This unpredictability is also shown through the music and the weather that is presented. The music begins quietly and sounds almost peaceful and tuneful as the book is read, but suddenly it gets faster as the wind catches up with it, it no longer is tuneful but creepy. The shot changes and zooms in on a small boy running across the marshes, he is fast and looks scared as if something was chasing him. He looks like he shouldn’t be there and you wonder why he would be there adding fear. As he runs across the marshes the use of light creates a shadow that makes it look like he is being chased. The area is spooky and desolate and creates fear for the boy as to why he is there.
In Kevin Conner’s version of ‘Great Expectations’ he uses the fact that he has the ability to use colour quite strangely at the beginning. It begins with you only being able to see two main colours where you would have expected to see a bigger range. Though this effect of only using a few colours works. The blue-grey used adds a sense of mystery and the area looks foggy and misty, giving the idea things could jump out unsuspected. There are also no vast differences between the few colours used, adding to the mystery and tension. I think if more colours would have been used, it would have helped add more details but merging the few colours used adds a sense of mixed up, unusual, creepy surroundings which were needed to show what the area was like.
The camera shots also help to add fear and tension a lot more than is used at the beginning of the black and white version. The camera begins on a shot across the marshes, it pans around it pauses on a shipwreck and there is morbid feeling. The views of the ship are only used in the colour version and work well because they help link the marshes to the sea and the feeling of death around the graveyard described in the book. You can hear seagulls calling and eerie music begins to creep in, similar to the way music is used in the David Lean version. There is no other noise. It is very alone and you get a feeling as if something is about to happen. This feeling is similar to the way the written text begins, with the sudden jump to speech from the description passage.
Kevin Conner then shows a small boy running across the marshes, the same way that David Lean introduces the boy. Differences in the colour can then be seen and is like a total change of atmosphere, giving the impression of heaven and hell. The music changes also and it is cheerful, and gives the sense of the carefree innocence that a child is the boys age would feel. But is still mysterious and feels out of place in the scene adding to the tension.
Out the three versions, I think that the atmosphere is shown better through the colour version, little things help to add the mystery and I like the way that the colour is introduced later on, as if it was creeping towards the boy getting closer and closer.
When the characters are in the graveyard, the atmosphere adds to the fear and tension as well as what is going on through actions and conversations.
In the book, the churchyard isn’t described as much as the marshes are described. I think this good because it allows you to use your imagination. Dickens tells us it is overgrown and there are gravestones all around the area. We are told by Pip that his mother father and five brothers were buried there but that is all. Instantly the graveyard creates a morbid feeling and knowing that Pip dead relatives are surrounding him produces a scary feeling that you wouldn’t want to be in yourself. Some of the things that Pip says later on in the scene also help add to the fear.
“….he came closer to my tombstone..”
Although the tombstone obviously isn’t pips, he believes he may die because of what Magwitch is doing. It feels personal to him and this is a fear-building phrase.
The characters of Pip and Magwitch also help to create fear and tension throughout the scenes. In the book Pip is portrayed as being vulnerable and young. You can imagine him being innocent as he is scared of what’s going on as if he isn’t used to it.
In the black and white version the actor has blond hair and blue eyes, portraying an innocent angelic character. He reacts nervously to his surroundings and seems spooked out. He looks cute and perfect, dressed in clothes that look too nice to belong to a boy standing alone in a graveyard.
The character of Pip depicted in the colour version is very contrasting to the boy we are shown in David Leans version. He has dark hair and has an unusually high-pitched voice. Although, his voice adds to the fear and makes him sound scared and worried. His clothes seem out of place and he is dressed in his ‘Sunday best’ a similar to the black and white version.
The effects used help to show the character in a broad sense; you get more details, just by listening and looking at reactions. This effect of using camera and sound effects helps to portray the character of Magwitch also.
In the written word Magwitch is described as a “fearful man” “all in grey”, these descriptions make him sound ghost like adding fear. He is a man who had been;
“soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars”
Mgwitch had been attacked by the atmosphere and showed scar like features because of this. This is similar to the way Pip was being attacked by his surrounding as shown in the black and white version and the book. Magwitch “limped” and “shuffled” so you can imagine when he moved he made noise. This idea is shown in the black and white version Although you cannot see the person who is making the chains rattle, you can hear them moving and getting closer. All the description in the books means you get a vivid picture in your head as to the sort of man he was. In the book the character of Magwitch seems to jump in unexpected, creating fear and tension. This is also shown in both film versions; Magwitch appears suddenly and grabs Pip from behind. Because both the audience and Pip do not expect it, it is very effective.
Using camera angles and different lighting effects also helps add fear and tension to the actions. In the black and white version, yellow lighting is used on Pip face so he looks more angelic whereas Magwitch’s face is left in shadows making him seem dark and scary, he has a gruff coarse voice adding to the fearful characters portrayal. In both the colour version and the black and white version, point of view shots are used to add effect. Examples of these are when Magwitch tilts Pip over the gravestone.
“After each question he tilted me over a little more, so as to give me a greater sense of helplessness and danger”
Through the text we are shown how vulnerable and scared Pip felt in the presence of Magwitch, and feels threatened him.
“‘You get me a file’ He tilted me again. ‘And you get me wittles.’ He tilted me again. ‘You bring ‘em both to me.’ He tilted me again”
The way Charles Dickens has used the punctuation adds to fear also. The sentences are short and the full stops give them a sudden ending and during the pause you can imagine Pip being moved further and further. They take you through the actions step by step this gives you the idea as if you were actually there watching it. These effects of feeling as though you are there are greatened by the use of the point of view shots.
In both versions we are given shots from either the point of Pip or the point of Magwitch adding to fear because it as if we are really there. They give us clear views of the reactions and this effective as we feel for the character if they are scared, it makes us scared.
The best point of view shot is used in Kevin Conner’s version. When Pip is turned upside down by Magwitch, the camera follows him as if it were strapped to his head. This is a good effect as it is sudden and you can understand why Pip would be so fearful of the stranger having been picked up and thrown round unsuspectingly.
