am77
If one of these cold evenings you have nothing else to do and you feel like watching a nice film, I recommend you go and see Great Expectations. It’s not a masterpiece, I can tell you that, but it’s beautifully made.
I’m going to be honest here: I haven’t read the book. I didn’t even know what the story was about, so I got a bit lost at some points. The friend I went to the cinema with (who has in fact read it) said that it was because they omitted lots of parts. Well, that’s probably true. I don’t think the film had enough time to treat the characters in depth but, hey, at least they tried.
THE ACTORS
Helena Bonham Carter: Is there anything that woman can’t do? I always find her absolutely stunning in every role she plays, and this one isn’t any different. An obscure, yet layered role that only she could carry on like that.
Ralph Fiennes: How come this man doesn’t have an Oscar yet? Okay, this is not his best performance so far (again, not enough character depth, but that’s not his fault, he just doesn’t have the time). I think there’s a part of his story that has been cut, because his Magwitch just appears about three times and we don’t get to know him. It’s a pity.
Jeremy Irvine: So… I actually like him. I liked him in War Horse, and I think he has potential, and he knows how to shoulder the responsibility of a big film. He certainly does in Great Expectations, but his Pip seems a bit distracted, as if things just happened around him, and he just watches them go by, like us, the audience.
Holliday Grainger: Again, I have no idea of how this character is in the book, but she barely appears in the film, and I thought this was a love story! Such a shame, because I like Grainger, and I thought she had a more important role in this movie…
RANDOM THOUGHTS
I’m still waiting to see a British film that doesn’t have beautiful countryside landscapes and majestic houses. Honestly. Great Britain, stop having such amazing lands, please.
I loved the “rockstar” look that Pip gets throughout the film, like a subtle metaphor of his change from being a nobody to becoming a gentleman.
I spent the whole movie thinking “wow, the actor who portrays young Pip is an excellent casting choice; he looks a lot like Jeremy Irvine. He even has the same mannerisms!”. All right, he is his younger brother, Toby.
Is that how the book ends? I didn’t even know the film had ended until the credits started rolling!
In short, if you want to go to the cinema this week and you don’t know what film you should choose, you will have a good time if you decide to watch Great Expectations. If you feel like watching something else, well, The Hobbit is out this week. At least that is the one I am definitely watching, obviously. But we will talk about it and my unconditional love for the Sherlock stars some other time.
That is a whole different story.