Great Expectations

BY ROGER EBERT / January 30, 1998

This is not, says Finn, the way the story really happened, but the way he remembers it.
That is how everyone tells the stories that matter to them: through their own eyes,
rewritten by their own memories, with bold underscores for the parts that hurt. Finn's
story is the life of a poor boy who falls in love with a rich girl who has been trained since
childhood to break the hearts of men.
This tale has been borrowed from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, where it is told in
less lurid images and language, to be sure, but with the same sense of an innocent boy
being lured into the lair of two dangerous women.
Cast & Credits
That the women are lonely, sad and good at heart
Finnegan Bell: Ethan Hawke
makes it bittersweet. "What is it like not to feel
Estella: Gwyneth Paltrow
anything?" Finn shouts at Estella after she has
abandoned him. Of course if you cannot feel anything, Ms. Dinsmoor: Anne Bancroft
Walter Plane: Hank Azaria
that is exactly the question you cannot answer.
Joe: Chris Cooper
Prisoner/Lustig: Robert De Niro
The story has been updated by director Alfonso
Cuaron, who moves it from Victorian England to a
crumbling neo-Gothic mansion in Florida. It stars
Ethan Hawke as Finn (Pip in the book), and Gwyneth Directed By Alfonso Cuaron .
Paltrow as Estella, the beautiful niece of the eccentric Written By Mitch Glazer .
Based On The Novel By Charles
millionairess Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft). Their
Dickens . Running Time: 111
paths cross in one of those backwaters of Florida that
Minutes. Rated R (For
have been immortalized by writers like Elmore
Language And Some Sexuality).
Leonard and John D. MacDonald, where creeping
condos from the North have not yet dislodged small
fishing shacks and the huge masonry pile of Paradiso
Perduto, which once was a glittering showplace but is
now engulfed in trees and creepers, and falling into
decay.
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Finn lives with his sister Maggie and "her man," Joe
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(Chris Cooper), who raises him after Maggie
disappears. One day he is seen by Ms. Dinsmoor, who
invites him to Paradiso Perduto to play with her niece.
The two children are about 10. Finn is a gifted artist, and as he sketches the young girl,
the old crone perceives that he will eventually fall in love with the girl and sees her
chance for revenge against men.
The original of Ms. Dinsmoor is of course Dickens' Miss Havisham, one of the most
colorful and pathetic characters in Dickens, who was left stranded on her wedding day by
a faithless lover. This version of "Great Expectations" spares us the sight of her wedding
cake, covered in cobwebs after the decades (in Florida, tiny visitors would make short
work of that feast). But it succeeds in making Ms. Dinsmore equally sad and venomous,

and Anne Bancroft's performance is interesting: Despite the weird eye makeup and the
cigarettes, despite the flamboyant clothing, she is human, and not without humor. "That's
the biggest cat I've ever seen," Finn says on his first visit. "What do you feed it?" She
waits for a beat. "Other cats," she says.
Paradiso Perduto and its inhabitant reminded me of "Grey Gardens," the 1976
documentary about two relatives of Jackie Onassis who lived in a decaying mansion in
East Hampton with countless cats. There is the same sense of defiance: If I was once
young, rich and beautiful, these women say to the world, see what you have made of me!
Cuaron, whose previous film was "The Little Princess," brings a touch of magic realism
to the setting, with weeping willows, skies filled with sea birds, and a scene where Finn
and Estella dance to "Besame Mucho" while Ms. Dinsmore looks on, cold-eyed.
Time passes. The young actors who played Finn and Estella are replaced by Hawke and
Paltrow, who meet again at the mansion after several years, and share a sudden kiss at a
water fountain, which is cut between backlit shots from moving cameras so that it seems
more orgiastic than most sex scenes. After this romantic spark, Estella again dances away,
and the story continues some years later in New York, where a mysterious benefactor
offers to bankroll Finn's show at an important gallery, and Estella again appears on the
scene, this time with a hapless fiance/victim named Walter in tow.
"Great Expectations" begins as a great movie (I was spellbound by the first 30 minutes)
but ends as only a good one, and I think that's because the screenplay, by Mitch Glazer,
too closely follows the romantic line. Dickens, who of course had more time and space to
move around in, made it the story of a young man's coming of age, and the colorful
characters he encountered--from the escaped prisoner of the opening scenes (played here
by Robert De Niro) to good old, proud old Joe. The moment this movie declares itself as
being mostly about affairs of the heart, it limits its potential.
And yet the film is a successful translation of the basic material from one period and
approach to another. Especially in the early Florida scenes, it seems timeless. Hawke and
Paltrow project that uneasy alertness of two people who know they like each other and
suspect they'll regret it. But the subplot involving the escaped prisoner doesn't really pay
off (it feels more like a bone thrown to Dickens than a necessity of the plot). And I am
not quite sure that any good artist can create only when he's in synch with the girl of his
dreams: Some artists paint best when their hearts are broken, and most artists paint no
matter what, because they have to.
"Great Expectations" doesn't finish at the same high level that it begins (if it did, it would
be one of the year's best films), but it's visually enchanted; the cinematographer
Emmanuel Lubezki uses lighting and backlighting like a painter. And the characters have
more depth and feeling than we might expect in what is, underneath everything, a fantasy.
There's great joy in a scene where Finn sweeps Estella out of a restaurant and asks her to
dance. And sadness later as she observes that Ms. Dinsmore's obsessions have become
her own.

You have to give a film maker credit for exhibiting the necessary chutzpah to take one of
the most beloved classics in the English language, Charles Dickens' Great Expectations,
and transform it into a modern-day morality play/romance. Viewers who approach this
motion picture with the mistaken expectation that it's going to be the kind of rigorously
faithful adaptation that David Lean produced in 1946 are likely to be disappointed.
Nevertheless, while Alfonso Cuaron's Great Expectations falls considerably short of
being a definitive interpretation of the novel, it still offers an entertaining two hours.
Great Expectations is considered by many to be Dickens' finest novel. It is certainly
among his darkest, even with the less-downbeat ending that the author's friends prompted
him to include. Like Oliver Twist before it, Great Expectations draws heavily from events
in the writer's own life, which in part explains its believability and strength of character.
One of the book's chief themes that of a poor boy crossing class barriers to pursue the
girl of his dreams offered Cuaron (A Little Princess) and writer Mitch Glazer their
biggest challenge. With the setting changed from 19th century England to contemporary
Florida and New York, the social scale of Victorian England lost its validity. Surprisingly,
however, the story survived the transition relatively unscathed.
Even as the setting has changed, so have the names and occupations of many of the
characters. The lead is no longer Pip; he's now called Finn, and is played by Ethan Hawke
(with an assist from Jeremy Kissner as a ten-year old). Estella, the love of Finn's life, is
still Estella, and she is portrayed by a radiant-yet-restrained Gwyneth Paltrow (and
Raquel Beaudene at a younger age). Mad Miss Havisham has become the equally
deranged Miss Dinsmore, who spends her days in a ruined house mourning a wedding
that never took place. With Anne Bancroft in this part, it's easy to imagine that Nora
Dinsmore could be Mrs. Robinson gone bonkers, thirty years later. The criminal
Magwich has become Lustig, an escaped death row inmate, and is essayed by Robert
DeNiro, who leaves a stronger impression here than in the recent Jackie Brown. Finally,
Chris Cooper (Lone Star) plays Finn's "uncle", Joe Gargery (no name change), and Hank
Azaria is Walter Plane, Finn's rival for Estella.
The story has Finn meeting Estella in the late 1970s, when both are ten years old. Neither
has any parents. Finn lives with his sister and her boyfriend; Estella has been adopted by
Miss Dinsmore, who, despite being insane, is one of the richest women in Florida.
Despite a warning from the old lady that Estella will break his heart, Finn falls for the
golden-haired girl, but their relationship never progresses beyond wet kisses at a water
fountain. Finn is in earnest, but Estella likes to tease. More than a decade later, they meet
in New York City. He's there to break into the Manhattan art scene (and earn enough
money to impress her), while she's contemplating marriage to a man named Walter Plane,
who has commitment problems. And, hidden beneath the love story, there's a mystery.
Someone is bankrolling Finn's success. He assumes it's Miss Dinsmore, but is the truth
perhaps less obvious?

I have heard this version of Great Expectations mentioned in the same breath as 1996's
Romeo + Juliet. And, while there are some similarities, it doesn't seem like the most
appropriate comparison to make. Romeo + Juliet used Shakespeare's original text and
pumped up the visual elements, using riotous colors and camera tricks. Although director
Cuaron has a distinctive visual style, it's much more sedate than that of Baz Luhrmann,
and the only color to have any prominence is green. The dialogue is definitely not
Dickens. On the other hand, Great Expectations bears a strong resemblance to Clueless, a
re-working of Jane Austen's Emma, in both intent and execution. The story and themes
are still there, mostly intact, yet those unfamiliar with the original text might not realize
that the essential elements have been lifted from a classic novel.
The actors do admirable jobs. Hawke is earnest and likable; Paltrow is erotic but icy;
Bancroft is off-the-wall; and DeNiro is suitably sinister. There's no real heat between
Hawke and Paltrow, but there is a connection, and the manner in which these two play
their scenes has the perfect pitch for such an ambiguous, and possibly one-sided,
relationship. All of the performances feed into the essence of Great Expectations, with its
elements of unrequited love, broken class barriers, and unexpected revelations.
The script, written by Mitch Glazer (who previously updated another Dickens tale, A
Christmas Carol, as the almost-unwatchable Scrooged), is straightforward, and sticks to
the spirit of the original (the ending is not embellished, Hollywood-style). For the most
part, this motion picture feels like a contemporary fable. (After all, where else but in a
fairy tale could you find an empty New York City subway train at six o'clock in the
morning?) The majority of the film's missteps are not so much the result of shifting the
novel in time and place, but of condensing it to fit into a two-hour time slot. Great
Expectations may not be an absolute triumph, but it's significantly better than just a good
effort.

Largely because Cuaron is such a voluptuous visual stylist, this "Great Expectations" is
capable of wonder even when its wilder ideas misfire. Without resorting to purely random
change, the filmmaker does dust some cobwebs off its radically abridged version of
Dickens. Anyone who minds the loss of the name Pip (it's now Finn) or the substitution
of pelican-filled Gulf Coast landscapes for English moors can be duly horrified and
should assuredly stay home. But the switches made by this American version can be
adventurous, even apt. And the film makes up in visual exoticism some of what it loses in
character and context.
The bare bones that remain here are the story of Finnegan Bell (Ethan Hawke plays him
as an adult) and the strangely significant figures he meets in childhood. Robert De Niro,
giving the most successfully Dickensian performance in the movie, plays the mysterious
convict who bullies young Finn into saving his life. Finn's chance encounter with this
man (once Magwitch, now Lustig) makes no more or less sense than his summons to the

overgrown Gothic palazzo where Nora Dinsmoor (Ms. Bancroft) lives in the past.
Feminist update: this tragically unmarried lady is more festive than gloomy and no longer
wears a tattered wedding dress. She's painted up and ready to party, and she's now called
Ms.
The action has been moved from 19th century England to present-day Florida and New
York. But the contemporary setting often is at odds with what remains a very Victorian
plot. Although most of the names have been changed (to protect the innocent
characters?), the bones of the story are right out of Dickens.

Dinsmoor, a wealthy and eccentric Palm Beach spinster raising Estella, her 11-year-old
niece, advises young Finn, the Pip character, on the treacherous terrain of love.
Referring to her beautiful niece, she tells Finn,
"She'll only break your heart." She goes on to predict,
"And even though I warn you and guarantee that the girl will only hurt you terribly, you'll
still pursue her." Then, framed in a great Norma Desmond-like close-up that underscores
Dinsmoor's dramatic use of eyeliner, she practically cackles, "Ain't love grand?"
He now is a mature man, with the hard edges of a young Nick Nolte and the sensitivity of
James Dean. It's a good combination and perfect for this role in which he plays a young
painter who must have confidence in his work but also a little self-doubt about his ability
to be man enough to win the woman he loves.
Paltrow as Estella brings the right amount of snobbishness and aloofness to the role of a
spoiled rich girl who can't seem to find access to her own emotions. Best of all, she and
Hawke manage to convey a real sexual chemistry on screen.
From the beginning of the movie, when our hero helps a convicted murderer (De Niro)
escape the police, all the way to the scene in which Finn, a complete unknown in the New
York art world, is mysteriously helped by unidentified sources to have a successful oneman show in a Soho gallery, you feel that the writer, director and actors can do no wrong.
Production designer Tony Burrough used a Sarasota mansion once owned by circus
impresario John Mable Ringling to create Dinsmoor's gloriously crumbling estate,
Paradise Lost. The interiors are spectacularly gorgeous in their decrepitude.
Written by acclaimed English author Charles Dickens in the 1860's, "Great Expectations"
has probably been read by nearly every high school student in the western world. It's also

been adapted several times for the big screen, including David Lean's Academy Award
winning version from 1946.
an updated incarnation that's more suited for the 1990's. Keeping the essential plot, but
transplanting it from mid 19th century England to late 20th century East Coast America,
and renaming all but a few of the lead characters, the film makers may have had their
own great expectations and intentions in updating this work.
Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Oscar nominee for "A Little Princess") nicely
contrasts the lush, humid Florida setting to the cold, stark New York skyline as Finn
himself changes from innocent kid to a more worldly artist. Likewise, production
designer Tony Burrough's (Oscar nominee for "Richard III") creation of Ms. Dinsmoor's
dilapidated mansion, Paradiso Perduto, is perfectly representative of her dementia. With
all of the wedding arrangements still in place, but nearly engulfed by Floridian tropical
overgrowth, the effect is quite spooky and lends itself well to the old lady's state of mind.
The leads, played by Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow, are also decent as their
respective characters. Some sparks do fly when the two get together, particularly in their
early scenes. Hawke ("Gattaca," "Reality Bites") does an okay job playing the young and
embarrassedly awkward young man, although at times his character has the feel of the
walking dead (except for a moment when he bellows in the rain much like you'd expect
an early Tom Cruise character to do). Meanwhile, Paltrow ("Emma," "Seven") is very
effective as the flirtatious, but ultimately distant and ice cold woman. Jeremy Kissner and
Raquel Beaudene are also good in their smaller roles as the leads at a much younger age.
Finally, there's De Niro (a six-time Oscar nominee and twice a winner) who plays two
different aged versions of the same guy, although his first appearance as the escaped con
is just a toned down Max Cady (his character in Martin Scorsese's remake of "Cape
Fear").
The direction, music and set design are quite good and evocative of the feelings and ideas
the film was trying to portray.
The film centers around him and his lust for Estella, played by Paltrow, and for painting,
which he's supposed to be quite good at. The main problem is, he can't emote passion if
his life depended on it. He's just too passive, cold and unemotional. He tries, he really
does, but it just doesn't work. Paltrow is very mysterious and gorgeous in this film, but
she plays nothing more than the object of Hawke's desire and that leaves her character
quite flat. The only characters with personality are the ones played by De Niro and
Bancroft. Unfortunately, they're not the people the film is about.
the main character, Finn(Ethan Hawke), says in a voiceover that "I'm not going to tell this
story like it happened, I'm going to tell it as I remember it." There are times in all our
lives where our emotions and viewpoint sculpt how we view our past events.
Images are adequately sharp, definitely clear and has strong detail. The film has some
gorgeous colors; greens, blues, reds - colors are natural and rich, especially in scenes like
when the two meet in the park
The audio is as subtle as the movie, and I actually quite enjoyed it. The surrounds are
used for a lot of soft, subtle sounds and create a convincing environment. The music, full

of alternative rock tunes comes through crisp and clear, sounding well-recorded and
strong. Dialogue is clear and easily understood.
WhenCharlesDickenswroteGreatExpectations,thethrustofthestoryhadtodowiththe
educationofayoungmanwhohadhisprioritiesoutoforder.Dickens'PipPirripisapoororphan
boywithaspirationsofbeingagentleman.Butwhenananonymousbenefactormakeshisdreams
cometrue,heabandonshisloyalfriendsandtakesupthelifeofadandy.Onlywhenheloseshis
cashandhastoworkforalivingdoeshecometounderstandtheerrorofhisways,andonlythen
arehisnoblerexpectationsrealized.That'snotquitehowthingsworkinAlfonsoCuaron'sloosely
adaptedmovieversion.PiphasbecomeFinneganBell(EthanHawke),acontemporaryAmerican
GulfCoastboywithanartisticgift.Andthestoryhasbecomealmostexclusivelyaromance.
GreatExpectationsisgorgeoustolookat.Thefilmhasaburnishedfinishthatmakeseverything
appeartocomefromapageinLifemagazine.Andfew(males,anyway)willhavemuchtrouble
feastingtheireyesonthecomelyPaltrowwithherlonglegs,swanlikeneckandfaceany
sculptorwouldwanttochiselintostone.

1946 version (dir. David Lean)

Some films made in black-and-white should have been made in color most notably
Yankee Doodle Dandy (though no black-and-white film should ever be colorized). On
the other hand, there are a number of films The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep,
Strangers on a Train that, even if made today, should still be in black-and-white. David
Leans Great Expectations is among the latter. With its shadows, it various shades in
which it hies Dickens usual blatant black-and-white characters, and the darkness that
envelops several of the characters, color simply wouldnt have been adequate.
Leans film is also a reminder that the works of Dickens are invariably British. There had
been two Best Picture nominated Dickens adaptations the very Hollywood version of
David Copperfield, and the better, but still rather American, A Tale of Two Cities (which
is Dickens least British novel anyway). But with this film (and again with his version of
Oliver Twist) we get much of the very best of British film-making. Not only do we have
David Lean, the best that British cinema has to offer (Hitchcock did much of his best
work in Hollywood), we also have Ronald Neame, who was a good director but a great
cinematographer, the debut of Alec Guinness, a performance by John Mills so perfect for
Pip that it overcomes the fact that he is blatantly too old to play the part, and the fantastic
character performances from Martita Hunt, Finlay Currie , and of course, the always
under-appreciated Frances L. Sullivan as Jaggers. A good deal of the love for the film is
due to the way it so perfectly keeps the major points of the plot intact and gives us a
masterfully made (it won Oscars for both Cinematography and Art Direction and it
absolutely deserved both it looks incredible in every shot and the sets for Miss
Havishams house are among the best ever put on film) work of art of the best novel of
one of the most widely read authors in history.

Cuaron's work is beautiful, erotic, and furiously passionate. With exceptional camerawork and cinematography (Watch out for the long take in one of the gallery scenes).
The modernization aspect works surprisingly well here, staying very true to the
characters and spirit of the original story while retelling it in a fashion more accessible by
modern audiences.

Gwyneth Paltrow literally glows and captures the essence of Estella PERFECTLY- to be
able to capture the iciness yet hidden warmth of the character is a feat that have been
accomplished by few. Ethan Hawke is charming as well, though not as fantastic as
Gwyneth. Anne Bancroft is fantastically insane, DeNiro is....well, DeNiro.

Cinematography
Cuaron's famous obsession with green is particularly effective, making images seem fluid
and smooth.
Poignant scenes. The two water fountain scenes are amazing. As children- the innocence
and bewilderment and excitement is there- closed perfectly with Finn's narration, "You
remember it. You remember how it felt," in reference to one's first kiss. And Gwyneth is
absolutely undeniably irresistible in the second scene- the solid dark green contrasting her
glowing blonde hair in the sunlight and warm smile. Finn's eyes lighting up are splendid,
and it all seems entirely believable. And of course- the rain scene- possibly among the
most romantic sequences of all time.
Quality of film, camera angles, sets and scenery, acting abilities (postures, voice
intonations, mannerisms, delivery, facial expressions), were all pretty good. The story
moves along at a good pace, that's also good. There's a passable soundtrack which
complements the scenes.

Quotes
Ms. Nora Digger Dinsmoor: She'll only break your heart, it's a fact. And even though I
warn you, even though I guarantee you that the girl will only hurt you terribly, you'll still
pursue her. Ain't love grand?
Finn: I did it! I did it! I am a wild success! I sold 'em all, all my paintings. You don't have
to be embarrassed by me anymore. I'm rich! Isn't that what you wanted? Aren't we happy
now? Don't you understand that everything I do, I do it for you? Anything that might be
special in me, is you.

From 1992 till 2000, Cuarn worked in Hollywood. He directed A Little Princess (1995)
and Great Expectations (1998). On his behalf, we could say that both are still within his
green period that began with his opera prima. Both films contained saturated greens
that gave the spectator the lure of entering into a magical and timeless atmosphere. Both
are the result of book adaptations. He was then offered Great Expectations (1998).
Cuarn agreed to direct it only if Francesco Clemente, the Italian painter, would do the
paintings depicted in the film, since he was not interested in the project. When Clemente
accepted, the experience became a devastating one. Although the cast included renowned
actors (Robert De Niro, Anne Bancroft, Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow), the film
flopped at the box-office and the critics werent sympathetic. Cuarn blamed the
screenwriter and the producers for not being provided with a proper screenplay. In order
to counterbalance the flaws of the text, he searched along with Lubezki to construct a
beautiful visual design to enhance the story. The result is what David Bordwell would call
intensified continuity (16). Stuffed with dollies, close-ups, fast cutting and a
magnificent handling of the light, the film is consistent in demonstrating that the visual
aspect must dominate the narrative. (17) The scene in the subway when Finn arrives to
New York is a great example. The visual design is not perfect but beautiful. The
photography overshadows the story, and not even the paintings and drawings made by
Clemente can help the story to find an audience. Essentially, the film lacks narrative.

The problem with most film adaptations of classic novels isn't just character omissions
and missing storylines, but also the way it is presented, particularly on modern day
adaptations. The film's biggest weakness is in Mitch Glazer's sup-par script, which really
takes out a lot of the emotional depth and social aspect of Charles Dickens' novel in favor
of something more appealing for an audience. Plus, the character development in some of
the leads aren't as great and with the exception of the Lustig and Joe characters, they
come across in a very unsympathetic way. The screenplay is probably the reason why
Alfonso Cuaron has expressed some frustration towards the project. Instead of relying on
its weak script, he had to rely on the film for its cinematic quality and lush, elegant
cinematography of his longtime collaborator Emmanuel Lubezki.

The film's music also plays well by its score from composer Patrick Doyle as it
has a dramatic, dreamy tone with its string arrangements and orchestra. The
film's soundtrack is as equally as strong with its diverse acts that include Tori
Amos, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell (in his first solo recording after leaving
Soundgarden), Pulp, Mono, Iggy Pop, and the Grateful Dead. The only weak
spot in the soundtrack is the various versions of Besame Mucho where by the
third play, it becomes really annoying.