Great expectations

United Kingdom, 1946

Film
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Widely lauded as the best cinematic translation ever achieved of Dickens’ work and one of the greatest British films of all time, ‘Great Expectations’ follows the life of orphan Pip Pirrip from his humble beginnings as a blacksmith’s apprentice in the 1830s to his days as the wealthy beneficiary of an escaped convict he once helped. Despite the inevitable simplifications of the novel Lean fully realises its cinematic potential, capturing the spirit of Dickens and translating his prose into flawless cinema. Cinematographer Guy Green and production designer John Bryan won Academy Awards for their impressive work. Stars John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Finlay Currie, Alec Guinness, Bernard Miles, Francis Sullivan and Jean Simmonds.

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Collection

In ACMI's collection

Credits

director

David Lean

producer

Anthony Havelock-Allan

production company

Independent Producers

Cineguild

Duration

01:58:00:00

Production places
United Kingdom
Production dates
1946

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

324709

Language

English

Audience classification

PG

Sound/audio

Sound

Colour

Black and White

Holdings

16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)

16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)

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If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/80677--great-expectations/ |title=Great expectations |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=10 June 2023 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}