De grandes espérances

I loved this film, it was simply well made for this modern time. I read the book by Charles Dickens and it is quite different, but very enjoyable.You never know do you? It was a bit confusing, I mean Gwyneth Paltrow's character, I guess you could say she was unique. And I understood Ethan Hawkes character perfectly. Wonderful film, I'd recommend it to anyone.

More than simply modernized this is an extremely condensed and superfluous version of the beloved Charles Dickens novel, all nicely made and cast, but without the depth, detail and richness of David Lean's classic which achieved so much more in almost the same running time.

It is always going to be a challenge to take a classic novel and turn it into be a movie that will satisfy everyone, especially when the story is being changed and adapted to fit a modern setting. If what you want to find from this movie is an exact translation of the book you will be unimpressed.

I personally loved this movie, it is completely stylish thanks to a brilliant soundtrack and the gorgeous leads Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow (who is cast perfectly as the beautiful ice queen). They are helped along by a strong supporting cast of Anne Bancroft (wonderfully eccentric as Ms. Nora Dinsmoor), Chris Cooper and Robert DiNero.

The problem, however, is that in trying to fit a story as long and complicated as ‘Great expectations' into a 90 minute movie you loose a lot of the development of the characters necessary to identify and have an emotional reaction to them.

Rather than linger on these issues Alfonso Cuaron concentrated on the visual aspect of the movie and the result is a movie that is great to watch!

Hollywood and the movie industry have made many bold moves over the past decade in bringing to life old classics. None however have been done more boldly than the remoulding of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and Charles Dicken's Great Expectations. Both are daring attempts to rebirth a storyline from the distant past, as a tale told in our modern times. I say attempt because in both cases, as good a job the cast and crew did, there was something lacking in these new renditions. Great Expectations, the movie, lacks many qualities that make the novel a success. It cannot be said to be a total loss, the basic elements are intact, it is only the embellishments Charles Dickens developed in the novel to make the story more realistic that are missing.

One success, I must admit that I observed while watching the film was the rich visual setting. Although not taking presented in the same place, or era Great Expectations, the movie, is a feast for the eyes. It captivates the mind with beautiful shots of the rural Florida coast life, and yet still retains the jumbled, rundown atmosphere that is described of Pip's small birthplace in a small English town. These qualities of squalor are evident in the impoverished coastal fishing village of the movie. The best achievement in cinematography, is the in-depth views of Pardiso Perduto, a sister mansion to the decaying Satis house of the novel. Even the scenes of New York, the city of "expectations" for our youthful protagonist, Finn, has contrasting aspects of rich beauty and unsightly slums that the London of the nineteen century demonstrated. This is the most major achievement for the film; to capture on film a most ingenious modern equivalent of Charles Dicken's astute descriptions.

Unlike some attempts to revamp literary successes the movie at least retains some of the dignity of Dicken's work. The core of his novel is intact within the screenplay. Also many ingenious ideas were used in some plot changes, and cinematography. Overall it is not a bad representation of the novel.

Good romantic-drama, based on Charles Dickens' classic novel. I haven't read the book, so can't say how faithful this adaptation is (obviously, it has been modernized). The transplanting into the modern day doesn't suffer from the usual stuffiness that such adaptations usually suffer from (eg Baz Luhrman's Romeo & Juliet), and feels like a modern romantic-drama.

Solid direction from Alfonso Cuaron. Pacing is generally good, though there are one or two patches where the movie drifts.

Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow are solid, though not spectacular, in the lead roles. Good support from Chris Cooper, Anne Bancroft and Robert De Niro.