Great Expectations (UK)

7 / 10
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Let desire be your destiny
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 107 mins
Retail Price: £15.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow are dazzling in this wildly romantic tale of desire and passion based on the timeless novel by Charles Dickens. The moment young Finn sets eyes on Estella, she becomes his inspiration... and his obsession. Despite being warned, "she`ll only break your heart," he vows to win her love. Years later, thanks to a mysterious benefactor, aspiring artist Finn is off to New York, where he is reunited with the icy and beautiful Estella. When she agrees to model for him, Finn`s dearest hopes may at last be realised-along with his darkest fears! Co-starring Anne Bancroft and Robert De Niro, Great Expectations paints a lush portrait of two people from different worlds who are linked by destiny, and fated to touch each other`s souls.

Special Features:
Theatrical Trailer

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English

Subtitle Tracks:
Hebrew
Polish
Czech
Swedish
Finnish
CC: English
Portuguese
Hungarian
Danish
Norwegian

Directed By:
Alfonso Cuarón

Written By:
Mitch Glazer
Charles Dickens

Starring:
Anne Bancroft
Chris Cooper
Hank Azaria
Gwyneth Paltrow
Ethan Hawke

Casting By:
Jill Greenberg

Soundtrack By:
Scott Weiland
Brian Vander Ark
Duncan Sheik
Iggy Pop
Charlie Midnight
Patrick Doyle
Chris Cornell
Lauren Christy
Tori Amos

Director of Photography:
Emmanuel Lubezki

Editor:
Steven Weisberg

Costume Designer:
Judianna Makovsky

Production Designer:
Tony Burrough

Producer:
John Linson
Art Linson

Executive Producer:
Deborah Lee

Distributor:
Twentieth Century Fox

Your Opinions and Comments

7 / 10

A bitter-sweet love story by Dickens that gets a modern adaptation. It`s mostly boring and covers familiar ground, but Bancroft gives a superb performance as the bitter Ms. Dinsmoor.
The video transfer is good. There are no compression signs and colors saturation is excellent, especially during the scenes in the gallery.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is ok. There`s an occasion usage of the surrounds, but being a dialog driven movie, nothing too exciting.
The menus are still and silent.
The disk offers no extras whatsoever.
Bottom line - a rather dull adaptation of what`s considered a classic masterpiece with a great performance by Bancroft, but, alas, a bare disk.

posted by Zvi Josef on 15/4/2002 04:28