Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18097 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-01-09
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Format: NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 111 minutes

From Amazon.com
The key ingredient in this modern-day version of Charles Dickens's classic is director Alfonso Cuarón, who made the glowing, estimable A Little Princess. If you saw that (and you should), understand that Expectations has those ingredients (great sense of time, place, and timing) but adds modern music and sex appeal; the latter personified by the long-legged Gwyneth Paltrow.

Finnegan Bell (Ethan Hawke as an adult, Jeremy James Kissner at age 10) is the new version of Dickens's Pip. He's a child wise beyond his years, befriending an escaped convict (Robert De Niro) in the warm waters of Florida's Gulf Coast. Finn is also the plaything for Estella (Paltrow as an adult, Raquel Beaudene at age 10), the niece of the coast's richest and most eccentric lady, Ms. Dinsmoor (a fun and flamboyant Anne Bancroft). The prudish Estella likes Finn (catch the best first kiss scene in many a moon) but has been brought up to disdain men; she'll break hearts. As the object of Finn's desires, Estella unfortunately is a one-dimensional character, yet what a dimension! Clad in Donna Karan dresses and her long, sun-kissed hair, Paltrow is luminous. She and Hawke make a very sexy couple.

Mitch Glazer's script does better by Finn. He's a blue-collar worker with a gift for drawing (artwork by Francesco Clemente). Following his Uncle Joe's (Chris Cooper) honest ways, Finn grows up as a fisherman, thoughts of Estella and art drifting away in the hard work. When a mysterious benefactor allows him to follow his dream, Finn finds himself in New York, preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime art exhibit--and in the arms of the engaged Estella.

Filled with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki's golden-drenched light, the film has an irresistible, wildly romantic look. Dinsmoor's place is certainly gothic, Estella and Finn's longing encounters glamorous. Cuarón uses an MTV-friendly soundtrack with a confident touch. Songs by Tori Amos and the band Pulp--along with Patrick Doyle's silky score--create passionate scenes. It all ends far too swiftly with a seemingly tacked-on ending (reflecting the book, as it happens) but the film is splendid storytelling. It's a stylish, sweet valentine. --Doug Thomas

On the DVD
Widescreen format [aspect ratio 2.35:1]
Interactive menus
Scene selection
Original theatrical trailer
Languages: English 5.1 Surround
English Dolby Surround
French Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Synopsis
Alfonso Cuaron (The Little Princess) directed this Mitch Glazer screenplay, a modernization of the 1860-61 classic by Charles Dickens. Some situations in the film are presented as memories -- the way the central figure, Finnegan Bell (Ethan Hawke) recalls events many years later. At a Florida fishing village, eight-year-old orphan Finn Bell (Jeremy James Kissner), talented at art, is left in the care of his sister and her husband, Joe (Chris Cooper). One day, Finn helps a chained, escaped convict who appears in the surf. On other days, he visits Paradiso Perduto, where he plays with young Estella (Raquel Beaudene), niece of the mansion's colorful, flamboyant, and extremely wealthy owner, Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft), who parallels the novel's tragic Miss Havisham, a woman jilted at the altar and left emotionally scarred and mentally imbalanced. As Ms. Dinsmoor watches Finn draw a portrait of Estella, she plots to mold Estella into a hard woman capable of destroying men. In a flash forward to the '90s, Finn (Hawke) and Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow), now in their late teens, re-create the water-fountain kiss of their childhood, but Estella vanishes, breaking Finn's heart to such a degree that he doesn't draw or paint for seven years, choosing to eke out a marginal existence with his uncle Joe (after Finn's sister abandons the two). Then Manhattan art representative Jerry Ragno (Josh Mostel) turns up with a startling offer -- if Finn will return to painting and relocate in New York, Ragno will give him a one-man show. With an apparent assist from Ms. Dinsmoor, Finn makes the move and begins his new life with great expectations and a deadline of 10 weeks to complete the necessary paintings. When Finn next encounters Estella, she has a wealthy boyfriend, Walter (Hank Azaria). As Finn once again becomes entranced by Estella, he also begins to question exactly how his life is being manipulated. Francesco Clemente did the paintings and drawings seen in the film. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Customer Reviews

AMERICAN EXPECTATIONS
I went into this not expecting a lot. But from the very first few frames I was drawn into the story. Yes, I have read the Dickens novel in High School. Contrary to some, I kinda liked the book. But you could totally ignore the Dickens angle and enjoy this film. That being said, I was highly amused that the director chose Florida as Pip/Finn's boyhood home. The setting and the further choice of the Florida fishing culture brought a depth to the story I did not catch in the novel. New York City as the "big city" may have been a cliché; but then New York City is the center of the art world as far as America is concerned.

Mr. Hawke may have the misfortune of being paired with great actors in almost every scene in this film. Because of this, I believe the talent and ability he brings to the film may be overlooked. For the most part, Hawke is on screen with either Anne Bancroft, Robert De Niro, Hank Azaria, or Gwyneth Paltrow. Although the story is supposed to be about Pip/Finn, our focus flows away from Hawke to any one of these actors.

Gwyneth Paltrow is a pretty woman but she is not fantastically beautiful as others would have her. I think this actually works to her advantage in that her beauty does not overshadow her personal charm. This allows her magic to actually work on the audience. Much is made of the nude scenes in this film; but the truth is that very little is actually shown. It is more suggested than revealed. But their effect is very electric. More effective are the surprised kisses of Hawke and Paltrow over drinking fountains. Simply the "best" kisses I have seen on film in a long time,

Most of us lose patience with great works of art dressed up in modern garb. For the most part, Shakespeare in space suit costumes is not nearly as interesting as many in the "creative community" seem to believe. But this version of Great Expectations really works in unexpected ways. Not a great film-but an absorbing one nonetheless.

Love Story
This adaptation of Charles Dickens` novel is an interesting watch, but the final result isn`t too engaging or surprising. Another variation on the old poor boy (Ethan Hawke, in another of his dreamer, innocent, young artist roles) that falls for the rich girl (Gwyneth Patrow, with a too wooden and bland performance). Director Alfonso Cuarón presents some stylish and gourgeous sceneries, locations, people and music, yet the plot is still by-the-numbers, failing to convince despite some pretty and well-crafted moments. Not a bad movie, but not a memmorable one either.
Passable entertainment.

Great Expectations Revisited
Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow star as Finn/Pip and Estella in this modern day version of the Dickens' classic. Director Alfonso Cuarón and 20th Century Fox do a wonderful job in this updated color version. Cuarón's modern day adaptation to "be careful for what you wish for" begins in a lower economic 70's Florida Gulf Coast fishing town. Here we meet a young Finn, a child artist who meets an eccentric elderly woman and her niece. Anne Bancroft does an excellent job playing the eccentric, jilted, Miss Dinsmoore/Miss Havisham. Because she has been left at the altar, Miss Dinsmoore poisons the mind of her niece Estella such that her niece will never feel the pain of a broken heart. Moreover, Miss Dinsmoore encourages Estella to go out into the world and toy with men's affections, rejecting them before they have a chance to hurt her. Thus, the stage is set for Finn to fall in love with the enchanting Estella and to be rejected by her.
Oddly enough, a strange and mysterious benefactor allows for an older Finn to go off to New York to pursue his dream of becoming a rich and famous artist. Finn believes that with enough money and fame he will be able to win Estella's love. Alas, Finn falls victim to all of the trappings of life in the big city and loses sight of who he was and the humble fishing town where he came from.
While the film is modernized from the original version including a soundtrack that is used artistically to reflect the moods and characters within the movie, the movie stays true to Dickens' original story ending, as it ends with Finn and Estella holding hands while gazing out upon the ocean.
The movie has a great deal of emotional depth. Many directors rely on a great deal of explicit imagery (fluff - sex and explosions) to bring the film to a wider audience. Great Expectations delivers a great story without including fluff. The two scenes that gave this movie its "R" rating were very short and necessary to complete the plot and necessary in order to modernize the original Victorian tale.