i've been talking myself in and out of buying this movie for quite a while, i do like the 'old' classic's and have collected several on this format including films like 'the dam buster's' --'black narcissus' -'gone with the wind' - 'snow white' ect...mainly because the classics deserve to be collected in 'enhanced' quality....hey...but that's maybe just how i feel about them ?
obviously 'charles dicken's' tales have entertained many of us over and over again, this story being one of his major works.
it tells the 'tale' of 'pip' who as a young boy aspire's to be a success after being summoned to entertain 'miss havisham' at the 'big house' and meeting her young 'charge' 'estelle' who even at a young age became 'smitten' even though she was then delibertly 'rude'
as a 20 year old, 'pip' suddenly fids he has a mystery benefactor who seems to be helping him fullfill his ambitions.
yes, of course the film is dated,and the main cast figures are obviously some what older than the part they play,and yes it is black and white, but....does it matter / ...it's a great story in which you will find many memories with 'legandary' star's such as 'john mills' - 'alec guinness' and an introductionary role as the young 'estelle' of 'jean simmons'
if you've enjoyed 'dicken's' tales and remember the 'stars' you'll enjoy the film.
Probably the most remarkable thing about this near-perfect adaptation of Dickens' novel is that it's all been distilled down into one coherent 2-hour film. But Lean's cinematic genius finds all sorts of effective visual short-hand tricks to convey so much that is memorable. And he captures outstanding performances from virtually all of his cast, with Hunt being particularly unforgettable as the near-mummified Miss Haversham, decaying in her shrine to a marriage that never was. A joy in every department but particularly for Guy Green's wonderfully atmospheric Oscar-winning cinematography. The Blu-ray shows this up to an extent although the print of the film itself is a little erratic.