Great Expectations (1998)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Alfonso Cuarón

Writers (WGA):

Charles Dickens (novel)
Mitch Glazer (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 January 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Let desire be your destiny.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Love | Dickens | Painter | Gulf Coast | Charles Dickens

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Ethan Hawke	...	Finnegan Bell
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Estella
Hank Azaria	...	Walter Plane
Chris Cooper	...	Joe
Anne Bancroft	...	Ms. Dinsmoor
Robert De Niro	...	Prisoner / Lustig
Josh Mostel	...	Jerry Ragno
Kim Dickens	...	Maggie
Nell Campbell	...	Erica Thrall
Gabriel Mann	...	Owen (as Gabriel Mick)
Jeremy James Kissner	...	Finnegan at Age 10
Raquel Beaudene	...	Estella at Age 10
Stephen Spinella	...	Carter Macleish
Marla Sucharetza	...	Ruth Shepard
Isabelle Anderson	...	Lois Pope

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:R (certificate #35333) | Philippines:PG-13 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Astor Place, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Art Linson Productions

Trivia:

Real life painter Francesco Clemente created Finnegan Bell's artwork for the movie.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Finn enters the Borough Club to see Estella, Walter is talking about Michaelangelo's artwork, but his lips aren't moving.

Quotes:

Finn: That's a big cat! That's the biggest cat I've ever seen! What do you feed it?
Ms. Nora Digger Dinsmoor: Other cats.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Little Britain: Bath of Beans (#1.1)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Special Report

A modernization of the classic tale done in great style!

It is always going to be a challenge to take a classic novel and turn it into be a movie that will satisfy everyone, especially when the story is being changed and adapted to fit a modern setting. If what you want to find from this movie is an exact translation of the book you will be unimpressed.

I personally loved this movie, it is completely stylish thanks to a brilliant soundtrack and the gorgeous leads Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow (who is cast perfectly as the beautiful ice queen). They are helped along by a strong supporting cast of Anne Bancroft (wonderfully eccentric as Ms. Nora Dinsmoor), Chris Cooper and Robert DiNero.

The problem, however, is that in trying to fit a story as long and complicated as ‘Great expectations' into a 90 minute movie you loose a lot of the development of the characters necessary to identify and have an emotional reaction to them.

Rather than linger on these issues Alfonso Cuaron concentrated on the visual aspect of the movie and the result is a movie that is great to watch!