A comparison of the openings of two different film versions of great expectations (by Lean and de Niro) which do you find most effective and why

Great expectations is a film about a young boy named Pip and his journey through life

In this essay I am going to be talking about and comparing the openings of two film versions of the film and deciding which is most effective my first question is can Todorov’s narrative theory be applied to the opening of both films and how

Todorov’s narrative theory is:

A state of equilibrium at the outset;
2. A disruption of the equilibrium by some action;
3. A recognition that there has been a disruption;
4. An attempt to repair the disruption;
5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

I think this applies to both of the openings of the films as in the old one there is a state of equilibrium when pip goes to the graveyard to visit his mother and fathers grave there is a disruption when the convict turns up this is recognised when pip screams there is an attempt to repair the disruption when pip tries to run and also when he agrees to bring the convict a file and some food the next day and then there is a reinstatement of the equilibrium when the convict lets pip go and in the new film opening there is a state of equilibrium when Finn (pip) is drawing the fish in the lake the disruption is when the convict comes out of the water and grabs Finn(pip), an attempt to restore the equilibrium when the convict tells Finn(pip) to lower his voice and when Finn(pip) agrees to bring him the bolt cutters and the food and then there is a reinstatement of the equilibrium when he tells pip to go and pip gets the boat started.

This is a preview of the whole essay

I must also consider how cinematography affects the audience in the old version and I think that the cinematography in the old film affects the audience in more than one way in the beginning of the opening of the old film the first camera shot is of a book which says “chapter one” and we hear adult pip’s voice over this will have an effect on the audience because this tells them the story is in the past and that pip survived it this would give them comfort as they knew they would not see pip die the next camera shot is a long shot of the marshes near pips house and a very young pip perhaps ten or eleven years old running along past several hang mans jibbets in this shot it seems we are watching Pip from afar perhaps from the eyes of the convict then Pip runs directly towards the camera then it cuts to a medium shot when pip is entering the graveyard in this shot it seems there is no one about as the trees are bare and the grass is uncut and crooked, then as pip kneels down to lay the flowers the camera cuts to a close up of him then after he has pulled a weed out of the grass over his mothers grave and laid the flowers the camera cuts between Pip and the trees moving several times in one of these shots it appears that the tree has a face this gives us the feeling that Pip is being watched the next shot pans across the graveyard as pip runs towards the exit of the set then the camera stops moving when Pip runs into the convict then there is a close up of the convicts face then a close up of Pips face then the camera returns to a medium shot for the rest of their conversation then the camera follows Pip as he leaves the graveyard then it cuts to a long shot of Pip running home again it seems as if we are the convict watching him

In the new version of the film I must also look at the cinematography and the effect on the audience in beginning of the opening of this version of the film we see a long shot of a boat as it comes along the camera follows it as it turns this has an effect on the audience because they want to know who is in the boat and why it is there as the boat comes closer you can see a little boy of perhaps eleven or twelve with an art set in the boat then we get a close up of the boy who we later find out is named Finn we also get a close up of his pad and pencils at this point, then the camera pans as Finn gets out of the boat we then get a close up of the water as if we are seeing through Finns eyes then as the convict floats into view the camera cuts to Finns face then to a long shot of Finn as the convict leaps out of the water and grabs Finn we then get a close up of them as they talk then as the convict lets Finn go the camera pans as Finn runs back to the boat we then get a medium shot as Finn tries to start the boat, then a long shot as he motors away

In The next aspect of my comparison of the old and new film versions of great expectations I will be comparing the mise-en-scene, which is in direct translation ‘arranging the scene’. In the old film the set is an apparently deserted graveyard, which is out on the marshes surrounded by flat land there are hang mans jibbets along the path through the marshes in the graveyard the trees are bare and stark the lighting in the old film is between dusk and sunset in the new version the scene is set by the water which could be the sea and there are lots of fish the scene takes part mostly on a remote beach away from civilisation with mud flats just off the beach the time of day in this opening the time of day appears to be late afternoon.

I must now answer the following question, how does sound help the narrative and provide effect? Well in great expectations sound plays an important part. In the old version the music in the intro is cheerful to promote the film after the voice over the music stops and the only sound you can hear is the wind howling when pip gets to the graveyard the sound of trees creaking then there is a distant bird call as pip looks around throughout the scene the wind is always howling. In the new version the intro music is creepy and when it starts the sounds you can hear are a fast bit of non-diagetic music then the music stops for the voice over then the voice over stops and the convict has the conversation with Finn after he lets Finn go the non-diagetic music becomes really fast

In the old version I think the music and sound help to provide effect with the wind which advertises that there are no cities nearby as the wind is very strong so it gives the idea that the convict has come a long way and that there is no immediate help for Pip whereas in the new version Finn has a boat and there is a town nearby so he could escape and report the convict

To conclude my essay I will use all the evidence gathered to make a personal response to the question of which do you find most effective and why and personally I think the film version of great expectations that is most effective is the old version by Lean as it focuses on the characters a great deal more and in the old version Pip comes across as sentimental when he visits his parents grave and also the convict looks like he has just escaped and has run off to a tiny remote village surrounded by marshes so altogether I think that Leans version of great expectations is most effective to the audience

By George Collings