Mr. Pip (2012)

As a war rages on in the province of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, a young girl becomes transfixed by the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations, which is being read at school by the only white man in the village.

Director:

Andrew Adamson

Writers:

Andrew Adamson (screenplay), Lloyd Jones (novel)

Stars:

Hugh Laurie, Xzannjah Matsi, Healesville Joel

6 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Laurie	...	Mr. Watts
Xzannjah Matsi	...	Matilda Naimo (as Xzannjah)
Healesville Joel	...	Dolores Naimo
Eka Darville	...	Pip
Kerry Fox	...	Mrs. June Watts
Florence Korokoro	...	Grace
David Kaumara	...	PNG Officer
Kausibona Mel	...	Daniel
Sam Simiha	...	Sam
Marcellin Ampa'oi	...	Joseph Naimo
Dominic Itta	...	Mr. Masoi
Grace Maibu	...	Mrs. Siau
Marcella Itta	...	Mabel
Ivan Siovate	...	Christopher
Cindy Tibola	...	Violet

Storyline

Mr Watts is the only white man left on the island after the blockade. He opens the school and introduces the children the 'Great Expectations.' Matilda, the teenage narrator finds comfort in the story of a Victorian orphan when her own world is falling apart. The Redskins, an army sent to destroy the local rebels are getting closer. Matilda writes 'Pip' in the sand. This simple act leads to terrible consequences when the Redskins suspect Pip to be a rebel leader and demand he be brought before them.

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Plot Keywords:

papua new guinea | bougainville new guinea | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

When they need hope, he gave them Great Expectations. Fiction can be dangerous in times of war.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing situations involving violence and threat, and for some mature thematic material and brief language

Details

Country:

Papua New Guinea Australia New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 2013 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

Mister Pip

Filming Locations:

Bougainville, Papua New Guinea

Company Credits

Production Co:

Olympus Pictures, Daydream Productions, Eyeworks Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mr Pip was filmed in New Zealand

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Quotes

Herbert Pocket: [referring to Matilda] Who was that, Handel?
Pip: Nobody.
Matilda Naimo: [interjecting indignantly] His name is Pip.
[to Pip]
Matilda Naimo: Or have you abandoned that too, along with Joe and everyone else?
Pip: And you're so much better? I'm sorry, Matilda, but you have no idea what is expected of a gentleman.
Matilda Naimo: I do. I just don't see one here.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.10 (2011)

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Soundtracks

To The Land of the Rising Sun
Written and performed by Peter Garuai

User Reviews

Amazing stuff that stumbles and goes for sensation and artifice

Mr. Pip (2012)

Wow, did I want to like this movie. It was different at the outset and it had a great leading man, the lead from the t.v. show "House," Hugh Laurie. It was set in Papua New Guinea where a village of locals was terrorized by an outside military group. The white man in the midst of these very dark-skinned natives is part of the outer conflict by his difference, but really Lauries plays an insider, too, and hence some of the interest.

On top of this is the cool plot idea, which eventually becomes a contrivance, based on the Dickens novel "Great Expectations." In fact, the leading character of that book, Pip, becomes an unwitting character here. It's subtle and often touching and sometimes brilliant.

But it's also uneven, and preys upon the audience for sympathy, which is a deal- breaker for me. There are times when the movie is unsually brutal, and though I don't doubt the brutality of militias in the fringes of the world, it doesn't make a movie, at least not as a centerpiece.

It's true, the plot continues—it moves from continent to continent, and the leading character (not Laurie) is now a young girl from the tribe on this island who befriended her white tutor. And it's always interesting, though a bit forced. There are times when the conflicts are about conflict. And there are tender, intimate insights into cross-cultural issues. And not only the English white world versus the tribal world of New Guinea, but also the traditional culture vs. the new Western-influenced world that was so often militarized and corrupt.

I think some people will be blown away by all of this. I'm looking at it with a bit of a distance, thinking of it as a movie, regardless of its emotional impact. And it really is a bit sloppy and indulgent. But give it a shot. It's different, and that's a winning trump card.