Compare Dickens’ Great Expectations to Mike Newell’s 2013 cinematic version of the same story and develop and argument to prove which was better.
Keep in mind what is EMPHASIZED or ABSENT in each.
Essay responses need to be complete and comprehensive, demonstrating that you paid attention to the film and thought about what was shown on the screen. Be sure that the topic sentence of each paragraph uses key words from the one or more of the guiding questions below. All responses should follow all MLA formatting guidelines and include specific evidence from both sources.
**You should develop your claims and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s need for information about the book and the movie.
**Please be sure to put all group members' names on the essays.
Rene Richardson
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
ELA 9 Honors
3 April 2016
Great Expectations; Movie Versus Book
Great Expectations was a book by Charles Dickens, and a movie directed by Mike Newell, which both had vast similarities and differences. The book was published in 1861, compared to the recent released movie, in 2013. A lot of people have read the book and watched the movie and decided which was best in their opinion. Even though many may argue that the book was very lengthy and had difficult language to understand, the book’s setting, plot, and character portrayal proved that the book was better.
There are multiple versions of Great Expectation books, and evidently all of them have a lot of pages and an older-style language. Books with a lot of pages usually turn away readers who do not really like to read. The language dated back to the 1800’s, is also another turn away that the movie does not really have. It was very difficult to understand uncommon large words also. In the movie, they could use words that we, today, could understand better. The book generally could have been automatically unappealing by its length, but the book was still better than the movie.
The book definitely had a better setting and character portrayal than the movie. For example, in the book, the story is set in the victorian era, and same with the movie. Jagger’s office in the movie, to me, seemed too modern, while in the book it was described as older and fit the victorian age. The setting in the book, and it’s description gave you a good effect of how it should look and feel. The characters in the book were also portrayed better. In the book, Mrs. Havisham was looked at to be old, but in the movie she seemed younger. The characters and setting both help create a mood for the story, and the book once again did best.
One major reason the movie could not even compete with the book is the plot. The movie skipped a lot of scenes, which could be looked at as minor. The movie skipped the scene where Pip went to Wopsle’s play, and Wopsle saw Compeyson behind Pip. That scene was very important because it showed that Compeyson was out there and he was looking for someone. Another scene skipped was the scene where Pip’s sister is attacked and dies, that was a major change for Pip and it was never shown in the movie.
In short, many may say the book was too long and hard to understand, but it was proven best because of the setting, plot, and character portrayal of which the movie did not show so well. There was a lot of similarities, however, and the movie did great to film the whole book. Overall, the movie was great, but missed many great things the book had. The book may have been tiresome to read, but it is definitely better and it had a lot more details than what the movie provided.
I agree that skipping over the scene with Wopsle's play effected the plot. It really created suspense and somewhat foreshadowed the fate of Magwitch.
DeleteI agree with the overlying fact that skipping over several scenes in the movie had a big effect on the overall plot and thoughts going through readers minds through the movie
DeleteHolley Stavnitski
ReplyDeleteMrs Colando
English 9
2, April 2016
Book vs Movie
It is the ultimate question, is the book really better than the movie? Well, for Great Expectations, the novel by Charles Dickens is better than the film directed by Mike Newell because of the Characters, Plot, and Theme
The characters in the movie aren't very true to their original personalities in the move. In the movie Estella seems to care too much. In the book she was very cold hearted, she didn't care if she hurt Pip or other people around her. But I'm the movie she seemed guilty for not loving Pip back and at the end of the movie she seemed to really want to be close to Pip. In the book she is happy to be apart from Pip saying, “And we will continue to be friends apart,” (Dickens 446).
Although the book and the movie both have the same story lines, they seem to differ a lot. The book is very slow with unneeded descriptions and sometimes boring parts. But they movie is too fast, rushing by important parts and completely leaving out other things. The movie had no mention of Orlick, or Mrs Joe's death. Both were very important parts which shaped Pip's life in different ways. Pip never went to Miss Havisham's house for his birthday, and her death was quicker in the movie than the book.
Furthermore, the theme in the movie was harder to spell out than the book. The theme in the book is consciousness and kindness are way more important than how much money you have. In the movie they didn't seem to really focus too much on those things. At some points it was hard to even see Pip's guilt about the things he had done in his life. They rushed through encounters he had with other characters, like Joe and when Magwitch died, but those encounters were supposed to teach pip about how important people are versus money and class.
In conclusion Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is better than the film directed by Mike Newell because of characters, plot, and theme.
After reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and watching the movie based on it, it is obvious that the book is much better and more far interesting. After reading the book, it is easy to tell how it is the superior version of pip’s story. There are many reasons supporting the novel as opposed to the film as well. The novel Great Expectations is better than the movie because it goes into details about the characters and setting, has a prolonged and more interesting plot, and it helps to show emotion and inner conflict of specific characters.
ReplyDeleteThe first reason why Great Expectations was better in book format as opposed to movie format is that it goes into more details explaining characters and the setting of the book. For example, all of the characters within the book, such as Drummle and Magwitch had a very detailed description which pointed out such small things that the movie could not show. This is normally shown in the book when Pip would first come into contact with the character. The book described every feature of the character, whereas the scene in the movie quickly glossed over many of his physical and mental features. The book was also more detailed in describing the setting of the book. As pip travels from his hometown to london in the novel the entire theme of the book changes into a chaotic bustle in which pip finds himself entangled. In the movie, they show this same chaos as pip enters the city, but seems to die down soon after. Another example of this within the book was when the great storm was happening in london, where Pip learned of his benefactor. The book went into great detail describing how terrible the storm was and how it was blowing rain and hail all across the city. The scene in which the storm was portrayed in the movie just showed pip walking home from a party in the rain. Of course, one could put up a counter-argument saying being too descriptive could ruin the fluency of the novel, but I feel as though this does not happen in Great Expectations, and that not having a good picture in one’s head pertaining to a specific scene in a story ruins the fluency of the novel just as well.This is one way of showing how the novel did a better job of describing the characters, and the setting.
After reading Great Expectations and watching the movie, I can easily say that the plot had some large changes from the book to the movie. For example, in the book, Mrs. Joe’s death gives Pip mixed emotions about his sister and how she “raised him by hand”, and this makes Pip wonder if his sister was really as bad as he originally thought. On the other hand, in the movie their is a 5 year time skip, within this time skip is Mrs. Joe’s Death, which is hardly spoken of in the movie; also regarding to Mrs. Joe’s death, in the book, Mrs. Joe dies after being assaulted and sustaining significant injuries to her head, however in the movie, Mrs. Joe dies of heart problems. Another large piece of the plot that was looked past in the movie was Orlick. In the book, Orlick played a large part, from being hired to watch Miss. Havisham’s gate, to kidnapping Pip and attempting to kill him. However, Orlick is non-existent in the movie, Pip’s Kidnapping never takes place, and Drummle is watching Miss Havisham’s gate. Throughout Pip’s time in London, he and Herbert continuously built up debt, which they than had to attempt to pay off. However, yet again the movie left out a large piece of plot, and didn’t mention Pip and Herbert’s debts. The movie also left out all the times Pip and Herbert rowed along the water, so that when they did so with the convict Magwitch to help him escape from London, it would be less conspicuous. While the movie moved far faster than the book, I still feel that the story was less fluent in the movie due to these large plot holes. For this reason, I feel that if someone wants to hear the full plot of Great Expectations, that they should stick to reading to book.
ReplyDeleteThe third and final reason why Great Expectations is better as a book than it is as a movie is because of the way in which emotions and inner conflict are shown. The book, since it is written in the first person, allows its readers to know about the way that a character feels about a certain situation, or a moral dilemma that the character is going through. In the movie however, the viewer can only know such things from spoken lines and speculation. One example of this would be Pip’s inner conflict when he learns that Magwitch is his benefactor. In the book, Pip found himself uncomfortable with the situation, and he had a large inner conflict as to what to do next. In the movie however, Pip shows very little of this, because the book did not have an inner monologue. Another example of this would be at the beginning of the story, when the soldiers came into Pip’s house to get handcuffs fixed. The book describes Pip’s terror and unease towards the guards, and it helped to show Pip’s guilt with giving food to the convict. The movie however barely even shows Pip’s face in this scene, and does not depict his terror and unease well, if at all. Emotions and inner conflict are important to a wide variety of stories, especially a story such as Great Expectations and it is useless of it is not shown.
While the movie moves much faster than the book, and is easier to follow for some audiences, I still believe that if you want to really get a grasp of the theme of Great Expectations, than you should definitely read the book over seeing the movie. For most audiences the great detail in the book greatly helps in the understanding of Great Expectations, Also, by going into great detail about most events taking place in the book, the reader is capable of further understanding the plot and theme far more than a person who only saw the movie for Great Expectations so if you’re looking to get as much out of Great Expectations than definitely turn to the book.
By: Jake Levin
Dominic Rainone
Ethan Izzo
I agree that the movie lacked the emotional connection that the book had. Dickens described in detail Pip's every emotion and even though in the movie you can see facial expressions, the emotions were not as heart felt.
DeleteI also agree that the movie did not show the many emotional connections that were written about in the book
DeleteZari Apodaca, Leah Ragosta, Sarah Sylvia
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9H, Per 4
3 April 2016
Great Expectations Final Essay (part1)
Most commonly, when a book is made into a movie, the general population and our society gravitates towards watching the movie. However, when pondered upon, is the movie a great depiction of what the author originally tried to convey? The answer is needless to say, not all the time. In the novel, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the author uses physical appearance, relationships, and emotions to develop a universal theme that make the story more enjoyable and meaningful than the movie.
During the novel Great Expectations, Dickens skillfully establishes unique appearances and personalities for each of the characters that become a key component in the plot of the story, as well as the theme. This characterization also impacts the dynamic of the relationships between characters, and ultimately the significance of the characters to a common or reoccurring theme. Phillip Pirrip, or just “Pip” is the main character and narrator of Great Expectations who also happens to fall hopelessly in love with a beautiful girl named Estella who is tragically beyond him in social status and essence. The movie Great Expectations chooses to cast Pip as a tiny, blonde boy, much as one might imagine him after learning of his kindness yet apprehensiveness throughout the exposition of the film. However, after several minutes pass in the movie, Pip ages, now roughly 18-years old, looking very different than he did as a child. Pip is now much more “classically handsome” in today’s terms. Because many people during this time judged others based on rather insignificant factors such as looks and wealth, Pip’s appearance interrupts what Dickens intended the dynamic of Estella and Pip’s relationship to be. In the relationship between Estella and Pip, Estella is intended to be, as previously mentioned, very much beyond Pip, but Pip’s appearance did not portray this dynamic. Additionally, Pip’s relationships with other characters are also altered in the movie. A major theme highlighted in the novel is Pip’s remorse towards leaving Joe, but the film tends to focus more on his feelings towards Estella and less on how everything he could have wanted or expected from his life he left behind. The movie often allows the viewers to forget that the term “Great Expectations” stands for more than what Pip wanted his life to be like with Estella. The way Pip seems to unregretfully hurt his friends and family in the movie makes it difficult for viewers to show compassion for him. Pip’s love interest in the story, Estella, also does not stay true to what Dickens intended in the novel. Although Estella is quite cold and bitter as a child, as an adult, she does not consistently maintain this personality. She shows a romantic interest in Pip, even after stating she “has no heart.” This romantic interest becomes especially prominent during the conversation outside the ballroom, and when Pip kisses her goodbye, causing her to cry. The way she shows her emotional vulnerability and love for others does not allow her to appear heartless as Dickens originally intended her to be. Also, the person behind the creation of Estella’s personality, Miss Havisham, also has some flaws in her character, specifically in her physical appearance. Miss Havisham looks worn, yet still relatively young in her first scene, when Pip is just a small boy. However after twenty years or more, she still looks exactly the same. Even during the scene of her death, Miss Havisham appears at the most in her early forties, although many years have passed. These key aspects of the characters’ personalities and appearances play an impactful role in the meaning viewers will gather from Great Expectations.
(part2)
ReplyDeleteThe multiple aspects of characterization including physical appearance, emotions, and relationships, described in the previous paragraph develop two very different themes for the movie and the book. The theme created in the movie was very scattered and focused more along the lines of “love and how it can be complicated and unpredictable”. While in the book the theme was developed and present throughout the whole novel and it focused on “life and expectations as a whole being unpredictable and complicated”. In the book Pip was described as common looking and Estella’s beauty was way beyond Pip. As Pip inherited his fortune he believed Estella and him were made to be married by Miss Havisham. As the truth later unfolds, Pip realizes that his expectations were not what he fantasized and that Estella was still out of his reach. This portrayed the theme of “life being unpredictable and not what you wish” On the other hand, in the movie, Pip’s character was not common looking and didn’t portray the predicament of her being too beautiful for him. This made the theme to be that sometimes people are made to be but love is unpredictable and can bring them down separate paths. This theme was also builded upon when Estella showed emotions and feelings toward Pip. In the book Estella was described on various occasions as cold-hearted and cruel. Therefore she showed no love towards Pip and no sign that they were meant to be. In the book, Estella was not meant to love or have a real relationship with anyone. Differently, in the movie, Estella showed some affection and a glimpse of hope that maybe Pip and her were meant to be and she could find love in her heart. At one point in the movie she kisses Pip and makes a gesture that they should dance together. As the audience, the theme of the movie seemed more of a tragic love story which was not Dickens meaning. Another point that contributes to the theme was how there were no strong relationships between Pip other than him and Estella in the movie. In the book, Pip had strong relationships between Joe and Biddy for example. This is why when he discovers his benefactor he becomes very regretful of his decisions because he left a life with Joe and Biddy for his expectations that never came true. The strong bonds between these characters made Pip reflect upon his whole life and feel guilt for other characters not just Estella. This contributed to the theme of “Life as a whole being unexpected and not going your way”. To contrast, In the movie, these strong bonds between other characters were missing, so all of Pip’s emotions were directed towards Estella and how Miss Havisham did not intend for them to be married so Estella ended up with Bentley Drummle when she should have been with Pip. The characterization of characters differed from the movie to the book which in turn created different themes where the movie’s theme was less effective and meaningful than the book’s.
(part3)
ReplyDeleteCharacters and themes are what shape the story whether it be a film or a novel. Some say you can easily see the characters in a movie which makes it easier to understand or the greater big picture is easily pinpointed than discovering a theme throughout a novel. In Great Expectations, the characters are what inevitably make the classic story of coming to life and becoming of age. Dickens takes it to extreme lengths to make sure the reader is completely comprehending the ever so important progress of each character and their intertwined relationships. In the movie, the main character Pip goes through a sudden maturation from 5 to about 18 within minutes. Some may think this quick Segway into adulthood is better because Dickens prolongs his childhood throughout 10 chapters (as if it was real life time passing by). Yet, the movie skips over the important information of Pip developing that also play along with other characters developing as well in the book. Given that, Estella one of the opposing factors in Pip’s life, is shown at first in the movie as the cold hearted child raised in the disheveled walls of the heartbroken Miss Havisham. Then, as she is now grown, there is a kindling love affair between her and Pip. Watching the movie, some enjoy the theme of love being the central theme and the story being a romance between Estella and Pip. It becomes more hopeful than the somber tone of the book. However, that doesn't quite follow Dickens original intent of having the theme for the story be that your expectations of life are not always what they are expected to be and also having Estella maintain her frozen heart that disappointed Pip as time went on. Miss Havisham, along with Estella, was one of the greatest components in Pip's life. In the book, Havisham is an old woman who is mentally unstable and heartbroken over the man who left her on her wedding day...many many years later. In the movie, Havisham shows no signs of aging except for some costume makeup to show aging. Many find this thoughtful as if it shows Havisham is stuck in time of her tragedy. Yet, Dickens makes it more realistic and the reader gets an overall sense of her aging. As she comes closer to her death in the book, she is more delusional and wore down and is starting to reconcile on some of her actions. Although the movie may have been a substantial visual representation of the story, it fails to achieve the key points of Charles Dickens Great Expectations that cannot be neglected.
In Great Expectation, Dickens uses physical appearance, relationships, and emotions to develop a universal theme that makes the story more meaningful and enjoyable than the movie. In the movie, Pip’s appearance lacks the commonness portrayed by Dickens which in turn made the relationship between Estella and him much different. Also the cruelty of Estella wasn’t always present in the movie. She sometimes showed affection where in the book her character was very clearly coldhearted to signify the theme. Also in the movie strong relationships were not made between Pip and the coming of age story was not as meaningful. Due to this the movie had a less effective, more scattered theme that was based on Estella and Pip’s relationship and how love is complicated and unpredictable. However, Dickens intended the theme to clearly be that life and expectations are unpredictable and things often do not go as you expect. Author, Charles Dickens depicts the coming of age of a young boy, and how every peculiar event of his life is related in some way. The suspense, mystery and pure strangeness of this novel makes it a classic that can not be replicated in a two hour cinematic film.
Aaron Ly and Virak Pond-Tor (Part 1)
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9 Honors
3 April 2016
Great Expectations vs Great Expectations
Ever since the creation of the film projector there has been a constant debate between books and movies about the best way to portray the same story. Books and movies alike are tools used to convey an experience to the audience. Each one interacts with their crowd in different ways and makes them feel distinct ways even though they may be portraying the same adventure. A prime example of this is with Great Expectations, a tale that can be interpreted in many ways. There is both a book and a movie for this story, however the novel “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens depicts it better than the cinematic film by Mike Newell because the novel brings the characters to life and the movie left out major points in the plot.
As in the movie of “Great Expectations” many of the characters either reflect in a positive or negative way towards the book. Pip as the protagonist was portrayed as a much younger man than expected throughout the book as his actions were portrayed as more as if he was just introduced into the “mature” world as if the movie was being rushed than in the novel by Charles Dickens which most of the characters seemed to be much older as Dickens thoroughly describes the characters with much detail through their actions. In the film Pip did not have a sense of guilt after what he experienced and an example was when he met Magwitch when he was a little boy and when he tried to save Magwitch in the film. On the other hand, in the novel Pip went through many emotional states as he was mentally unstable at times. Estella in the film was portrayed by an actress that is most likely the same age as him, as in the novel Estella was older than him. Also, in the film Estella seems to have more feelings toward Pip than in the novel because in the novel she had a cold heart in which she did not care about Pip and only lead him on. An example of this from the film is when Drummle was dancing with Estella and trying to show off to Pip that Pip Stormed out out of the ballroom and soon after Estella followed. Lastly, the character that was most controversial was Miss Havisham as she was portrayed by a younger woman than in the novel and that she seems to express more emotion than in the novel. Also, as described in the book she is feels no remorse towards Pip and as in the film she is not mentally there as if she seems lost. During her death, she seems to not have aged a bit when she died in the fire in the film making it unrealistic Although characters are easier to comprehend in the film they do not have the same characterization that is portrayed in the novel.
(Part 2)
ReplyDeleteThe novel “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens was much better than the cinematic film by Mike Newell because the movie failed to include some of the major points in the plot. This can be blamed on the fact that the movie has to take a large amount of content and condense it into a one-two hour movie, but nonetheless the film contains many holes in it. For instance, the movie completely excluded Orlick. Orlick had a massive impact in the book, however in the movie his name was never even mentioned. In the novel, Orlick was the one who killed Pip’s sister, yet in the movie they only said that she died from heart failure. Another event left out from the movie was when Orlick captured Pip and attempted to kill him. This was one of the most exciting and thrilling parts of the book and the movie did not even allude to it. Other subtle details completed the book were also missing in the movie. For example, in the novel it stated that Pip went on his boat back and forth for days to avoid suspicion, however in the movie this small element was cut out. Despite leaving out many parts of the book, the movie still had to rush in order to prevent it from going on too long. The novel is a much better depiction of the story than the movie.
Some people may say that the movie about Great Expectations was better than the novel but some may beg to differ. They say that the movie keeps the reader’s interest more because it is less wordy than the novel, however this makes the movie a watered down version of the real story. The book is only wordy because the story is displayed by thoughts, rather than actions. The movie is unable to capture a huge element of the story since it is restricted to only actions. Most of the novel is shown through the thoughts of Pip and since the movie can not incorporate those thoughts it misses out on much of the story, such as characterization, plot, and humor.
In conclusion, the novel “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens is a better depiction than the Mike Newell’s cinematic film through characterization and also having the major details that allude to the plot rather than having cut out so the film could be shorter than having it. Although a movie could catch a viewer's attention, the novel would create a better understanding of characterization and create a plot to follow.
Sarah Hobin, Edwin van Renselaar, Rachel Blustein
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9 Honors
3 April 2016
The Great Expectations of a Book
More often than not the movie never lives up to the book it was made from. However, with the special case of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the movie tops the book for numerous reasons. The novel is not able to hold the reader’s attention well but the film can keep the reader’s eyes peeled for something new the entire time since it does not incorporate every small details from the novel. The movie is also able to show and describe the conflict between Pip and Estella that they are entangled in throughout the storyline written by Dickens. The movie has strong suits in keeping the viewer’s interest and showing the conflict between Pip and Estella, making the film superior to the novel.
The movie was able to hold the viewer's attention better since it moved a lot quicker and did not get in detail on pointless events. The movie focussed more on the romance between Pip and Estella rather than small events that were not even mentioned in the movie. For example, one event that was left out in the movie that did not hold much meaning in the book was when Miss Havisham gave Pip money to give to Joe before he started his journey off to London. In the novel it says, “‘Pip has earned a premium here,’ she said, ‘and here it is. There are five-and-twenty guineas in this bag. Give it to your master, Pip.’” (Dickens 56). This is just one event that was missed in the movie that did not need to be added. Since the plot of the movie was altered in some way where it leaves out unimportant events it is able to hold the viewer’s attention.
In the movie, the conflict between Pip and Estella is the fact that Pip is in love with Estella and he tries so hard to be with her. Throughout the movie the viewers can see a romantic conflict between confusion of their feelings. This seems to be what the movie is based off of, rather than other minescule problems from the book. The conflict of romance shows the viewers a fierce fire between Pip and Estella and also confusion as to what is going to happen between them. At the end of the movie it is a final love scene where we see the true emotion behind both of them. Pip and Estella see each other and they talk. Pip says, “I love you, Estella” and Estella responds with, “I’m glad.” The movie then ends with them holding hands with each other. The book has a very similar ending where the same event happens and it all adds up. However, the movie shows throughout the whole film that the most important conflict is the love for each other though they cannot be with each other. The man vs. man conflict of Pip and Estella is the focus of the movie but only a minor focus of the novel. Throughout the whole novel this is also a major conflict but the movie focuses all its attention on this and portrays it better than the book.
part 2:
ReplyDeleteWhile the movie has amazing qualities the attribute to making it superior to the novel, the novel exceeds the standards of the movie in one aspect. The written work of Charles Dickens can develop a better description and view of the characters than the movie can. The first time Pip sees her “she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white” (Dickens 34). She is described young here but her hair has white because of all he grays she has let consume her hair color. Later in the novel, Miss Havisham is still “in her once white dress, all yellow and withered; the once white cloth all yellow and withered; everything around, in a state to crumble under a touch” (Dickens 53). Within the novel Miss Havisham becomes older and changes physically. The intricate description of her shows how she changes along with all of the other characters. However, the film does not show any difference between Miss Havisham at the beginning and end of the movie. While the other characters change, she does not. The development of Miss Havisham is one aspect that the novel is superior to the film in but it does not make it surpassing of the film. Despite the superior description of Miss Havisham, the movie has a better attention grasp and exceptional portrayal of Pip and Estella’s conflict which makes it superior to the novel.
Rarely does a movie ever exceed the book, but Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens did, and the movie was better for multiple reasons. One being that the movie was able to hold the attention of the audience, and it was easier to follow along with the story line. The film also succeeded the book because it was able to show and focus on the love story between Pip and Estella, rather than a few minescule problems in the book. The book is able to surpass the movie in one place. The film struggled to cast and age Miss Havisham, therefore the book had a much better description of her. However, that does not make the book succeed the movie. For these reasons, Great Expectations the movie was more preferable than the book.
Alicia Francis
ReplyDeleteMrs. Colando
English 9 Honors
4 March, 2016
Great Expectations Adaptation
Book to movie adaptations are problematic endeavors, there have been many adaptations that have led to the disappointment of its viewers and is not always the best way to honor the classics needless to say. The transition from book to movie calls for many complications, from making sure the cast is right to holding the expectations of the audience. With book to movie adaptations there is a great debate on whether the movie resulted in a hit or miss, and predominantly the book is better than the film. In Great Expectations the movie is seen as a short, sweet, simplistic version compared to the lengthy novel written by Charles Dickens. However, the novel is better than the movie because the movie lacks many things in which the novel holds, like its feel of characters and their emotions, as well as the underlying themes that are supposed to hold meaning. There has been many opportunities for films to correctly convey the author’s meaning and transfer plain words of a book into a magical visual experience for the audience in waiting and to capture their attention, but the chances of films accomplishing such a feat is rare.
Characterization within BBC’s adaption was as if the characters written in the book were not even to be considered. The way Dicken’s developed his characters as well as how he conveyed their emotions were overlooked. Take into account Joe, who was very compassionate in the book was carried out into the movie, but not as much as the novel. For Dickens distinguished Joe from most characters, Joe had compassion for the people he loved and had a big heart. He always stayed by his wife’s side even though his wife often throws fits of rage. Joe manages to always help Pip when he is in trouble with his sister and tries to be Pip’s hero when he doesn’t have to, he even continues to love Pip. Joe continues to give Pip his kindness and respect even when it is taken for weakness and Pip looks down upon him, but this is scarcely shown in the movie. In BBC’s film Joe seems to dissipate the further the film progresses. We also don’t get to see the changes within Pip in the film, the novel shows the changes that coincide with the growth of a boy. The novel is where we see this boy develop into a man, and where we see the obstacles he faces and the trials and tribulations life has to offer as well as his change in views and the ways he learns from his mistakes. Where in the movie we don’t see his inner struggles because there we aren’t able to enter the mind of Pip and his fears and thoughts are not as apparent in the movie as they are in the novel. The movie was unable to catch the essence of the characters and their development in the novel, which can tarnish the possibility of the audience taking in the film with positivity.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteThe underlying themes which were presented and interwoven in characters with the progression of the book were hard to find or perhaps not there at all within the film. The theme that things we cannot hold such as affection and respect should hold a much higher value than possessions of money and clothes, was hard to sift out in the film. Yes, one can say that themes were not straightforward in the novel, but Charles Dickens used hints to make the readers think and try to figure out what the underlying themes were. Otherwise what would book be without trying make the reader think a little for what could possibly be the moral of the story? Themes which become the center of the novel as Pip faces conflicts have taken the backseat in this film seeing as we cannot really see how Pip handles problems from the perspective of his subconscious. The film did not capture the theme of self-improvement in oneself, with the maturity of Pip there was the aspiration to become a better him in the novel. Charles Dickens is able to show the changes and improvements in characters such as Pip as time passes by. Pip learns he is unable to read or write, he practices to become better in english, when he is becoming a gentleman and looks back at his upbringings and tries hard to improve himself for the greater good. Since Pip believes in advancement and maturity of himself this leads to his great expectations of what the future holds. When with the film, they seem to overlook the importance of this theme and how it emphasizes that this novel is one that is coming of age. The film tends to jump around and skip years and important events to avoid the effort it takes to show that in a film. The film has a job to make sure there is a theme from the story, for without the theme there is no story, a theme is essential in the creation of a story. With key parts of a story missing in a film it is hard to capture the attention of an audience with such high hopes.
It is quite true, that Charles Dickens Great Expectations is a novel that is quite lengthy, but it is a tale of the life of a boy and the twists and turns that accompany life. For quite a tale requires detail to help the expansion of the reader’s imagination which does not come in a short supply of words. The development of characters does require a superfluous amount of words as well, especially when the development of a character is within the time period of child to adult which is years of writing compiled into a book. Just think that if it were written in something of shorthand it would not be of good quality, just look at the movie, reduced to two hours and was not able to convey Dickens meaning. With a lack of essential components such as underlying themes and the feel of characters, especially in a novel that is coming of age, does not lead to a success of the film. It’s not honoring a classic tale, and though a shortened version is better compared to a lengthy set of words, does not mean it is able to convey important messages the author so clearly pointed out.
Hannah DiLullo, Medha Reddy, Steven Amaral, Mourad Taman
ReplyDeleteMrs.Colando
English 9 Honors
3 April 2016
Great Expectations Book vs Movie
In 1860 Charles Dickens wrote the book Great Expectations. Dickens was regarded as a literary colossus of his time and created some of the world's best known fictional characters. Mike Newell is a producer/director who won many awards including a césar award for the best foreign film. Newell produced a movie of Great Expectations. In the movie many things are changed from the book leaving many things out and focusing on other plots. The book is a better adaptation than the movie. The book was better than the movie because of the defined plot and overall development of the characters.
One of the reasons why the novel, “Great Expectations”, by Charles Dickens was a better adaptation was because of the defined and detailed plot. In the book, Dickens goes into great detail to show the full story of Pip. He includes many smaller plots to help develop the main one. For example, the novel talks a lot about Pip’s benefactor and who is providing him with money. This was an important plot sequence to the book that was almost completely left out in the movie adaptation of the story. To add, the subplots described in the novel add to the main plot and create an overall highly detailed story. An example of one of the more important subplots is Pip attending Wopsle's play. Another important one is the preparation with the boat to sneak Magwitch out of London. Both of these were left out in the film. The defined plots and subplots really show why the novel was a better adaptation than the film.
Another reason why the book was better than the movie was because the book clearly introduced all of the characters with many characteristics and explaining who they are and some of the characters were older in the book which made it more more believable to the readers. None of the characters were properly introduced. It felt like they were just thrown into the scene. In the book there was background information on who were they were and what they were like. For example Dickens introduced Pip’s sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery in the beginning of chapter two and told the reader what kind of person she is. This gives the reader a better and clearer understanding of the character. For those who have not read the book it would have been harder to understand immediately. Character like Miss Havisham do not age. For example in the book Miss Havisham was much older however, in the movie she is played by a much younger woman.To those that read the book they pictured Miss Havisham as an much more older lady. Also in the book Estella was older than Pip however, in the movie they were about the same age. The director, Mike Newell left out the character Orlick. Orlick was a big part in the book and the director did not include him at all in the movie. The book had clearer and more practical ways to portray the characters unlike the movie.
Although others may have felt that the book was better some people have claimed that the movie was superior to the book. For example people have said that the movie is easier to understand, in the book you have a lot of elongated sentences and big words that are hard to pronounce while in the movie they get to the point and they do not use so many words that are hard to understand. Another reason that people think the movie is better than the book is that the movie summarizes everything up and you can see the scenes being acted out, unlike the book which contained long chapters and lengthy sentences that just seemed to run on. The Final reason that people believe the movie is better than the book because it is very visually appealing, in the book Dickens does use many descriptive words and does his best to paint a picture for the reader of what he is attempting to describe, but with the movie it is right in front of the viewer.
(Part 2)
ReplyDeleteOverall, in the book everything was explained in great detail. There were many supporting subplots that expanded the story of Pip. Also, the novel brought characters into the story in a way in which the reader would be able to get a better understanding of them. The movie was really fast, but to some people it could have been confusing. The film also left out key plots and characters to the original story. The defined plot and development of characters was so much more better in the novel than it was in the movie.
Part 1
ReplyDeleteKatie Blake, Anahid Donoyan, Melissa Murphy, Hannah Torres
Mrs. Colando
English 9 Honors
3 April 2016
Are Movies Always Better than Books?
People tend to say that a picture is worth a thousand words; however, the adaptation of Great Expectations, the movie, failed to portray the 195,954 words written by Charles Dickens. The book expressed deeper detail, and helped give you a deeper meaning of what the book was trying to portray.When comparing a novel to a film, everyone has differing opinions on which was better. Different portrayals of certain scenes, characters, or events are enough to base one’s opinion off of as to which one was better. Due to the relationship depicted between Miss. Havisham and Pip, Joe and Pip, and the characterization of Estella, the novel Great Expectations was better than the adaptation of the book.
The strong relationship of Miss. Havisham and Pip that was displayed in the book, was not well shown in the movie. In the book, Pip is constantly visiting Miss. Havisham's house and is playing with Estella. He visits her daily and every time he goes, he becomes more accustomed to both Miss. Havisham and the house. He spends his days playing cards and doing whatever Miss. Havisham asks him to do. In the movie however, Pip rarely seems to go to visit Miss. Havisham, it is only shown that he goes a couple of times and when he does go it seems that his feelings toward the visits do not change. The viewers of the movie do not see the gradual change in Pip’s feeling towards going to visit Miss. Havisham. The book shows how in the beginning Pip is very distant and he seems scared, but the more he visits the more he calms down and eventually, in some way the house becomes his second home. Pip is also close to Miss. Havisham because of all the money she gives to him. In the book Dickens writes how every couple of times Pip goes to play, he receives a bundle of coins from Havisham to thank him for pleasing her and playing with Estella. In the book it is also said that when Pip is away he receives a letter from Miss Havisham, summing up what has happened since he is gone and in the letter he is asked to go and visit her. This does not happen in the movie, viewers do not see all the times that Pip received money from Miss. Havisham, or the note that is written to him asking him to go and visit her. Due to several important details that were left out in the movie about Miss Havisham and Pip's relationship, the book by far is better than the movie. In addition to the relationship between Pip and Miss Havisham, the friendship of Pip and Joe shows the book is better than the movie.
Early on it is clear Pip and Joe have a special relationship. Not only are they brother-in-laws, but they are the best of friends. That all changes when Pip leaves Joe at the marshes and goes to London to fulfill his duties of becoming a gentleman. This is displayed in both the book and the movie, however, the novel portrays a much deeper and stronger relationship between Joe and Pip than the movie. In both forms of the story readers and the audience can see how Joe protects Pip from his sister, who happens to be Joe’s wife. In the novel not only does one know what happens, but they can obtain the thoughts of Pip during these times. Pip talks several times about Joe and how much he means to him. This is something one can not get from the movie. In addition, there are several events in the book that never occurred in the movie. For example, Pip comes home several times to visit Joe, and often thinks of him while he is staying in London. Because in the book we can see the detailed development to
Part 2
ReplyDeletedeclination of Pip and Joe's relationship, the reader can better connect to the importance of when Joe visits Pip in London, and tells him their paths are taking them in different directions. Yes, the movie does show Pip and Joe reading together, and how Joe defends Pip, and Joe visits Miss. Havisham with Pip, but there is no buildup or elaboration to any of these events. In the book, we see Pip being protected. Then, Pip and Joe become apprentices. Next, we see how Pip is not embarrassed of Joe when he brings him to see Miss. Havisham. The movie misses how Joe and Pip grow up together, best friends, then appurtenances, then separated, then come back together again. It is evident in the movie, that Pip and Joe have an epic friendship, and the summarization of it in a couple of scenes does not do it justice. One may argue because of the difference in characterization in the movie and the book of Estella, the book is better.
Some may say the movie is the better version of the story because of the characterization of Estella. Estella has a special type of personality that is shown through the characterization by Charles Dickens in the novel. However, after watching the movie Estella is portrayed as a completely different person. Her feelings toward Pip shine through during the movie which makes the movie more entertaining. While showing her feelings Estella connects with the audience watching the movie. This in return makes many people believe that the movie is better than the novel. In one particular scene in the movie Pip becomes jealous because Estella is dancing with Drummle, and Pip storms out of the room. Next, Estella shows how much she cares for Pip by chasing after him and dancing with him out of sight from everyone else. Before they almost kiss they were interrupted, and by almost kissing Pip and dancing with him the movie shows how sensitive she was. Sensitivity appeals to audience members and makes the movie more interesting for the viewers to watch. By showing all her emotions it makes it easy for the audience to connect with Estella and fall in love with her relationship with Pip. On the other hand, the sensitivity of Estella that shows through is not how Estella was portrayed in the book. In the novel, Estella’s hard personality and lack of emotions is distinct. That is because she grew up under the influence of Miss Havisham, who preached to never love unless you want to get hurt. Estella loves too much in the movie and her character changes in a way that does not make her truly Estella. This example leads to the conclusion that the novel is better than the movie. The elaborate details of Estella’s denying of men and the non acceptance of the love that Pip has for Estella does not show through during the movie.
Written by Charles Dickens, Great Expectations was better than the adaptation of the movie. Without reading the novel beforehand, it would be difficult to follow along with the movie, as well as understand the concepts. Without the novel, the reader would not be able to truly understand the gradual change in Pip’s relationship towards Miss.Havisham. Nor, would the reader be able to fully understand the bond that Joe and Pip had, as not only family, but best friends. While watching the movie, the viewer receives the impression that Estella is far more affectionate than she ever was towards Pip. In the novel, she gave off a cold, harsh personality that was not the same as the one received in the movie. Based off of the relationships written by Charles Dickens between Pip and Miss.Havisham, Pip and Joe, and the characterization of Estella, the novel Great Expectations was better than the film.