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6.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Great Expectations remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a thing for old black-and-white dramas and don’t mind when a movie skips over half the plot to reach the end, sure, give it a go. But if you’re looking for a deep dive into the Dickens lore or the slow-burn atmosphere of the marshes, you might find this one a bit thin. It’s for the folks who like their classics fast and loose.
Honestly, watching this felt like reading the CliffsNotes version of the story while someone flipped the pages way too quickly. The whole thing barely clocks in over an hour, which is a wild choice for such a chunky novel. You can almost feel the editors sweating in the back room, trying to chop out every scene that didn’t involve a major plot twist.
The moors scenes are actually pretty decent though. There’s a grit to them that I didn't expect from a production this old. You can see the dampness on the actors' coats, which is a nice, weirdly specific detail that grounds the whole thing.
Pip’s transition from a terrified kid to a man with 'expectations' happens in what feels like five minutes. One moment he’s scared of a guy in chains, the next he’s basically in a different movie entirely. It’s jarring, but there’s a certain charm to how unapologetic it is about rushing to the good stuff.
It made me think of the frantic pace in Sixty Cents an Hour, where you’re just trying to keep your head above water while the story drags you along. You don't have time to worry about character motivations when the plot is already at the next location.
The Miss Havisham stuff? It’s spooky enough, but it’s over before you can really soak in the dust and the decaying wedding cake. It’s a shame, really, because those moments could have used a bit more room to breathe. Instead, we get a quick glance at a cobweb and then we're back on the road again. 🏚️
Is it a masterpiece? No. Does it feel like a project that was made on a tight schedule with a lot of pressure to keep it short? Absolutely. Sometimes, you just have to admire the sheer nerve of trying to cram Dickens into a lunch break-sized runtime.
It’s not perfect, and it’s definitely not the version everyone talks about. But there’s something raw about it that I didn't hate. It’s definitely more interesting than sitting through something like A Daughter of the West on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
IMDb —
1925
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