''Great Expectations'' is a 2012 British-American

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...

' 1861 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Mike Newell, with the adapted screenplay by David Nicholls, and stars

Jeremy Irvine Jeremy William Fredric Smith (born 18 June 1990), known professionally as Jeremy Irvine, is an English actor who made his film debut in the epic war film '' War Horse'' (2011). In 2012, he portrayed Philip "Pip" Pirrip in the film adaptation of ...

, Helena Bonham Carter,

Holliday Grainger Holliday Clark Grainger (born 27 March 1988), also credited as Holly Grainger, is an English screen and stage actress. Some of her prominent roles are Kate Beckett in the BAFTA award-winning children's series ''Roger and the Rottentrolls'', L ...

Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes ( ; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. A Shakespeare interpreter, he excelled onstage at the Royal National Theatre before having further success at the Royal Shak ...

and

Robbie Coltrane Anthony Robert McMillan (30 March 195014 October 2022), known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor and comedian. He gained worldwide recognition in the 2000s for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. H ...

. It was distributed by

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

. Nicholls adapted the screenplay after being asked to work on it by producers Elizabeth Karlsen and

Stephen Woolley Stephen Woolley (born 3 September 1956) is an English film producer and director, whose prolific career has spanned over three and a half decades, for which he was awarded the BAFTA award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema in Fe ...

, with whom he had worked on '' And When Did You Last See Your Father?''. Helena Bonham Carter was asked by Newell to appear as

Miss Havisham Miss Havisham is a character in the Charles Dickens novel ''Great Expectations'' (1861). She is a wealthy spinster, once jilted at the altar, who insists on wearing her wedding dress for the rest of her life. She lives in a ruined mansion with ...

and accepted the role after some initial apprehension, while Irvine was initially intimidated by the thought of appearing on screen as Pip. The film premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

. It was released in the UK on 30 November 2012.

Synopsis

Cast

as Pip, an orphan. Irvine gained the role of Pip, having previously starred in

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

's adaptation of '' War Horse'', which Irvine described as his big break, having previously appeared in minor roles with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

. Irvine found the role intimidating, but said that he "wanted to make my character Pip stronger and more driven than how he's been played in adaptations before". ** Toby Irvine, the younger brother of Jeremy Irvine, as young Pip. * Helena Bonham Carter as

, wealthy

spinster ''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...

who has taken up a life of seclusion following the loss of her love and whom Pip suspects is his benefactor. Bonham Carter was concerned about playing the role of Miss Havisham and questioned Mike Newell when he phoned her to talk about taking the part. She was worried about the typical appearance of the character, describing her as a pensioner in a

bridesmaid Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Tradi ...

s dress. Newell assured her that she was the right age, as the character in the book is in her forties, and she accepted the role. *

as Magwitch, a criminal who changes Pip's life. Fiennes hadn't read a great deal of Dickens' work prior to gaining the role. Following the filming of ''Great Expectations'', he moved onto another Dickens-related role, both directing and playing the author himself in ''

The Invisible Woman The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel durin ...

''. *

as Mr Jaggers, a lawyer responsible for handling Pip's money. ''Great Expectations'' was Coltrane's first Dickens-related role. He had been offered the role of Mr. Micawber in an adaptation of ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

'' some years previously, but was unable to take it. Coltrane described Jaggers as a "heartless bastard", and was pleased to be able to deliver the line to Pip about "great expectations", which took several takes to perfect. * Jason Flemyng as Joe Gargery, Pip's brother-in-law and

legal guardian A legal guardian is a person who has been appointed by a court or otherwise has the legal authority (and the corresponding duty) to make decisions relevant to the personal and property interests of another person who is deemed incompetent, call ...

. Flemyng was pleased to be able to appear in a film which he could take his children to see, and thought it'd be great for the Christmas period. *

Estella Estella may refer to: People *Diego de Estella (1524–1578) *Estella Sneider (born 1950) *Estella Warren (born 1978), Canadian actress *Estella, the ''nom de guerre'' of Italian labor leader Teresa Noce Fictional * Estella Havisham, a character ...

; Newell encouraged Grainger to bring sensuality to her role. Grainger has said in interviews that the role was the one which she has coveted more than any other. **

Helena Barlow Helena Josephine Barlow (born 5 September 1998) is an English actress. She began her career as a child actress, playing Rose Granger-Weasley in ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2'' (2011). The following year, she starred as young ...

as young Estella *

Ewen Bremner Ewen Bremner (born 23 January 1972) is a Scottish character actor. His roles have included Julien in ''Julien Donkey-Boy'' and Daniel "Spud" Murphy in '' Trainspotting'' and its 2017 sequel '' T2 Trainspotting''. Early life Bremner was born i ...

as Wemmick * Sally Hawkins as Mrs Joe * David Walliams as Uncle Pumblechook, Joe Gargery's uncle, and provides a route for Pip to be in touch with Miss Havisham. Walliams brought his mother along to the film's premiere. * Tamzin Outhwaite as Molly *

Daniel Weyman Daniel Weyman (born 1977) is an English actor known for his role as the Stranger in '' The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power''. Theatre He has appeared in stage productions such as Samuel West's Sheffield Crucible production of ''As You ...

as Arthur Havisham *

Jessie Cave Jessica Alice Cave Lloyd (born 5 May 1987) is an English actress, comedian and cartoonist, known for her role as Lavender Brown in the ''Harry Potter'' film series and for her shows in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe. She has also publishe ...

as Biddy **

Bebe Cave Bebe Cave (born 22 July 1997) is an English actress. Early life Cave was born 22 July 1997 in London, England, the youngest of five siblings, to two general practitioners. Her older sister Jessie Cave is an actress and comedian. Career Cave made ...

as young Biddy * Edward George Fleming as Charles Pocket *

Olly Alexander Oliver Alexander Thornton (born 15 July 1990) is a British singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of Years & Years and for his performance as Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 drama series, ''It's a Sin''. Early life Alexander w ...

as Herbert Pocket * Ben Lloyd-Hughes as Bentley Drummle * William Ellis as

Compeyson Compeyson is the main antagonist of Charles Dickens' novel ''Great Expectations'', a 'George Wickham'-esque man, whose criminal activities harmed two people, who in turn shaped much of protagonist Pip's life. Compeyson abandoned Miss Havisham at ...

Production

Development

The film is the seventh film version of

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

. David Nicholls was asked to develop the screenplay after he had worked on the 2007 film '' And When Did You Last See Your Father?'', and while he was working on an adaptation for television of

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Wor ...

's '' Tess of the d'Urbervilles'' for the BBC. He had worked with producers Elizabeth Karlsen and

on the 2007 film, and they approached him to work on ''Great Expectations''. During the development of the film, Nicholls published the novel '' One Day'', which was subsequently adapted into a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

in 2011. Nicholls described in interviews that he saw Dickens' work as his childhood defining novel, having first read the book when he was 14 and it having since remained his favourite. He also praised the 1946 version, directed by

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

. Mike Newell was looking to develop Dickens' '' Dombey and Son'' for the screen, but after it didn't go ahead, he was told about Nicholls' script. The two worked together on further developing the screenplay and finding the funding for the film. Nicholls thought there was a problem with choosing the ending for the film, as Dickens wrote both a downbeat ending and a more positive version. He described their solution as, "What we've tried to do is to make it work as a love story without sentimentalising the book", having criticised the ending of the David Lean version.

Filming

The former headquarters of

Gillette Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gill ...

on the A4 road was used as the main filming location. The interior was transformed into a

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

street scene. The production also shot many scenes in Kent including St Thomas a Becket Church in Fairfield, Swale Nature Reserve Shellness, Oare and

Elmley Marshes Elmley is the local name for the Isle of Elmley, part of the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. It was also the name of a very late 19th century industrial village on the isle. Edward Hasted Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 N ...

, Stangate Creek, The Historic Dockyard in Chatham and Thames and Medway Canal.

Release

The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2012. The European premiere was the closing night gala of the 2012

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

which took place at the

Odeon Leicester Square The Odeon Luxe Leicester Square is a prominent cinema building in the West End of London. Built in the Art Deco style and completed in 1937, the building has been continually altered in response to developments in cinema technology, and was the ...

on 21 October 2012. Both Helena Bonham Carter and her husband,

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

, were inducted into the

British Film Institute Fellowship The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established in 1933, based in the United Kingdom. It has awarded its Fellowship title to individuals in "recognition of their outstanding contribution to film or television culture" an ...

at the event. In the UK, advance screenings were scheduled for 26 November 2012, with the nationwide release date of 30 November as a 12A rated release.

Reception

''Great Expectations'' received generally positive reviews from critics. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the film has a rating of 68%, based on 81 reviews, with an average rating of 6.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Not the best version of the oft-filmed Dickens classic but far from the worst, Mike Newell's ''Great Expectations'' breathes just enough life into the source material to justify yet another adaptation." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the film holds a score of 60 out of 100, based on 23 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

References

External links

''Great Expectations''
at

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

''Great Expectations''
at British Council–Film
''Great Expectations''
at Lumiere * * * {{Authority control 2012 films 2012 independent films 2010s historical drama films British historical drama films British independent films Films based on British novels Films based on Great Expectations Films shot in London Films directed by Mike Newell Films produced by Elizabeth Karlsen BBC Film films Lionsgate films Number 9 Films films 2012 drama films American historical drama films American independent films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films 2010s British films