School Library Journal-Rezension
Gr 8 Up-An orphan living with his sister and her husband, Pip (Oscar Kennedy) longs for a better life outside of his family's swampy abode in Charles Dickens's classic coming-of-age story. Two events occur within a short period of time that change his life forever. First, he runs into a convict who threatens him into giving him a file and some meat pie. Soon after, the eccentric, wealthy Miss Havisham (Gillian Anderson) invites him to be a temporary playmate for her adopted daughter, Estella (Vanessa Kirby). As he reaches the summer of his majority, he is offered an opportunity to become a young gentlemen of great expectations by an unknown benefactor. Infatuated with Estella when they meet again at Miss Havisham's house, he longs to use his new status to woo the girl. As his advances fail, his unhealthy pursuits, such as excessive drinking and squandering his money in gentleman's clubs, deflect him from his goals. As the summer comes to an end, he still longs to reach great expectations. Will he succeed? Who is his benefactor? Although the story is slow-paced, the movie is fairly true to the book. The cast does a fantastic job of portraying all the characters. Special features-behind-the-scenes commentary, cast interviews, a picture slide show, and character introductions-bring to life the heart of the original story. A good choice for teachers planning units on Dickens.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Library Journal-Rezension
In honor of Charles Dickens's bicentennial, PBS presented in 2012 two of his works in its "Masterpiece Classic" series. Great Expectations (1861) stars Gillian Anderson as the unfortunate Miss Havisham, whom she plays as a beautiful but ghostly creature. Ray Winstone gives a strong performance as the convict, Shaun Dooley is equally good as Joe, and, familiar as TV's Hercule Poirot, David Suchet plays a mysterious Jaggers. The film seems like an abridged version of the novel, though it does successfully cover the important plot: there just isn't enough time to spend on the interesting and eccentric characters for which Dickens is so well regarded. Nevertheless, this is a very well-done production, well worth watching. The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870) is an unfinished Dickens novel and not nearly as well known. It is a tale of love, obsession, murder, questions of parentage and lineage, madness, addiction, and the evil in the hearts of men. Young actors Freddie Fox and Tamzin Merchant very convincingly play the young betrothed couple. Matthew Rhys is the evil Jasper, and Rory Kinnear is wonderfully appealing as the Rev. Septimus Crisparkle. VERDICT Both of these excellent productions will be welcome additions to library collections. [A new production of the musical version of Edwin Drood is being mounted by New York's Roundabout Theatre Company, which will surely draw additional interest.-Ed.]-Julie Stump, Voorheesville P.L., New York (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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