Welcome to the Fall Movie Season

For Hollywood, the summer months are full of explosions, superheroes, action, and countless sequels, but during the fall season the book-to-film adaptations come out to play. Joining a much anticipated list which includes The Great Gatsby, Life of Pi, Anna Karenina, Cloud Atlas, The Hobbit, and Les Miserables, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations stands somewhere at the end of the line, held high by a star born to play the cold and repressive Miss Havisham — Helena Bonham Carter.

Over the recent months the film has stayed quiet as it exited production and entered post-production. Director Mike Newell’s take on the classic novel will premier at TIFF this September. Weeks before the release date, Newell and the crew dropped the first international trailer giving audiences some insight into the dark world of betrayal and cold-hearted women.

The Story

To those of you required to read this 400+ page novel back in middle school, I’m right there with you; the book left a bad taste in my mouth, but then again I was age 12 and probably missed Dickens’ heavily buried themes and symbolic motifs. I will say this, the characters stuck with me over time due to their meticulous and detailed development from beginning to end.

For those who have yet to read the story I’ll spare you the long winded synopsis. Our main character, the less than fortunate orphan Pip (Jeremy Irvine), comes in contact with some wealthy people who have the power to change his life forever — an old, filthy rich woman by the name of Miss Havisham (Helena Bonham Carter), Magwitch (Ralph Fiennes), a convict who’s becomes Pip’s confidant, and a cold-hearted young lady, also the niece of Miss Havisham, Estella (Holliday Grainger). Estella captures Pip’s heart from the beginning, but is unable to return the love.

What to Look Out For?

1.) Helena Bonham Carter

This woman embodies every character she’s ever played. She’s known best for her work in Tim Burton’s films as Red Queen (Alice in Wonderland), Ari (Planet of the Apes), and Mrs. Lovett (Sweeny Todd). But her experience in roles such as Bellatrix (Harry Potter franchise), Queen Elizabeth (The King’s Speech), and Maria Singer (Fight Club) will come in handy as Havisham really is a combination of just about every character she’s ever played. What a great character to portray at such a pivotal point in Carter’s career.

2.) Jeremy Irvine

Jeremy Irvine… this young man made a splash with his Hollywood debut in the Steven Spielberg directed film War Horse. His filmography only consist of five films, and three of those films have yet to hit theaters. Speilberg took a chance on the young actor, and boy did it pay off; he offered a tear-jerking and critically praised performance as Albert Narracott, the boy who loses his horse to the war, only to be reunited with him once again. Guess who was offered the role of Pip and turned it down? Alex Pettyfer.

3.) 400+ Pages in Under 3 hours

This book is long; it’s like runny oatmeal, no matter how many bites you take, you never seem to make any progress. The screenplay will have to cut out a lot, but exactly what cuts does Newell have in mind? As director of Prince of Persia and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (one of my favorite Potter films), Newell understands the importance of cutting your darlings and being efficient. Can’t wait to see what he has in store.

Directed by Mike Newell, Great Expectation stars Helena Bonham Carter, Jeremy Irvine, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Holliday Grainger, and Robbie Coltrane. This film hits theaters in Ireland November 30th; a US release date has yet to be announced.

‘Great Expectations’ Movie Trailer