# Great Expectations (1998)

### reviewed by
Ted Prigge

    GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1998)
    A Film Review by Ted Prigge
    Copyright 1998 Ted Prigge

Director: Alfonso Cuarón Writer: Mitch Glazer Starring: Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Bancroft, Robert DeNiro, Chris Cooper, Hank Azaria, Josh Mostel, Kim Dickens, Jeremy James Kissner, Raquel Beaudene

My rule of viewing a film adaptation of a classic novel is this: grade it as a film, and any changes it makes to the novel either work or don't work on how they relate to the film. For instance, the 1984 film adaptation of Orwell's "1984" is good not because it's very much like the novel, but because it brings the themes and general misery along with it. And Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's "The Shining" is great because it's great, and not bad because it doesn't adhere by the book (it's basically "Kubrick's 'The Shining'").

"Great Expectations," based on the novel by Charles Dickens apparently has very little to do with the novel. I used "apparently" because I read the book when I was a high school freshman (didn't we all?), and my recollection of it consists of this: there was a guy named Pip, a girl named Estella, a woman named Miss Havisham, and a criminal named Magwich. That's it. It's also another in the line of the modern-day retelling films, like '96's "Romeo + Juliet," which I actually liked (yeah, stone me). I felt that "Romeo + Juliet" brought out all the themes in the original play (well, most of 'em anyway), and was indeed tragic without becoming melodramatic (much like the play). Basically all "Great Expectations" has to do is be good on its own, and maybe even hit upon some nerves not usually uncovered in the novel.

But somewhere something went wrong. Somewhere the cool modern-day style by director Alfonso Cuarón (who did the greatly-received but little-seen "A Little Princess") and the modern-day retelling part didn't work together. The film got too much into telling the love story part of the story, which, as I recall, is not the only thing that happened in the book. I don't remember many of the themes that abounded throughout, but I do remember that it was not a melodramatic, annoying love story. The two in the story came together at the end, I believe, because of some deeper notions, not because it just had to. Somehow, everything meant a little more in the novel.

Anyway, the story revolves around a guy named Finn (Ethan Hawke when he's older), instead of Pip (Why? Is Finn more "modern" than Pip?), who lives in Florida with his uncle Joe (Chris Cooper), and one day goes over to the decaying, weed-ridden mansion of a crazy millionairess, Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft, acting like Mrs. Robinson gone crazy after 30 years), instead of Miss Havisham. While there, he runs into a little snobbish girl, Ms. Dinsmoor's niece, Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow when she's older), and soon Dinsmoor has hired Finn to come play with her every week for almost a decade, even though the two are distanced a bit. But there's always some sexual chemistry between the two.

Soon Finn has fallen hard for Estella, and after a little bit of, um, fooling around, Estella coldly shuns him and ends up moving to Paris, sending Finn into a pit of depression. But after years of not seeing her, he moves to New York to pursue a career in painting, as he was quite the painter as a child. Finn soon finds himself in the pit of the 90s art world, and because of a mysterious benefactor, has become huge all of a sudden, given a gallery and everything. And, of course, Estella's in New York too, and, of course, she's engaged to an aristocrat (Hank Azaria).

But the sexual chemistry between the two is still there, and the two do fool around a bit, and in one scene, Estella comes over to pose for him...in the buff. But she keeps taunting him, then breaking his heart by shunning him out of the blue. After sleeping with him in one scene, he finds out she has gotten married in the next. Are these two really in love but their pasts keep interfering? Was she conditioned by Ms. Dinsmoor to shun Finn just like her fiance 30 years did by standing her up at her wedding, thus driving her into a drunken state of insane depression? Is Estella trapped by all this, conflicted over her love for Finn and the fact that she feels she must continually diss him?

All of this is taken into account, but none of it is ever really rectified. It's all show in sequences where there's confessions, like in one scene where Finn asks Estella "What's it like to not ever feel anything?" and she gives a long speech about how someone who's been brought up like that can never turn against it - like she's trapped or something. But the film never really explores it any deeper than having characters step out of themselves to explain themes in a condescending way. The narration by Finn is way over-written: it states each of the problems and theories without ever letting the viewer come up with them on their own, thus cancelling them out. Although it could be argued that due to the surreal nature of the film, many people would be lost, it just makes for a melodramatic film. And special scenes, like one where Finn gives a confessional to who he thinks is Estella in the rain (for sheer camp value, I just wanted him to rip off his shirt, get down on his knees, and scream at the top of his lungs "ESTELLA!!!") ends in a cheap twist that's supposed to heartbreaking, but for some reason seems crap.

But at the same time, there are some redeeming qualities. The best thing about this, to me anyway, is the style and direction by Cuarón, who gives the film a cool surreal feel. The cinematography in this film is outstanding, as are the set designs, especially the awe-inspiring presentation of the Dinsmoor mansion, which is covered in vines and weeds. Cuarón works well with his camera, pulling off some truly nifty camera tricks, such as some impressive steadicam work, and mastering the fading (the nude posing scene is even more impressive in that you never see Paltrow naked - it always fades her naughty bits out). And there are some truly cinematic moments, most notably a scene (or actually scenes) where Dinsmoor dances wildly to "Besame Mucho."

But the surrealism doesn't work well with the film, which focuses way too much on the love story. "Great Expectations" is not one of the great love stories; it was more of a coming-of-age tale, and getting over the past. Sure, it points out at the end that the past is just the past, and that memories are things we must get over, but it never seems to really get to that point. It gets there because it has to; not because it actually got there by way of storytelling. By singling in on this section of the story, it alienates itself from the other subplots, such as Finn's relationships with Dinsmoor, Joe, and most notably, with the criminal Lustig (Robert DeNiro), instead of Magwich, who he helps escape in the beginning, and who comes back later in the story. Of all the parts of the film, this is the one that feels the most edited. When tragedy strikes these two, we're not sure what to think because it hasn't even been backed up so well, which also affects a twist which seems cheap and unsurprising (it was the opposite in the novel...I think).

And poor Ethan...he's saddled with the tough job of playing the boring protagonist while all around him are interesting characters. He does a good job, especially in a scene where he confesses to another character that his heart is truly broken, even if it is for revenge (even I almost shed a tear). Hawke is one of the finest of the Gen-X actors; he's better than this. Paltrow exhibits great seduction with her character, but shows some human elements broadening her character (alas this is really not resolved). Bancroft and DeNiro are priceless in their respective underwritten roles, while Cooper and Azaria are also very good in even more underwritten roles (who else can stutter as well as Azaria?).

The result is a disappointing film which is neither romantic nor poignant, but instead feels like Cliffs Notes on acid. The problem is not that it doesn't follow the book (which it doesn't), but that it instead tries to tell a melodramatic story about people we barely care about if they weren't being portrayed by such cool actors. The writing of the film tries to downtalk to its core audience, who may eat it up, but will eventually spit it out like it should be, but line up for the next cute film just like this (maybe an adaptation of "Tale of Two Cities" starring Leo DiCaprio and Sandra Bullock...).

    MY RATING (out of 4): **

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