Great Expectations (1934), dir. Stuart Walker
Great Expectations 1934 produced by the Universal Studios, the first sound film adapted from the Dickens novel. I watched it yesterday and found it not as bad as the reviews had it. One of the reason for their distaste might have been the actors' American accent which is of little relevance for me. F. L. Sullivan played Mr. Jaggers in this 1934 adaptation and he would give it an equally laudable reprise 12 years later in David Lean's Great Expectations 1946. The backstory of Magwitch, played by Henry Hull, is given much weight in this version that a flashback is inserted in his narration showing his love story with Molly. The conventional happy ending is relatively hasty: Miss Havisham repents herself of all she has done before her death and tells Estella to marry for the sake of love.
