figginsjake I decided to watch this just off the cusp tonigt, and I can honestly say it was not what I was expecting! There were a huge amount of twists and turns, which made me not want to take my eyes off the screen. I recommend anyone to watch this classic film, which in my opinion is what a film should be, the thrills, the tension, the drama, the writing, the acting by the entire cast, and not to mention David Lean's superb direction! 10/10

Charles Herold (cherold) The first 40 minutes of Great Expectations is as good as anything in filmmaking. Wonderfully atmospheric, with gorgeous black and white cinematography, the movie is pitch perfect in every way.The rest of the movie is quite good, with many fine performances and scenes and an engaging story, but there are a few things that weaken it.While some of this may be that the early, rural scenes offer more opportunity for lush visuals and a sense of wild adventure, I think the greater problem is the two adult leads.The children are great. Wagner's unfailingly polite Pip has just the right feel of confusion mixed with good manners as his fate is controlled by others. Jean Simmons is amazing with her haughty disdain and mercurial disposition.Then the kids grow up into John Mills and Valerie Hobson, and things decline. The problem with both roles is you get now sense of their past. Mills has a change of fortune as an adult, but up until then he's a simple village boy, yet he speaks well at every time, lacking any sense of country habits or manners. And in spite of her remarkable upbringing, Hobson comes across as just pleasant, with none of the anger or secretiveness or resentment you would expect to peek just out of the shadows.I'm not saying the characters had to be played in exactly the way I'm describing, with more roughness to Pip and more animalism to Estelle, but *something* needed to be done in both roles to bring the characters alive. Mills and Hobson are simply uninteresting in a movie full of interesting people.That is not to say that all of the movie is not excellent. I was electrified when I saw it and promptly read the book, which is my favorite by Dickens. But with better casting this film could easily have been perfect, and I always feel a little let down at the moment Pip grows up.

treeline1 Young Pip has a hard life: His parents have died, he lives with his shrewish sister, and he's destined to be a lowly blacksmith. Fate smiles on him, however, when a mysterious old lady pays him to play at her estate. It's there he meets the love of his life, the beautiful, but heartless, Estella.This is a great Dickens story, full of emotional ups and downs, following Pip from childhood to adulthood. Tony Wager is endearing as the sweet younger Pip and John Mills is equally sympathetic as adult Pip. Teenaged Jean Simmons is remarkably lovely as the bred-to-be-cruel Estella.The 1946 David Lean movie has many twists and turns and a warm, satisfying ending. Outstanding in every way and a true classic.

jpark4 I read Dicken's novel long before seeing this film and found it to be the masterwork of a great master.  I had also seen numerous adaptations of Dicken's works, most of them quite satisfactory, even great, as might well be expected when working from such quality material.  I thus settled down to a viewing of David Lean's "Great Expectations" with rather high expectations-pun somewhat intended.  My expectations were not high enough, much to my joy, as I found myself experiencing a masterwork in it's own right.  To Dickens fans and Lean fans alike, those who have not seen this movie, I can only say that you owe it to yourself to see this film.  I echo the sentiments of many of the reviewers here;  this film is nearly perfect in every aspect, and reaches an almost transcendent level, taking it's place among other exemplars of high art forms.