In the past two days, I watched the movie "Great Expectations" based on Dickens' novel of the same name. I checked the Internet and found that nine of the famous novels have been adapted into movies, and there are even Indian and Australian ones. There are also a few TV shows. I found six films here, one of which is still in English and cannot be watched. So it took two days to read Dickens's original work again, and then read the remaining five books in turn.
After reading the first two versions of "Great Expectations", at first glance at the 1998 version, I always felt a little awkward. The structure of the story remains the same, but almost every other plot, character, time, and place have changed. The synopsis of the story I wrote the other day doesn't work here either.
The story takes place in the 1970s in Florida, USA. Little Finn rescues a fugitive, Arthur Lustig, by the sea. After that, he accompanied Dinsmore, a wealthy old maid, for a few years, and fell in love with her adopted daughter Estella. Suddenly one day, a visiting lawyer, Valentine, informs Finn that he has the help of a mysterious patron who is funding him to hold an art exhibition in New York. In New York, Finn met his childhood girlfriend Estella, who could not pursue her, and watched her marry someone else. And his exhibition was a great success. Finn has since become rich and famous. One night, Finn received a mysterious old man, and learned that he was the fugitive Lusting that Finn rescued when he was a child. He also knew that this Rustin was his patron, and bought all his paintings, which made Finn a success. The film ends with Finn and Estella reunited.
Adapting a famous 19th century novel is a very difficult project, and it is even more difficult to move the story described at that time to today in the 1970s. Not only is the environment, clothing, discourse very different, but the important thing is that people's thinking has changed a lot compared to that time, not to mention the difference between England and America. With all due respect, the film adaptation was unsuccessful. At least that's how it looks to me. In the UK described in the original book, people aspire to be a high-class person, have a good family background, and have a gentleman's demeanor. Can dance all kinds of dances, use knives and forks according to the rules, pay attention to the height of the top hat, the straight line of the trousers, and the demeanor of conversation. And these external instruments cannot do without a period of training. In particular, a good family background needs to be passed down through generations. Estella in the novel immediately let that Zhu Muer divorce because of her poor parents. The modern America embodied in this version is different. No matter what your background is, no matter how graceful you are, as long as you have fame and money, you will be respected by society. This seems to be inadvertently manifested in the film.
At the opening of Finn's exhibition, his paintings were widely acclaimed as a result of previous advertisements, and all of them were bought (though he did not know that all of them were bought by Rustin). At this time, his drug-addicted brother-in-law, Joe, came to the scene, behaved inappropriately, and was laughed at by others. His brother-in-law had no choice but to leave, and told Finn before parting: "You are too conspicuous, go back!" The meaning of the words is that you and I are not the same now. At this time, Finn's heart was mixed with joy and disappointment. Walking down the streets of New York at night, he exclaimed to the empty and dark buildings all around him: "Tonight, my dream finally came true. Like all happy endings, this is a tragedy I planned. Because I succeeded Yes. I cut ties with Joe, from the past, from the bay, from poverty. I got a new life. It was cruel, but I did it, and I was free!"
The American nature is to be aggressive, and the purpose of progress is nothing more than fame and fortune. This is the essence of the American dream. However, when fame and fortune come, everyone's feelings are different. For example, Finn, on the one hand, he has a great sense of accomplishment. As he said, "I am free!" On the other hand, he also felt that the price he had paid was too heavy. In the above passage, we noticed two words: tragedy. In the seemingly happy ending, he had to stay away from his former relatives, forget his poor past, forget his graffiti on the beach, had to go to the celebrity circle, and had to spend the rest of his life in feasting and feasting, to do a Socially recognized local tyrants. An invisible hand ruled his life. Dominates his family, love and friendship. Is he really free? In fact, what we see is his loss and pain.
The film's choreography icon is new and innovative to describe a "great future" that is different from Dickens, and it seems easier to describe now, at least save the cost of costumes and props. It is a pity that the skills of the directors are limited, and the story is far less profound than what Dickens told. Boil a pot of upward chicken soup, but forget the darkness of human nature. After seeing it, people naturally feel the warmth, but they don't know the chill of winter. The theme in Dickens's writings is that a perverted woman uses Estella's beauty and graceful demeanor to deceive and take revenge on men. In this film, it was made into a romance film, even disgusting to Estella. To seduce men with sex. And Finn is like a fool, willing to be a backup tire from start to finish. However, this change can also please many audiences. After all, few of today's audiences have read novels beforehand. Going to the cinema is not for thinking, but for entertainment. In fact, if the name of Dickens is not better, the audience will not judge the film with the eyes of famous works.
De Niro's criminal Arthur is very good. The scene where he appeared in the film was first a surprise, and then he couldn't help but admire his acting skills. It's just that the character the director gave the character was a well-mannered gentleman, not a vulgar criminal. I heard that after he received the script, he didn't want to play this role, and later he reluctantly took into account the interests of all parties. Several of the songs in the film are good, a little whitney houston. Finn's paintings are very much like early Picassos. The kiss by the spring is a highlight of this movie, very warm and touching. There are also several beautiful shots, such as the tilt shot of Estella visiting Finn's house, Finn and Estella's walk on the bridge, and the silhouette of Finn and Estella by the sea.
My rating: 6.0.
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