Great expectations

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.