Great Expectations (1998)

Director:

Alfonso Cuarón

Writers (WGA):

Charles Dickens (novel)
Mitch Glazer (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 January 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Let desire be your destiny.

Plot:

Modernization of Charles Dickens classic story finds the hapless Finn as a painter in New York pursuing his unrequited and haughty childhood love.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Dickens | Painter | Gulf Coast | Charles Dickens

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ethan Hawke	...	Finnegan Bell
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Estella
Hank Azaria	...	Walter Plane
Chris Cooper	...	Joe
Anne Bancroft	...	Ms. Dinsmoor
Robert De Niro	...	Prisoner / Lustig
Josh Mostel	...	Jerry Ragno
Kim Dickens	...	Maggie
Nell Campbell	...	Erica Thrall
Gabriel Mann	...	Owen (as Gabriel Mick)
Jeremy James Kissner	...	Finnegan at Age 10
Raquel Beaudene	...	Estella at Age 10
Stephen Spinella	...	Carter Macleish
Marla Sucharetza	...	Ruth Shepard
Isabelle Anderson	...	Lois Pope

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:R (certificate #35333) | Philippines:PG-13 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Astor Place, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Art Linson Productions

Trivia:

While sharing the title with the 1861 Charles Dickens novel, it is only loosely based on it.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Arthur Lustig visits Finn, Finn gives him his address as 111 Greenwhich St., which is south of the World Trade Center. The nearest subway stop is the Rector St. 1/9 train. Yet when Finn takes Arthur to the subway, they end up at the J/M/Z Chambers St. stop. When a subway train does come, miraculously it is the G train, which is the only train in the system that does not enter Manhattan at all. In addition, none of the above mentioned trains would take Arthur to JFK, his stated destination, without at least one transfer.

Quotes:

Finn: I did it! I did it! I am a wild success! I sold 'em all, all my paintings. You don't have to be embarrassed by me anymore. I'm rich! Isn't that what you wanted? Aren't we happy now? Don't you understand that everything I do, I do it for you? Anything that might be special in me, is you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Gwyneth Paltrow/Barenaked Ladies (#24.12)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Bésame Mucho

A movie as itself

Too many times we fall into the trap of comparing a movie with the book. Every director and every writer has a vision and we must judge that vision through their respective mediums. This film brings an unconventional theme to a society fascinated by what they cannot have. This film symbolizes just that. Standing on its own, this film was magnificent in its visual images and music and very many other areas. Do not be caught in that trap of comparing this film to the book. Dickens should never be compared to any screenwriter in the first place.