Great Expectations – 1998
Posted by Scott on 24 Mar 2008 at 02:58 am | Tagged as: Overlooked Films
When I saw this movie I was the only one in the theater. I remember thinking what I have gotten myself into. This thing is going to stink. But how often does one get a private screening at the multiplex? Try never. I was going to enjoy the experience even if the film was garbage. Turns out Alfonso Cuaron’s retelling of the Dickens classic is an inventive adaptation that really works.
Set in modern times Great Expectations tells the story of Finnegan Bell, a shy little boy with an artistic eye. After his sister splits, Finn is raised by her boyfriend, Joe, a fisherman/handyman. A landscaping job leads to Finn being “hired” by Ms. Dinsmoor, the eccentric proprietor of Paradiso Perduto, a dilapidated mansion beset by nature situated on the coastal waters of Florida. Ms. Dinsmoor requires Finn to draw pictures and dance with her young niece Estella, a pretentious seductress in training. Finn becomes immediately smitten and as he grows so does his love for Estella.
After high school, Estella moves to Europe while Finn goes to work with Joe. Finn leaves behind his childhood, his desire for Estella, and his will to draw. One day a lawyer shows up with a plane ticket to New York City and the promise of an art gallery opening. A mysterious benefactor wants all of Finn’s dreams to come true. Finn accepts the offer and heads for the Big Apple. He resurrects his drawing and his feelings for Estella, who he meets one day in the park. Now engaged, Estella resumes toying with Finn’s emotions. Unable to resist, Finn pursues the elusive Estella risking heartache once again.
Cuaron shoots this gorgeous looking film with a palette of green. The color symbolizes natural growth; growth in the characters as they maneuver through the stages of their lives. It also represents envy; Finn’s envy toward the wealth and privilege awarded Estella, and her envy toward his ability to love passionately, without malice. Great Expectations features an incredible cast that includes Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Cooper, Robert De Niro and the late Anne Bancroft, who glows as the manipulative, broken-hearted Ms. Dinsmoor.
A scene from Great Expectations:
