Great Expectations

TV Movie
1974
Not Rated
1h 40m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

A humble orphan suddenly becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.A humble orphan suddenly becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.A humble orphan suddenly becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.

Director
- Joseph Hardy
Writers
- Sherman Yellen
- Charles Dickens
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

527

YOUR RATING

Director
- Joseph Hardy
Writers
- Sherman Yellen
- Charles Dickens
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Photos19

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Filmed as a musical, but the songs were abandoned seven weeks into filming. According to Michael York, they interrupted the narrative flow.

Goofs
At the dance when Estella returns to her seat one of her suitors says "Miss Estella, remember you promised me the next dance?" another suitor says "Nonsense, I have your solemn promise you'd save the next dance for me" - Immediately after this there is an audible fart.

Quotes
Jaggers: [to Pip] For whose sake would you reveal this?...
Pip: For Estella's sake! If Drummle knew, he'd never marry her!
Jaggers: Ah, you'd save her, is that it? You'd drag her into disgrace after twenty years? She's chosen her own life and Drummle - remember that! Oh, if you must save someone, I think you might look a little closer to home.

Crazy credits
Opening credits prologue: The Beginning 1830

Alternate versions
The version shown in the U.S. was cut to 103 minutes to make room for commercials. The European version, meant for movie theatres, is more than twenty minutes longer. As of 2010, the full-length European version has begun to be shown on cable TV in the U.S.

Connections
Edited into George Burns Comedy Week: Christmas Carol II: The Sequel (1985)

Soundtracks
Good King Wenceslas
(uncredited)
Traditional tune, lyrics by John M. Neale and Thomas Helmore

User reviews19

Review

Featured review

5/10

'Pop' Expectations

This Is The 'Informal' Version. The particular features that you would expect to find in any Great Expectations adaptions are all there in this 1974 TV Film, which is full of 1970s familiar & popular faces. In comparison to all other adaptations, it showcases the best 'Biddy' played by actress Heather Sears & the worst Abel Magwitch played by actor James Mason.

The film's unique attributes to the story are twofold: 1. It very briefly honours Christmas by the presence of or the appearance of Christmas Carol Singers: 2. One actress - a '30 something' year 'old' actress is used to play the 2 parts of being both a younger & older Estella.

This 'coming-of-age' story - which by today's standard and broadly speaking could be anything from 16-25 years of age depending. There's a good likeness between Simon Gipps-Kent who plays the younger Pip & Michael York - another '30 something' year 'old' actor who plays an older Pip. Sarah Miles is the actress who plays both a younger & older Estella.

I guess the two 'old has beens' - Michael York & Sarah Miles - were popular in 1974. Nevertheless, both Michael York & Sarah Miles played their parts well enough for me not to vote them as 'the worst', but not good enough to be voted 'the best', by any measure.