Great Expectations 1998 American Movie
The American love drama film Great Expectations came out in 1998. Alfonso Cuarón co-wrote and directed this modern movie based on Charles Dickens's 1861 book of the same name. It stars Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hank Azaria, Robert De Niro, Anne Bancroft, and Chris Cooper. People know it for moving the original book's setting from London in 1812 to 1827 to New York in the 1990s. This movie is a condensed and updated version of Dickens's 1861 book. The main character's name has been changed from "Pip" to "Finn," "Miss Havisham" to "Nora Dinsmoor," and "Abel Magwitch" to "Arthur Lustig." The reviews for the movie were mixed.
Fin runs into Estella, the girl he liked in high school, and tries to win her over. He feels the same way about her, but Finn quickly breaks down when he sees that Estella is just playing him for a fool.
Great Expectations 1998: Trailer
Video © Trailer Chan
Great Expectations 1998 : Sypnosis
Ten-year-old Finnegan "Finn" Bell is playing on a beach on the Gulf Coast when he is attacked by a prisoner who got away. Finn is an orphan and is being raised by his older sister Maggie and her boyfriend Joe. Finn is held hostage when he brings him food, booze, and bolt cutters to free his leg from the iron chains. While trying to get to Mexico, the prisoner is caught by the cops in his small boat. Officers pull Finn back to land while the prisoner hides on a float. Finn sees on the news that the prisoner who has been caught is robber Arthur Lustig, who had gotten away from death row.
Joe is called to do gardening at "Paradiso Perduto," or "Lost Paradise" in Italian, which is the home of Nora Dinsmoor, the richest woman in Florida. She has been living alone since her fiancé broke up with her years ago and left her at the altar. Joe goes with Finn, and they meet Dinsmoor's beautiful niece Estella. Finn is asked to play with Estella again by Dinsmoor. She acts rudely when Finn comes to visit for the first time, but her aunt makes her pose for a quick picture by Finn. Dinsmoor tells Finn that he will develop feelings for Estella and have his heart broken.
A number of years go by. Maggie runs away from home, and Joe has to raise Finn by himself. Every Saturday, Finn goes to Paradiso Perduto and improves his painting skills. At times, Estella flirts with Finn and even tries to seduce him, but she goes to study in Europe without telling him. Finn gives up drawing and going to Paradiso Perduto because he is heartbroken.
In seven years, Finn's lawyer tells him that a New York City gallery owner wants to show his work. Finn does not understand, but he agrees to go. He meets Estella in the park there. Her boyfriend is a rich businessman named Walter. She starts acting playful with Finn again, posing naked in his flat, which makes Walter jealous.
Finn finally gets Estella to stop avoiding him, which makes him angry. He then takes her away from Walter and they have sex. She tells him she will be back in time for the start of Finn's show after a short visit with her aunt. When the show starts, though, she doesn't show up. Uncle Joe does, though, and Finn feels bad about himself because of how rude he is. Finn tries to find Estella at her home in New York but instead finds Ms. Dinsmoor. She tells Finn that she came to New York to see Estella get married to Walter, which makes Finn angry. She then tells him that Estella was using him to get Walter to marry her by making him jealous. She feels bad about manipulating him when she realises how much it has upset him, but it's too late.
Finn comes back to his office and sees Lustig, a strange man with a beard who wants to see him. Finn is at first shocked and then feels uncomfortable with him being there. Finn realises that Lustig, not the rich Ms. Dinsmoor, has been helping him the whole time he's been in New York because of what he says as he leaves. Finn follows him to the tube stop.
While waiting for a train, Lustig sees three sketchy friends on the other station. They are caught off guard by Finn and Lustig, who get on a train. They believe they are safe, but one of them breaks into the car and stabs Lustig very badly. As he bleeds to death in Finn's arms, he tells Finn that he has helped Finn because Finn was kind to him as a child.
Finn drops everything, goes to Paris to study art, and does well there. To see his Uncle Joe, he goes back to Florida. He goes to Ms. Dinsmoor's house even though she has died. While he is sitting in the yard, he thinks he sees Estella as a child. Finding the girl's mother at the back dock, she is Estella, who is now divorced. She tells him she has thought about him a lot and asks him to forgive her. With their hands together, they look out at the water.