Rating: 
Summary: A Great Modern Film
Review: Great Expectations is a great modern film that combines artistic detail, passion, suspense, and desperation. Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow do a superb job as Finn and Estella, respectively. Paltrow is aloof, cold, manipulative, and beautiful. Hawke counters her performance as the devoted would-be lover. Robert DeNiro adds flair as an escaped convict, and Anne Bancroft is memorable as the eccentric Ms. Dinsmore. The soundtrack/score is absolutely memorable and should be added to any music lover's collection. "Kissing in the Rain" and "The Day All My Dreams Came True" are shiners on the score and "Life In Mono" and "Like A Friend" stand out on the soundtrack. The lush music runs through a range of emotions that flow with the themes of the film. Add this movie to your collection if you are a romantic or have an artistic flair. I give it "two thumbs up...way up."
Rating: 
Summary: Great Expectations Revisited
Review: Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow star as Finn/Pip and Estella in this modern day version of the Dickens' classic. Director Alfonso Cuarón and 20th Century Fox do a wonderful job in this updated color version. Cuarón's modern day adaptation to "be careful for what you wish for" begins in a lower economic 70's Florida Gulf Coast fishing town. Here we meet a young Finn, a child artist who meets an eccentric elderly woman and her niece. Anne Bancroft does an excellent job playing the eccentric, jilted, Miss Dinsmoore/Miss Havisham. Because she has been left at the altar, Miss Dinsmoore poisons the mind of her niece Estella such that her niece will never feel the pain of a broken heart. Moreover, Miss Dinsmoore encourages Estella to go out into the world and toy with men's affections, rejecting them before they have a chance to hurt her. Thus, the stage is set for Finn to fall in love with the enchanting Estella and to be rejected by her.
Oddly enough, a strange and mysterious benefactor allows for an older Finn to go off to New York to pursue his dream of becoming a rich and famous artist. Finn believes that with enough money and fame he will be able to win Estella's love. Alas, Finn falls victim to all of the trappings of life in the big city and loses sight of who he was and the humble fishing town where he came from.
While the film is modernized from the original version including a soundtrack that is used artistically to reflect the moods and characters within the movie, the movie stays true to Dickens' original story ending, as it ends with Finn and Estella holding hands while gazing out upon the ocean.
The movie has a great deal of emotional depth. Many directors rely on a great deal of explicit imagery (fluff - sex and explosions) to bring the film to a wider audience. Great Expectations delivers a great story without including fluff. The two scenes that gave this movie its "R" rating were very short and necessary to complete the plot and necessary in order to modernize the original Victorian tale.
Rating: 
Summary: Love Story
Review: This adaptation of Charles Dickens` novel is an interesting watch, but the final result isn`t too engaging or surprising. Another variation on the old poor boy (Ethan Hawke, in another of his dreamer, innocent, young artist roles) that falls for the rich girl (Gwyneth Patrow, with a too wooden and bland performance). Director Alfonso Cuarón presents some stylish and gourgeous sceneries, locations, people and music, yet the plot is still by-the-numbers, failing to convince despite some pretty and well-crafted moments. Not a bad movie, but not a memmorable one either.
Passable entertainment.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacks Dickens' brooding atmosphere and original intent
Review: This film is loosely based on the classic Dickens novel. Very loosely.Set in modern times, it moves from the Florida Gulf Coast to New York with certain key elements familiar to readers of the original story. There's a young boy who encounters a convict played by Robert DiNiro as a Mafioso. There's an eccentric old lady, played by a Anne Bancroft who wears brightly colored designer clothes, smokes cigarettes and guzzles martinis. Gwyneth Paltrow plays the icy young lady with cool detachment. And Ethan Hawke is cast as the young man, a bit too much of a hunk for the role which is written to have him become the darling of the art world. There's a lot of star power here, and some nudity, but not much else. The script does not do justice to Dickens' intentions. We've come to expect good cinematography these days and so I must say that the Florida gulf coast really did look good. What is lacking, however, is the dark brooding atmosphere. In some respects this is a pleasant video although it moves too slowly and never grabbed my emotions. Gwyneth Paltrow does look pretty. And Robert DiNiro gives an excellent performance. But in a world where we can make choices about our entertainment, there's a lot better out there. And if Charles Dickens were alive today, I'm sure he would agree.
Rating:
Summary: AMERICAN EXPECTATIONS
Review: I went into this not expecting a lot. But from the very first few frames I was drawn into the story. Yes, I have read the Dickens novel in High School. Contrary to some, I kinda liked the book. But you could totally ignore the Dickens angle and enjoy this film. That being said, I was highly amused that the director chose Florida as Pip/Finn's boyhood home. The setting and the further choice of the Florida fishing culture brought a depth to the story I did not catch in the novel. New York City as the "big city" may have been a cliché; but then New York City is the center of the art world as far as America is concerned. Mr. Hawke may have the misfortune of being paired with great actors in almost every scene in this film. Because of this, I believe the talent and ability he brings to the film may be overlooked. For the most part, Hawke is on screen with either Anne Bancroft, Robert De Niro, Hank Azaria, or Gwyneth Paltrow. Although the story is supposed to be about Pip/Finn, our focus flows away from Hawke to any one of these actors. Gwyneth Paltrow is a pretty woman but she is not fantastically beautiful as others would have her. I think this actually works to her advantage in that her beauty does not overshadow her personal charm. This allows her magic to actually work on the audience. Much is made of the nude scenes in this film; but the truth is that very little is actually shown. It is more suggested than revealed. But their effect is very electric. More effective are the surprised kisses of Hawke and Paltrow over drinking fountains. Simply the "best" kisses I have seen on film in a long time, Most of us lose patience with great works of art dressed up in modern garb. For the most part, Shakespeare in space suit costumes is not nearly as interesting as many in the "creative community" seem to believe. But this version of Great Expectations really works in unexpected ways. Not a great film-but an absorbing one nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: Dickens would not have been displeased...
Review: Better than average Gwyneth Paltrow movie based on the Dickens novel of the same name. Though the purists may howl it is not a bad effort at a contemporary retelling of this old victorian favourite. All the better for having such an exemplary cast led by Robert de Niro as the magwitch character and Anne Bancroft playing it for all its worth as the senile and eccentric Nora Dinsmoor. A worthy successor to the aged and abandoned Mrs Haversham. I just loved her...and pitied her. What a tragic sight. Director Cuaron transfers his story from the misty and fog bound moors to the sunny ambience of 1997-Miami. Funnily it works. Ethan Hawke as Finn the central character and whos acting skills I had serious doubts about manages to age effortlessly here from inadequate teenager to confident but lovelorn adult. So maybe the man can act!. Chris Cooper also does a wonderful portrayal as Joe, Finn's kindly brother-in-law, abandoned by Finn's faithless sister he captures an image of pathos when he finds himself out of place at Finns first gallery opening. A first rate actor who is in no danger of being typecast. In the end Gwyneth carries the movie as the distantly cold and enigmatic Estelle. She gives new meaning to aloofness. Amazingly in her brief career she has yet to play two similar types in any of her films. A recommended film for those nights when nothing better is on the box. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent adaptation of a classic tale
Review: "Great Expectations" (1998) This film is a cinematic masterpiece due to its colorful scenes that seem to be painted onto the screen in a perfectly precise style. "Great Expectations" is rich with imagery and a wonderful story line based on Charles Dickens' classic tale. It strays from the novel enough to make the story a more visual experience. The time period is changed to present day, but this adaptation works for the best. It allows a modern audience to identify with this classic tale in a way that would be impossible if the film were set in the 19th century. Finnegan Bell falls hopelessly in love with Estella from the first moment he lays eyes on her and proceeds throughout his life in continual pursuit of her love by attempting to become "worthy" of her. He is an orphan raised by his abusive sister and her fisherman husband, Joe. Estella is the niece of the richest lady in the state, Ms. Nora Diggers Dinsmoor. Ms. Dinsmoor requests Finn's presence at her mansion, Paradiso Perduto, on a weekly basis as a playmate for Estella and to entertain herself. Ms. Dinsmoor was left at the altar by her fiancée in prior years and has become a bitter old lady who scorns all men and believes none can be worthy of a woman's love. She schools Estella in this manner, which explains Estella's cold behavior and her rejection of Finn as anything more than a toy for her to play with his emotions. The story is told through Finn's eyes and from his perspective on what occurs as he grows up and learns about life. He has the ability to paint fabulously, a gift he has had since birth, and he uses this gift to express himself and his emotions throughout his life. It becomes a road to success and to Estella, but he loses sight of his joy and love for the art. Success becomes a trap for him when he realizes that there is more to life than himself and his own feelings. He truly grows up and even though he always loves Estella, learns what he wants out of life and how to accomplish it. "Great Expectations" is wonderfully cast, with Ethan Hawke doing an extraordinary job as the lovelorn Finn. He is believable and invokes much sympathy from the audience. Gwyneth Paltrow is superb as Estella, who conjures some hostility because of her rejection of Finn, but at the same time is capable of evoking sympathy. The way she acts is not her fault because she does not know any better. Robert De Niro puts in an excellent performance as the escaped convict who scares Finn as a young boy and has a major influence on his life. Anne Bancroft is wonderful as the eccentric Ms. Dinsmoor who acts out her hostility towards men through Estella. This film is one of the most picturesque and beautifully cinematic films I have ever seen. From the first scene until the last, each shot is carefully stylized to make the most of the scenery and the story. The theme of Finn's paintings is begun in the opening credits, with his paintings as the background and the credits appearing on the screen as if in rippling water. Each shot is precisely stylized to evoke certain emotions from the audience and to tell the story as Finn remembers it. The film looks as though many different paintings were put together to create a coherent story. The film is very peaceful, as seen through Finn's paintings and the slow, romantic musical background, but at times is jarred to reality by the people coming into Finn's life who influence him. The film can appear as if in a dream state while Finn is thinking about certain occurrences in his life, but then an event happens that shows him just how large and threatening the world is capable of being. This gives him to a new understanding of the world and his place within it. This tragic tale is given an optimistic Hollywood ending, but in my opinion, this is appropriate. It leaves some hope, even though small, of Finn reaching his ultimate goal in life of finding himself and being free of the past, "like love, completely undeserved".
Rating:
Summary: Great Expectations Revisited
Review: Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow star as Finn/Pip and Estella in this modern day version of the Dickens' classic. Director Alfonso Cuarón and 20th Century Fox do a wonderful job in this updated color version. Cuarón's modern day adaptation to "be careful for what you wish for" begins in a lower economic 70's Florida Gulf Coast fishing town. Here we meet a young Finn, a child artist who meets an eccentric elderly woman and her niece. Anne Bancroft does an excellent job playing the eccentric, jilted, Miss Dinsmoore/Miss Havisham. Because she has been left at the altar, Miss Dinsmoore poisons the mind of her niece Estella such that her niece will never feel the pain of a broken heart. Moreover, Miss Dinsmoore encourages Estella to go out into the world and toy with men's affections, rejecting them before they have a chance to hurt her. Thus, the stage is set for Finn to fall in love with the enchanting Estella and to be rejected by her.
Oddly enough, a strange and mysterious benefactor allows for an older Finn to go off to New York to pursue his dream of becoming a rich and famous artist. Finn believes that with enough money and fame he will be able to win Estella's love. Alas, Finn falls victim to all of the trappings of life in the big city and loses sight of who he was and the humble fishing town where he came from.
While the film is modernized from the original version including a soundtrack that is used artistically to reflect the moods and characters within the movie, the movie stays true to Dickens' original story ending, as it ends with Finn and Estella holding hands while gazing out upon the ocean.
The movie has a great deal of emotional depth. Many directors rely on a great deal of explicit imagery (fluff - sex and explosions) to bring the film to a wider audience. Great Expectations delivers a great story without including fluff. The two scenes that gave this movie its "R" rating were very short and necessary to complete the plot and necessary in order to modernize the original Victorian tale.
Rating: 
Summary: great cast , weak plot , adismal movie
Review: i didn't like this movie. it was boring , unrealistic , and stupid.
Rating:
Summary: Raising the Dickens
Review: Remakes are risky business. Director Alfonso Cuaron's modernized Great Expectations proves the point. Charles Dickens' engaging, heart-warming, and admittedly plot-manipulated classic fares less well in this glitzy adaptation. Ethan Hawke plays Finn (Dickens' Pip) in his rags to riches rise from Florida fisherman to New York artist. But his character lacks depth. The same is true for Gwnyeth Paltrow's hard-hearted but bewitching Estella. The "minor" but veteran players eclipse both in the film. Ann Bancroft plays a convincing Miss Dinsmoor (Miss Havisham), Estella's jilted guardian. But Robert de Niro steals the show, just as does the money, as Arthur (Magwitch) the escaped convict. The novel's involved and coincidental story line is perhaps to blame, since the script allows for little character development in the lead roles. Still, director Cuaron finds time for some gratuitous sex scenes, hoping to grab a risky enough rating (R), to seduce young viewers into the theater. (Dickens would have raised the dickens about that!) The cinematography, at times an excessive eye candy, does please, however. And the film does entertain in a syrupy way. That said, Great Expectations suffers from (what else?) great expectations - arising from headline actors cast in a predictable film. It is, nonetheless, better than the average bore.
|
