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(by), (adapted for the screen by), 4 more credits »
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Title: Great Expectations (1946)

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Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Pip
Tony Wager ...
Young Pip (as Anthony Wager)
...
...
...
Francis L. Sullivan ...
...
Martita Hunt ...
...
Ivor Barnard ...
Freda Jackson ...
Mrs.Joe
Eileen Erskine ...
George Hayes ...
Convict
Hay Petrie ...
John Forrest ...
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Storyline

Pip, a good-natured, gullible young orphan, lives with kind blacksmith Joe Gargery and his bossy, abusive wife 'Mrs. Joe'. When the boy finds two hidden escaped galley convicts, he obeys under -probably unnecessary- threat of a horrible death to bring the criminals food he must steal at peril of more caning from the battle-ax. Just when Pip fears to get it really good while they have guests, a soldier comes for Joe who takes Pip along as assistant to work on the chains of escaped galley-convicts, who are soon caught. The better-natured one takes the blame for the stolen food. Later Pip is invited to became the playmate of Estelle, the equally arrogant adoptive daughter of gloomy, filthy rich Miss Havisham at her estate, who actually has 'permission' to break the kind kid's heart; being the only pretty girl he ever saw, she wins his heart forever, even after a mysterious benefactor pays trough a lawyer for his education and a rich allowance, so he can become a snob in London, by now '... Written by KGF Vissers

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

benefactor | blacksmith | orphan | boy | secret | See more »

Taglines:

From the Vivid Pages of Charles Dickens' Masterpiece ! See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

26 December 1946 (UK)  »

Also Known As:

Grandes Esperanças  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Recording)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

First movie speaking role for Alec Guinness. See more »

Goofs

When Mr Jaggers first speaks to Pip and Joe about Pip's 'Great Expectaions', he empties a small bag of coins onto the table before him and the coins sprawl out. However, in the next shot of the table the coins have been confined into a much smaller pile. See more »

Quotes

[welcoming Pip to her decaying mansion]
Miss Havisham: Come nearer. Let me look at you. Come close. Look at me. You aren't afraid of a woman who has never seen the sun since before you were born?
See more »

Crazy Credits

Martita Hunt plays Miss Havisham, and receives screen credit for it, but she can also be heard as the voice of the cow who, in Pip's mind, disapproves of him stealing food to give to Magwitch ("Somebody else's pork pie!"). She receives no screen credit for playing the voice of the cow. See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Voice of Bergman (1997) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Never read the book, loved the film....
25 December 2004 | by (Cambridgeshire, UK) – See all my reviews

I came to watch this film with no knowledge of the book, having never read it and only the vaguest knowledge of a couple of the characters - Magwitch the escaped convict and the jilted Miss Haversham. I had absolutely no idea how events would turn out or what would happen to the characters involved. Good for me - no baggage!!

Taken, then, in its own right I can say that I was quite staggered at the overall quality of this film in every respect and from the very opening shots: The acting, cinematography, costumes, sets, lighting, effects etc. etc. were all perfect and gave no hint of the film's vintage. Surprise surprise (or maybe no surprise), the storyline was quite superb - the ripe 'Dickensian' dialogue was a pleasure to hear and the plot was intelligent and interesting while maintaining a steady pace throughout.

All in all, a very pleasant experience for me and I'm glad it eventually found its way onto my radar!

So - a timeless masterpiece in my opinion and well worth watching by anyone looking for a break from modern CGI-laden disaster/action movies or who do not want to see yet another instance of the Americans saving the world from extra-terrestrial menace.

Nine out of ten without a moment's hesitation....


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