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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A bit old fashioned, but true to the classic story, June 9, 2001
This review is from: Great Expectations [VHS] (VHS Tape)
As this version of the classic Dickens' novel was filmed in 1934, it doesn't have the special effects we modern audiences are used to, but the story rings true. The acting was good and so was the casting. Philips Holmes, in the role of Pip as a young gentleman, was 27 at the time and Jane Wyatt, best remembered for her later role in the TV series "Father Knows Best", cast as Estella, was only 23 and full of youthful fervor. Francis Sullivan played Jaggers, a role so meant for him that he played it again in the 1947 version of the film. I loved the performance of Florence Reed as Miss Havisham although the garish makeup she wore when we first meet her was a bit startling. And Henry Hull, as Magwich was an excellent convict. We must remember that, in 1934, talkies were still new and so there is a musical score that seems overdone and old fashioned by today's standards. But it follows the action, adding tension where necessary. Also, I sometimes felt that the actors' performances seemed to be more geared to the stage than the movies. I enjoyed the film completely, however, and especially liked contrasting it to the other versions I've seen. The 1947 one was good too, but somehow I liked this the best. And the less said the better about the awful 1998 one in which the story was so changed that it was unrecognizable from Dickens' original intention. The story and the film is a classic and I recommend this version.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not So Good, Not So Bad, Definitely Not David Lean, January 21, 2003
This review is from: Great Expectations [VHS] (VHS Tape)
It is undeniable now that David Lean made THE film of "Great Expectations," oft-filmed Charles Dickens novel, and by looking at this 1934 rendition of the same novel, you will be just reminded of the fact. Still, this possibly oldest film version of the story about the boy Pip, who falls in love with a girl Estella, and aspires to be a gentleman to get her love, has some virtue of its own. The story is pretty faithful to the book even though the ending is changed (or Hollywood-nized) to make some of us just groan. The book's retrospective, remorseful feelings of the hero Pip is gone; Estella stops to be Estella at the end, and Pip never sees kind-hearted Joe after leaving the village. This sentimental treatment is, some Dickensians may claim, worse than moving the entire setting to modern America as Ethan Hawke's version did. But as a whole this film is all right. Thanks to Henry Hull's acting as Magwitch, the film is given certain power, which should have been made use of more (but as you know, the story doesn't permit that). The pace is good, the designs are decent, but the famous opening at the dark marshes is clearly shot in somewhere in studio, and it is too obvious. And the director seems to be at a loss how to deal with Miss Havisham (and her wedding cake), one of the most eccentric persons Dickens created. Do not expect David Lean-esque fantastic photography here. This is a kind of a film that you may see many times around this era; not so good, not so bad. Strangely, though the characters' names Mr. Wopstle and Biddy (both play memorable parts in Pip' life in the book) are credited with the names of the actors, I do not think I saw them in the video. Where did they do? Deleted scenes in the cutting room? ... Lastly, you may enjoy the appearance of Jane Wyatt as Estella here. If you are one of millions of Star Trek fans, you may remember her as Mr. Spock's mother in one episode of the series, and the feature film "Star Trek IV."
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
CLASSY IF STAGEY DICKENS ADAPTATION, May 13, 2002
This review is from: Great Expectations [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This 1934 Carl Laemmle production of Charles Dickens'great novel is reverent, well acted, and generally faithful to the author's vision. Henry Hull is particularly exceptional as a boorish but affable Magwitch, and of course Jane Wyatt (Estella), Phillip Holmes (Pip), and Florence Reed (Miss Havisham)all play their roles with heart and dignity. Unfortunately, the overall staginess of the production makes it pretty slow going at times. This is a fault common to many pictures from the era, and in this case it keeps a good movie from being great. Also, as Hollywood is wont to do, the film makers modified Dickens' original ending to make it less sombre. Though this hardly ruins the picture, it does detract a bit from the story's inherent power. Even so, this version of Great Expectations is more than satisfactory, and well worth watching for anyone who ever wondered, like Pip, if they would ever find their destiny...or their love.
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