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| Great Expectations - 2012 |
Coming up next we have 2012's "Great Expectations", a classic Dickens tale about a boy named Pip. Pip goes to visit with reclusive Miss Havisham and falls in love with her daughter Estella. When his fortunes unexpectedly change, Pip changes to become more and more the man he thinks is worthy of Estella, only to find her slipping further and further from his grasp.
The film's cast includes Jeremy Irvine, Holliday Grainger, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Sally Hawkins, Robbie Coltrane, Olly Alexander, Bebe Cave, Toby Irvine, Helena Barlow, Ewen Bremner, and Ben Lloyd-Hughes.
On a dreary, gray day in rural England, young Pip runs to the cemetery to visit the graves of his parents and siblings.
At the cemetery, an escaped convict surprises Pip and orders the young boy to help him and tell no one what he has done.
Pip resides with his only living relative, his sister Mrs. Joe Gargery, a woman who is always on the rampage. His brother-in-law, Joe, is his best friend.
One day, a wealthy woman nearby asks for a local boy to come and play for her. Pip is chosen, and he arrives at a curious mansion, very overgrown, and there it seems time itself as stopped.
Inside the house, Pip meets Miss Havisham, a woman who lives in a state of decay, including wearing a rotting wedding dress. He also meets her daughter Estella, who captures his attentions.
While he's at the house, Pip cannot help but notice the eccentricity of Miss Havisham.
Pip finds himself enjoying his visits to Miss Havisham. He is particularly interested in Estella. He finds out that Miss Havisham was a bride who was jilted on her wedding day many years ago. The feast on the table was to be her wedding breakfast on that day and has never been removed. "On this day of the
year, long before you were born, this heap of decay was brought here. We've worn away together. Mice have gnawed at it. And sharper teeth than mice have gnawed
at me," she tells Pip.
No longer satisfied with the path that has been set before him, Pip wants to better himself in order to eventually win Estella's heart. Wanting to teach Estella to be cruel to men in retaliation for how she herself was treated, Miss Havisham is not happy when she sees that Estella and Pip have become friendly.
Miss Havisham sends for Pip's brother-in-law. She gives them a sum of money and tells Pip not to come back. Estella sadly watches them go.
Several years later, Pip is an apprentice to Joe as a blacksmith. A lawyer arrives and tells Pip that he's been given an inheritance with the provision that he move to London and study to become a gentleman. Thinking this is his chance to better himself and win the heart of Estella, Pip jumps at the opportunity.
Thinking that his benefactor is Miss Havisham, Pip goes to visit her before he leaves for London. She doesn't deny that she's the one who's improved his fortunes.
In London, Pip makes friends with Herbert Pocket, who tells him Miss Havisham's whole sordid tale. He also improves Pip's manners and helps him to behave more like a gentleman.
Joe comes up to London to visit Pip, and he isn't at all pleased with the "new" man he has become. Pip puts on airs and is ashamed by Joe in public places.
Back home on a visit to Miss Havisham, Pip meets Estella, whom he hasn't seen since he was a young boy. She's being sent to London to enter society and to charm and bewitch men, only to dash their hopes to the ground.
At a party in London, Pip is disgusted with the way that Estella flirts with other men, and he tells her that he loves her, but she does not reciprocate.
One day, Pip receives a visitor and is shocked to discover the identity of his true benefactor.
He returns to confront Miss Havisham over the way she led him on into believing that she was his mysterious benefactor. Estella is there, and Pip again tells her that he loves her.
"You're in every
thought. You're part of my
existence. Part of me. You're
in every thought, in every line I have ever read since I first came here. You're in the river,
the sails of ships, the sea, the clouds, the stones of London. Until the last hours of
my life, you will remain in me," he tells her before walking out of the room. Estella is torn by her feelings for Pip and her loyalty to her mother's teachings about men.
Through other sources, Pip comes to learn the true identity of Estella's parentage, and he returns to Miss Havisham's house to talk to her about it. "Pip, believe me, when
she first came to me, I just meant to save her from misery like my
own. But as she grew more beautiful, I
gradually did worse. And with my praises and my jewels and
my teachings, I...I stole her heart away and put ice in its place," she tells him.
As he angrily leaves the room, Miss Havisham begs his forgiveness. She knocks over a candle, which ignites her tattered wedding dress. She screams as she bursts into flames. Pip tries to save her, but Miss Havisham later succumbs to her injuries.
Eventually, the fortune that was Pip's is lost, and he is forced to work for his living once again. In time, he meets up with Estella again, and she tells him, "I have been bent and broken. But I hope into a better shape." The two walk on together, never to be separated again.
Cast rundown:
Jeremy Irvine.................................Pip
Holliday Grainger.............................Estella Havisham
Helena Bonham Carter.....................Miss Havisham
Ralph Fiennes.................................Abel Magwitch
Jason Flemyng................................Joe Gargery
Sally Hawkins.................................Mrs. Joe Gargery
Robbie Coltrane...............................Mr. Jaggers
Olly Alexander.................................Herbert Pocket
Bebe Cave......................................Young Biddy
Toby Irvine......................................Young Pip
Helena Barlow.................................Young Estella
Ewen Bremner.................................Wemmick
Ben Lloyd-Hughes............................Bentley Drummle
And that's it for Great Expectations. Brothers Jeremy and Toby Irvine portray the lead character of Pip at different stages in his life. Originally, Meryl Streep was approached to play Miss Havisham, but she had to decline due to scheduling conflicts. Helena Bonham Carter had misgivings about her casting, citing concerns about the age of the character. After assurances by the director that she was the right age, she accepted the role. Filming locations included Englefield House (Miss Havisham's residence) and Wrotham Park (for interior ballroom scenes).
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