INTRODUCTION

        This paper compares Great Expectations (1860-61), one of the best works of Charles Dickens, with its film version. I became interested in Great Expectations after taking my literature class. In fact Dickens wrote this novel to save his weekly magazine All the Year Round, and his desire came true. It has shown its popularity through continuing remakes into movies and television series beyond the time. When we just look back at the short history of this work, we can see that it has been filmed several times. So far this novel has been made into six movies, two TV movies, and five TV series related to the original work.
        Among all of these, the Dickens name remains, but the people, places and period have all been changed in Great Expectations. They are based on Dickens' classic literature, but just some of them are staying true to the time of the original story. There is another tradition that runs in the opposite direction moving a tale from the past to the present. Three versions of Great Expectations, made between 1934 and 1974, take Charles Dickens' novel on its own terms, but most of the new editions are trying to update the original as much as they can. In this essay, I would like to focus on the latest remake made by Alfonso Cuaron in 1998.
 

THE ORIGINAL NOVEL

        I think that Dickens' novel should be the base in this comparison, so first of all, I am going to summarize Dickens' novel for understanding the whole story. This novel is composed of three stages, and each stage shows the change of Pip who is the protagonist, or hero. An understanding of Pip is essential to an understanding of Great Expectations. He is both the central character and narrater of Great Expectations.

I. Stage 1

        In the first stage, as the novel begins, Pip is wandering among his parents tombstones in the churchyard. Here, by chance Pip meets an escaped convict. Pip brings the man some food and a file to free himself of the iron chain of bondage. Pip returns home to his sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery, and his brother-in-law and best friend, Joe Gargery. Pip does not tell either of them about the convict. The next day, soldiers arrive at the Gargery forge, and Pip and Joe assist them in their search for two convicts: the convict Pip helped, and another man.
        A few weeks later, Pip goes to Miss Havisham's house. (It is called Satis House for Enough or Manor House.) He discovers that she is an old, rich, and strange lady that seeks revenge on mankind. She has an adopted daughter, Estella, with whom Pip falls in love. While there, Pip has a fight with a pale young gentleman. Also at Miss Havisham's house, Pip begins to feel ashamed of himself and seeks to be richer and to be a gentleman.
        After visiting Miss Havisham for several months, Pip is apprenticed to Joe, who runs the forge. One night Mr. Jaggers, a lawyer in London, visits Pip. He tells Pip of "great expectations" from a secret benefactor. Pip is very excited and looks forward to the journey of becoming a gentleman. He leaves believing that Miss Havisham is his benefactor, and that he is being groomed into a gentleman, so that someday he may marry Estella.

II. Stage 2

        Stage two begins directly after Pip leaves the forge upon learning of his great expectations. It documents his life in London, his progress towards becoming a "gentleman" and his discovery of the true identity of his benefactor. Many of the main characters in the novel are introduced in this stage. It is while in London that Pip meets Herbert, Wemmick, Compeyson, Mr. Pocket, Bently Drummle, Clara, and Molly. In addition, this stage reveals to us much more about Mr. Jaggers. Pip meets Herbert Pocket and discovers that his new roommate is the "pale young gentleman" that he beat up in the boxing match at Ms. Havisham's house. Herbert nicknames Pip "Handel" and they become good friends. Here, Pip learns from Herbert the history behind Ms. Havisham's actions. From a letter from Joe (through Biddy) Pip finds out that Mr. Wopsle has become an actor in a local theater and also that Estella has returned from Paris and would be glad to see him. As Joe leaves, something in him startles Pip and makes him see the value in his simplicity, just for a moment.  Pip, with much reluctance, decides that he must go back to his home town, when he finally arrives at the Blue Boar instead of Joe's house.
        He discovers, upon his arrival at Ms. Havisham's home, that Orlick is employed as a porter there, and he discovers that Estella no longer treats him contemptuously, but simply lures him on. Pip aspires to become Estella's knight in shining armour, who would restore Satis house to its former glory. In addition, Herbert attempts to convince Pip to separate himself from Estella, but Pip declares this to be impossible and Herbert reveals that he is secretly engaged to Clara. We find that Pip receives a letter from Estella telling him that he is to meet her at the station the next day. Estella arrives at the station, where she informs him that she is continuing on to Richmond. Pip and Herbert both spend quite large amounts of money for very little, and they both run up huge debts, and they never pay them. Pip learns that Mrs. Joe Gargery has died.
        Upon returning to the forge for Mrs. Joe's funeral, Pip seems touched by some of his old life and decides to sleep in his old room. Pip turns twenty-one and visits Mr. Jaggers, and he learns that he is to live on a sum of 500 pounds per year. He also, at this point, decides to sponsor Herbert in his search for a job and asks the opinion of Wemmick on the subject. Wemmick agrees to help him if he is able. Pip witnesses the falling out between Estella and Ms. Havisham in which Ms. Havisham cannot understand why Estella doesn't love her, although she never taught Estella anything but contempt. He also comments on his arguments with Drummle over Estella. The last chapter of this stage consists wholly of the revelation to Pip of his benefactor. He meets with a dirty old man, who is the convict that he met in the marshes as a child. This old man reveals to Pip that all the money he has been living off of was earned by this convict in Australia in the penal colony.

III. Stage 3

        As the third stage opens, Magwitch (Provis) is happy with Pip as a gentleman. He sees Pip as his revenge against all, self-centered, materialistic, and snobbish gentlemen in the world. Magwitch then tells Pip and Herbert of his life. He then tells of Compeyson (the other convict), a man who made Miss Havisham who she is. His business was swindling, handwriting forging, stolen bank-note passing, and the like. All sorts of traps as Compeyson could set with his head, and keep his own legs out of and get the profits from and let another man in for, was Compeyson's business. He also got Magwitch a life sentence and for this Magwitch hates Compeyson. Pip then goes to visit Miss Havisham where he sees that Estella will be married to Drummle. Pip then comes home to London and finds out that Compeyson is watching Magwitch. Magwitch then goes to live with Herbert's future wife, Clara. Pip also learns that Molly is Estella's mother and learns of Molly's past, which he links to Magwitch's past. Pip then concludes that Magwitch is Estella's father.
        The time has now come where Magwitch escapes out of England by boat. Pip then receives a note concerning himself and Magwitch. He must go to the old marshes at nine alone. Upon arriving to the shack, a little sluice-house by the limekiln he was told to go to, Pip is grabbed by Orlick who says he will kill Pip. Orlick admits to attacking Mrs. Joe and to being affiliated with Compeyson. Herbert and Startop find the note which Pip dropped to the ground and they come to his rescue. The next day Pip, Herbert, and Startop row Magwitch down the river. Compeyson and some crew of the galley follow the four, however. Magwitch then grabs Compeyson and drowns him. Magwitch is hurt badly and is arrested by the crew. Herbert then goes to work at Clarriker's and leaves Pip to be with Magwitch. Pip takes very good care of Magwitch, who dies before he can be hung.
        After Magwitch's death, Pip becomes extremely ill. Joe then comes and nurses Pip back to health. Pip now remembers his days at the forge. Pip hears that Miss Havisham is also dead. Pip gets well and goes home and is forgiven by Joe and Biddy. Pip also proposes to Biddy, but finds out that Joe and Biddy are being married on that very day. Pip then rejoins Herbert, and after many years, goes back to Miss Havisham's house. He sees Estella, who is now a widow. The story concludes as the two take a long walk together and find out how much each has changed.
 

THE 1998 MOVIE VERSION

        Secondly, I am going to analyze how much Alfonso Cuaron and Mitch Glazer, the director and screenwriter, updated Great Expectations for their own purpose. Actually, except the title, it is very hard to find out any similar things between them. First, they updated to the present and moved to the United States to appeal to the young American viewers. In addition, the movie also removes huge portions of the plot, major characters, the period, surroundings and other messy stuff. Second, they have changed Dickens' tale of a blacksmith's apprentice given the chance to become a gentleman in early 19th century Britain to the story of a young artist given the chance to become a success in 1990s New York.
        As in the novel, the hero has a secret benefactor whose patronage allows him to work toward his dream of becoming successful and eventually winning Estella, the haughty beauty. Third, the English marsh country where the hero grows up has become Florida's Gulf Coast. Fourth, writer Mitch Glazer changed the names of many of the major characters: Pip has been changed from the Anglo sounding "Pip" to the more American "Finn"; and the escaped convict Magwitch aided by the young Pip has become a death-row convict, Lustig, with a knowhow for jail-breaking; and Ms. Havisham has become Ms. Dinsmoor. However, Estella is still Estella, and Joe is still Joe. Fifth, the relationship between Estella and Ms. Dinsmoor is changed from mother and daughter to aunt and niece, but Ms. Dinsmoor also lives in a mansion still prepared for her wedding day. Like Ms. Havisham who never leaves her Satis house, Ms. Dinsmoor used to stay in the house, but she goes to New York. Sixth, Finn becomes quite a successful painter, unlike the continuously indebted Pip. This means even though Finn couldn't get married to Estella either, his dream came true in reality.
 

CONCLUSION

        In conclusion, if Charles Dickens were alive today, I wonder if he could recognize this new movie Great Expectations as a remake of his novel. I think most recent movies based on classic literature are trying to update to be suitable for the current circumstances, viewpoints, and audiences, for example, Clueless based on Emma by Jane Austen, and Romeo & Juliet. The directors and screenwriters seem to think it is strange to film novels in their own way, because they might think classic novels less to do with the up-to-date customs, places and people. However, despite their best efforts to make them as well as they can, there is no deep relation that can make their works one with the novels except their titles. In Great Expectations' case, it has been filmed five times before, including the famous 1946 version by David Lean. That version, however, followed the book more carefully and faithfully and was even set in 19th century England. On the contrary, this new version looks to try to change everything possible. Nobody can find Dickens' novel itself in this movie, and even those who read the book will ask where is the Great Expectations of Dickens. I think that for filmmakers it is less important to be faithful to a novel's particulars than to its spirit. Although they are different in many areas, they are expressing one theme in a different way.
        In my opinion, Great Expectations is a story about how pride and attachment to success separates a young man from the people who love him most, and most of all from his pure and true self. Pip, who rejects the honest and simple man who raises him, Joe his uncle, and then even the much less lofty Magwitch, who was his original benefactor. Ultimately Pip lost his physical great expectations, but through that he could recover his true great expectations. Alfonso Cuaron also tries to show this spirit or theme to the current audience through his movie. Finn has become a great artist by Lustig's patronage, but he also has rejected everything that he belonged to before, including Joe. He misunderstood that Ms. Dinsmoor was his patron and Estella would be his wife. His situation is a little bit different from Pip's, but a common point is that he is able to live his life by himself at last, and to realize the true value of love, money, and life. Therefore, I think, in spite of this, there are a lot of differences among Dickens' novel and film versions, so we'd better concentrate on the spirit they ultimately want to show than on any other things. I believe that this is one of the original Great Expectations' great expectations over generations.
 

REFERENCES

Dickens, Charles. (1860-1861). Great Expectations. Penguin Press.

IMDb title search. (1998). Great Expectations. Retrieved November 17, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://us.imdb.com/Tfuzzy?Great+Expectations.

Caruso, Philip. (1998). Great Expectations. 20th Century Fox.