Great Expectations on AllMovie

Produced for British television, this multipart adaptation of Dickens' Great Expectations stars Anthony Hopkins as the mysterious convict Magwich, who secretly finances the education and entree into society of young Pip. With 6 hours at its disposal, this version is able to cover the length and breadth of the Dickens original, without resorting to the heavy cutting and telescoping inherent in previous film versions. The most piquant bit of casting in the 1989 Great Expectations is that of Jean Simmons. In the 1946 film version, Ms. Simmons played the fickle Estrella as a child. Here, she essays the meatier role of the reclusive, half-balmy Miss Havisham, she of the rotting wedding cake.