Overview
A young orphan's life is forever changed by the mysterious forces of wealth and love.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- gothic
- melancholic
- romantic
- classic cinema night
- literary adaptation viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard David Lean's film as a superb, faithful, visually vivid, and emotionally intelligent adaptation of Dickens, though some find it less psychologically dark than the novel.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The graveyard opening, Miss Havisham's decaying estate, and shadowed interiors give the adaptation a distinctly gothic visual identity.
Pip's education and London allowance transform him into a snob ashamed of Joe and his humble origins.
Miss Havisham gives Estella permission to break Pip's heart, turning his first love into an instrument of revenge.
Pip believes Miss Havisham funds his education and allowance, while the actual sponsor remains concealed through much of the story.
Films like Great Expectations, and why
Oliver Twist
prestigious literary adaptation, morally reflective coming-of-age story, and richly atmospheric period drama
The Old Man and the Sea
David Lean's masterful Dickens adaptation with vivid character portraits, gothic atmosphere, and social themes
A Room with a View
romantic period drama centered on class aspiration, emotional disappointment, and a formative attachment
Movie Details
- Director
- David Lean
- Release Date
- 1946-12-26
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (389)
Cast
- John Mills
- Valerie Hobson
- Tony Wager
- Jean Simmons
- Bernard Miles
- Francis L. Sullivan
- Finlay Currie
- Martita Hunt
- Alec Guinness
- Ivor Barnard
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, FlixFling, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Great Expectations about?
- An orphan’s rise from a blacksmith’s forge to London gentility becomes a haunting lesson in love, class, guilt, and self-knowledge.
- What is Great Expectations like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Great Expectations as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Great Expectations violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Great Expectations as mild.
- What did critics think of Great Expectations?
- Critics broadly regard David Lean's film as a superb, faithful, visually vivid, and emotionally intelligent adaptation of Dickens, though some find it less psychologically dark than the novel.
- Which films are like Great Expectations?
- Films with a similar feel include Oliver Twist, The Old Man and the Sea, and A Room with a View.
- How long is Great Expectations?
- Great Expectations runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch Great Expectations?
- In United States, Great Expectations streams on fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, FlixFling, HBO Max.
