Great Expectations

CinemaSerfApr 2024

3.0

Well the Irvine's decided to keep this in the family! The young "Pip" (Toby) is out one night when he encounters the escaping convict "Magwitch" (Joseph Fiennes). Terrified for his life, he feeds the man and returns home to his kindly uncle "Joe" (Jason Flemyng) and his rather domineering wife (Sally Hawkins). Scoot on a few years and now big brother Jeremy takes over the leading role and is introduced to the solicitor "Jaggers" (Robbie Coltrane) who informs the young man that he is now a man of means. The conditions of his mysterious benefaction are that he live in London as a gentleman and that he make no enquiries as to the source of his newfound wealth. Now he, and we, make certain assumptions about the eccentric "Miss Havisham" (Helena Bonham Carter) but he is in London now, befriending old sparring partner "Herbert Pocket" (Olly Alexander) and leading a life of comfortable leisure. In truth, though, he's a bit rudderless and lacking in purpose until he returns home late one evening to be reunited with his former nemesis and told a few home truths that altogether change his agenda. It's not my favourite Dickens story this, but this adaptation does an adequate enough job more in the afternoon tea-time drama vein rather than the grand scale cinematic one. The easy-on-the-ey (elder) Irvine is charismatic enough and Alexander delivers quite cheekily as his pal "Pocket" but I thought Fiennes just over-egged his part - way too theatrical - and HBC doesn't really have the clout to deliver the "Havisham" part in the overbearing yet sad style of, say, Martita Hunt. I always find that colour photography can be an enemy to stories like this. The issues of poverty and privilege that underpin so many of this author's stories always work better in grimy monochrome, and this one is just a bit too well produced. It's perfectly watchable, but not really one to remember.