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Expect Great Things Favorite Movie Quote: ""You bite your nails? It's a bad habit. People always tell you that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Bullsh*t; it's your hands, that's the sign of a gentleman."" I certainly wasn't. Expecting great things, that is, when I rented Alfonso Cuaron's 1998 film Great Expectations. I basically just Netflixed it because it was a Cuaron film that I hadn't seen, and since he is one of my (maybe my all time) favorite directors ever, I thought it necessary that I see every one of his films. So, this past Jan Term it was a late night when I curled up in my bed with Great Expectations. Or, not-so-great expectations. It's not that I didn't think that I would like it, I just thought that it wouldn't be the greatest thing ever. So, I'm watching, and watching, and watching, and then in a moment when I was overcome with emotion from the film, I paused the DVD and said aloud, "Wow, I am totally loving this." And I continued to love every moment of it right up until the last scroll of the credits. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron (A Little Princess; Children of Men) Great Expectations is based very loosely on the book with the same name by Charles Dickens. It follows Finn Bell (Ethan Hawke, Gattaca; Waking Life) who, as a child loves to draw. One afternoon he is harassed by an escaped, death-row convict (Robert De Niro, Marvin's Room; Meet the Parents) who convinces him to help him further escape. This experience is life-changing for Finn, but not as life-changing as meeting Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow; Shakespeare in Love; The Royal Tenenbaums). Estella lives cooped up with her aunt, Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft, The Miracle Worker; Agnes of God) in a colossal, decaying mansion. Finn quickly falls in love with Estella, despite their class differences, and is warned by Ms. Dinsmoor that she will break his heart. Many years later, after Finn and Estella have lost touch, Finn's dreams come true with an unknown benefactor sends him to New York to pursue his painting. There, he meets up with Estella and love and chaos ensues as Finn quickly becomes a well-known painter, tries to seduce Estella, and his unknown benefactor is revealed. I have to begin my review by saying that this movie is perhaps one of the most visually stunning films I have ever seen. The scenes when Finn is exploring the grounds of the mansion are absolutely unlike anything else. It's so beautiful in ruin. The idea is that on her wedding day, Ms. Dinsmoor was left alone at the alter and then went crazy, locking herself inside and so outside the mansion we see beautiful statues, fine china, candelabras, and tables covered in lace tablecloths set for guests. The catch is, this wedding was supposed to take place about twenty years ago, so everything has overgrown, vines grow around the tables, dirt covers the broken champagne glasses and the serving platters have become bird baths, as the wedding has decomposed. One word to describe this film: Green. Not in the organic, good for the environment sense of the word, though. I'm talking about the color. So much green in this movie! Alfonso is famous for his greenness in films; we see this also in A Little Princess. As I'm watching the film I'm thinking, "what does all this green mean!?" It was driving me crazy. But, I noticed that the second half of the film had considerably less green than the first, so that had to mean something. And then, I think I figured it out and since I am so proud of this 'green revelation' I will share it with you here. Here goes (clears throat): When Finn first meets Estella, there is an obvious class difference between them. She lives with her aunt, one of the wealthiest women in the state of Florida, and he lives with his sister and her boyfriend, in a crumbling house nearby. His clothes are a little bit dirty all the time, while she walks around in party dresses and shoes that click on the floor. Even though they are both young when they meet, they know and understand that they come from different societies and Estella knows that she is way out of Finn's league. And everything is green. All the clothes he wears are green, she wears green dresses, the wallpaper is green, everything Ms. Dinsmoor wears is green, the tiles on the floor are green, Finn's truck is green, his house is green – it's beautifully overwhelming. And then, as he starts to become more and more successful, the green disappears. Suddenly, he is wearing black suits and she wears fancy brown dresses. He lives in a stainless steel loft and things look cold and hard. I think the green represents the envy Finn feels for Estella's lifestyle, and when he is suddenly on the same class level as her, he has nothing left to feel envious about, hence the lack of green. Brilliant! Let's talk for a minute or two about Alfonso Cuaron. I love him. I'll be the first to say it, and I'll say it again – I love him. It just completely amazes me that the same guy who directed A Little Princess also directed Y tu mama tambien. A Little Princess is the one movie throughout my entire movie-watching career that makes me cry every single time I watch it. He also directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is one of my faves in the Harry Potter series. It's like, this guy is the best at directing these great children's movies, but then is also the best at directing hard-core sex scenes (there are some pretty steamy scenes in Great Expectations as well)!! He rules! His other film, Children of Men is another great film that I didn't think I would like very much. And that film has that great tracking shot that I mentioned in my Atonement review. Great Expectations has a tracking shot that lasts like, forever, but, if watching closely, I think I can pick out three cuts that break the long scene. Ah ha, Alfonso! I've revealed your secret cuts!! I was surprised with Great Expectations and I think you will be too. It's a very well-done movie that grabs your attention within the first five minutes and never lets go. I kind of wished that the movie would last forever, actually. Between the gorgeous sets, the beautiful scenes, the passionate score (composed by Patrick Doyle), and the perfect director – I mean, directing... this film is now on my list of all-time favorites. I'll let you borrow my copy so you can watch it and fall in love with Finn, Estella and the world they live in. But don't fall in love with Alfonso, because he's mine. email this review to a friend
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