DVD Great Expectations [DVD] [Criterion Collection] (DVD 22071),
back to browsing

Great Expectations [DVD] [Criterion Collection]

  • NR
  • DVD
  • 1 disc
  • Region 1 USA/CA (info)
  • This 1946 film is the definitive version of the classic Charles Dickens story of Pip, an orphaned British boy who is befriended by a mysterious benefactor who enables him to become a gentleman of means. Director Lean deftly represents Dickens' disdain for the iniquities of Victorian society. This sentiment rang particularly true when the film was released the year after the war in Britain, when Britain had just elected a labor government. In a style resembling horror films, starting with a straight narration of Dickens's first two pages, through the scenes of Miss Havisham's decaying petrified and cobwebbed house, we are caught in a narrative that is both heart wrenching and socially relevant. Lean's achievement is in setting once-in-a-lifetime performances in a vibrant narrative that maintains rich detail but never bogs down. Considered by many to be among the greatest films ever made.

    Academy Awards Best Art Direction - Set Decoration (b&w) 1947
    Academy Awards Best Cinematography 1947 Guy Green British Director/Director Of Photography

    Read More...
  • Additional Info
    Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): GRE270

  • Credits
    John Mills, John Mills, Alec Guinness, Alec Guinness, Valerie Hobson, Jean Simmons, Bernard Miles, Bernard Miles, Francis L. Sullivan, Martita Hunt, Finlay Currie, Anthony Wager, Ivor Barnard, Freda Jackson, Torin Thatcher, Hay Petrie, George "Gabby" Hayes, Gabby Hayes, George Hayes, O. B. Clarence
  • Critic Reviews
    "...Lean brings Dickens' classic set-pieces to life as if he'd been reading over our shoulder....The movie was made by Lean at the top of his early form..."
    Chicago Sun-Times

    4 stars out of 5 -- "A gem from the late-1940s golden age of Brit cinema, David Lean's expressionistic GREAT EXPECTATIONS remains one of the most accomplished Dickens adaptations."
    Total Film

0 Stars 0 average rating
In Stock -- Item Ships for FREE
Our price $30.22
Add to wishlist

What viewers like you said...

Have you seen this movie? Be the first to write a review

Also suggested for you...

  • Quick View
    Life of Pi [Blu-ray/DVD] [Includes Digital Copy; UltraViolet; 3D]

    buy now for

    $44.75

    Blu-ray/DVD
  • Quick View
    Boss: Season 2

    buy now for

    $25.22

    DVD
  • Quick View
    Field of Dreams [DVD] [Collector's Edition]

    buy now for

    $8.80

    DVD
  • Quick View
    Magnum P.I. - The Complete Sixth Season

    buy now for

    $24.58

    DVD