On G List of Movie Reviews

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Great Expectations (1946)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 8/24

8/24: Great Expectations is routinely listed in Great Films lists, but it left me...unimpressed.

I don't see what the big deal is. Yes, David Lean made outstanding pictures like The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, but there's nothing special about Great Expectations. It's a routine story with underdeveloped characters and 40's flavor with none of the epicness as the title seems to indicate.

Probably the biggest letdown is the relationship between Pip and Estella. The former basically forces it while the latter is nothing more than a spoiled brat with no redeemable qualities. My favorite part is when the fire was started. The curtains...all that unbelievable amount of dust...I wondered how nobody got sick from that for years. At least, it's interesting to see the young-looking Alec Guinness and Jean Simmons, but John Mills was too old to play Pip.

All in all, Great Expectations is absolutely mediocre.

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