Great Expectations (1998)

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Movie
German title Great expectations
Original title Great Expectations
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1998
length 107 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Alfonso Cuarón
script Mitch Glazer
production Kind Linson
music Patrick Doyle ,
Ron Wasserman
camera Emmanuel Lubezki
cut Steven Weisberg
occupation

Great Expectations (Great Expectations) is a 1998 film produced drama from the United States with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow . The film is based on the novel of the same name by Charles Dickens , the plot of which has been greatly modernized for this film version.

action

The orphan Finnegan Bell lives with his sister Maggie and boyfriend Joe in a small fishing village in Florida. Finn likes to paint fish in shallow water and one day he is suddenly surprised by a man dressed in orange lying in the water. The man turns out to be an escaped convict with iron shackles on his feet. He threatens Finn and forces him to bring him a bolt cutter and something to eat the next morning. Finn brings him the things out of fear, whereupon the escape forces him in turn to take him to Mexico in his boat. On the way to the open sea, however, the boat is discovered by a police boat and pulled back on land. Before that, however, the escaped convict was able to jump into the water unnoticed and hide by a buoy. Finn throws him another life jacket. The following morning, Finn sees on the news that a murderer who escaped from prison was found in the sea. The man, a certain Arthur Lustig, is the same one Finn helped.

One day when Joe is supposed to put in order the garden of the rich Mrs. Nora Dinsmoor, the "Paradiso Perduto" ("Paradise Lost"), he takes Finn with him. Mrs. Dinsmoor, who lost her mind when her fiancé dumped her in front of the altar, doesn't let Joe work, but pushes him an envelope with money under the door. Meanwhile, Finn wanders through the overgrown garden and discovers Estella, Mrs. Dinsmoor's niece. Old Dinsmoor watches the children and hires Finn to keep them entertained - but in truth as a playmate for her niece. Finn's sister urges him to do it because she cannot and does not want to do without the money. Shortly thereafter, however, she leaves Finn and Joe, who then raises Finn alone.

Estella is already very snooty and arrogant as a child. Mrs. Dinsmoor teaches the children to dance. At the end of the first visit, Estella kisses Finn as they drink from a fountain together, something that will repeat itself in New York a few years later. Finn now comes to the “Paradiso Perduto” regularly every week. The years go by. One evening, the two are no longer children, Finn is supposed to accompany Estella to a dance event. However, when he arrives he will not be let in because he is not on the guest list. However, Estella shows up at his car and asks Finn if he can take her away. You drive to him in the poor fisherman's house.

That evening Finn kisses Estella again and caresses her thighs and her private parts. Finn wants to see Estella again the next day, but she replies in French that she is going to Paris. Finn doesn't understand French and learns from old Dinsmoor that Estella is gone forever.

Finn gives up painting and works with Joe as a fisherman. After a few years he receives an unexpected visit from the lawyer Jerry Ragno. On behalf of an anonymous art friend, he invited Finnegan to his first exhibition in New York. Although he hasn't painted for years, he still doesn't want to miss the chance. In New York he began to paint again and soon met Estella again, who was meanwhile about to marry the wealthy architect Walter Plane. Finn and Estella get closer again, but she leaves him again and breaks Finn's heart.

On the evening of his successful vernissage, Finn lets an old man into his loft so that he can call the police because he is being threatened by some dark figures on the street. It turns out that this man is Arthur Lustig, whom Finn helped on the run many years ago. He was the one who, out of gratitude, made the exhibition possible for Finn, paid the rent for his loft and also bought all the pictures in the exhibition. Finn accompanies Lustig to the subway; there Lustig is stabbed to death by one of his former accomplices and dies in Finn's arms.

Years later, after having been to Paris and painting there, Finn returns to his home village and visits the “Paradiso Perduto” one last time, which is now almost completely destroyed. Mrs. Dinsmoor died lonely. In the garden he suddenly sees a little girl who looks like Estella many years ago. He goes after her and sees Estella standing by the bay. The girl is Estella's daughter, she herself is divorced. The film ends with Finn and Estella holding hands looking over the sea.

Reviews

Barbara Shulgasser praised the actors, script and direction in the San Francisco Examiner .

James Berardinelli praised Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Bancroft and Robert De Niro on ReelViews . The film is "not a triumph", but better than "just a good attempt".

The Lexicon of International Films found: “The modernized adaptation of a novel by Charles Dickens that fails as a literary film because it cannot choose between interpretation and updating. As a fairytale romance, however, excellently photographed scenes and the cinematic evocative evocation of sensuality are remembered. "

Awards

  • Nominated for the ALMA Award for Alfonso Cuarón in 1999.
  • The German Film and Media Evaluation FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the title valuable.

backgrounds

The film was shot in New York City , Yonkers , Long Island and Florida . It grossed approximately $ 26.3 million in US cinemas ; in the other countries around 29 million US dollars were earned.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.metacritic.com
  2. ↑ Film review by James Berardinelli
  3. ↑ Great expectations. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  4. ^ Box Office Mojo