David Lean's Great Expectations is probably the best film that has been adapted from the works of Charles Dickens. There are parts from the book that translated so well on the screen. However, Lean made a great 3 hour film become a very good 2 hour film.

This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

A bone of contention with Lean's adaptation is the new happy ending, but consider the year it was released - 1946. One year after world war II ended, the British public wanted movies that lifted spirits, and Lean's Great Expectations does just that. Everything that Dickens wrote in his novel is there with the added bonus of Lean's directorial masterclass. The entire cast is beautifully considered, even the girl who plays the younger Estella who is clearly older than she is supposed to be. And its cinematography, its fair to say that this is a beautiful film with an actual narration that makes the film better. Gorgeous film.

This film was fantastically made by David Lean who I (shamefully) didn't even know existed until last week when I watched another one of his works (Summertime). If the rest of his work is anything like these two films, I may just have a new director for my top 10 list. No doubt I'll be seeing a lot more of his stuff within the next month or two, as the Criterion Collection his released a fair amount of his work and I'm currently working my way through their catalogue in order of spine number.

This film is number 31 out of 642 on my Criterion Challenge.

EDIT: I am aware that I used to word "work" more than I should have.

David Lean directed adaption and a worthy one, watching this close to the 2012 adaption which i enjoyed, i got a lot more out of this classic version and seemed more clear, theres been many adaptions, so might check a few more out

David Lean's trim and powerful adaptation of the dense Dickens novel is something to be admired. Great performances and execution make this one of the best Dickens films ever.

Much, much more entertaining than I had expected. Not as sad. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing, as I have never read the book or watched another screen version. But no matter. I enjoyed it.

Always good to (re) watch this classic. It is a bit oldfashioned now, but that is also it's strength. Estella is most beautiful when young, the gloomy start of the film and the brilliant character of Joe - I can't find fault with him, though Pip can! -

Great Expectations was written in the 1860s and has had many film and television adaptations and yet I've never read the book, its Wikipedia page or seen anyone of the adaptations. So I was able to watch with out actually knowing where this literary classic would take me.

I'm slowly getting into David Lean, one thing for sure is that his pictures all look lovely, even on the small screen.

John Mills is always stellar but I wasn't too familiar with the remainder of the cast but they were all good, even the youngsters.

Being fresh to the story I was actually surprised at the big reveal! I'm not sure if that is common or I was just slow on the uptake.

A really good film and I need to add more Lean to my list.

An orphan in the care of his sister and her blacksmith husband, Phillip “Pip” Pirrip (Anthony Wager) is out walking one day when he runs into an escaped convict called Abel Magwitch (Finlay Currie). After being intimidated into stealing food for the felon, Pip later witnesses the man’s capture at the hands of the authorities. Around the same time, he finds himself in the employ of jilted bride Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt) where he develops feelings for a young girl called Estella (Jean Simmons). Six years later, Pip (John Mills) is told that a mysterious benefactor has arranged for him to travel to London where he is to become a gentleman.

Continued at popcornaddiction.com/2013/02/05/focus-on-film-great-expectations-1946/

David Lean's adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel is a handsomely mounted piece of cinema that for some reason failed to grab me. I think my lack of engagement with the film is down to the casting of Pip, I just couldn't accept the nearly 40 year old John Mills as the young blacksmith's apprentice who becomes a gentleman thanks to a mystery benefactor. Sure as Pip gets older Mills is more acceptable in the role but by that point the film had already lost it's hold. A shame as it starts so well, although Dickens plot contrivances do it no favours either.