I have some english homework to write a film review comparing the older and newer films of ‘Great Expectations’…
Any help on writing a review?
Format of writing a review?
Any comparisons you have of the two films??
Anything that might help me is appreciated? 
Please help me…
First watch the older version first to get an overview of what will be compared to it, then watch the newer version. When reviewing start with what you liked about the newer version (what did it do right, etc) then write about your disappointments (what could it have done to better express the events, etc). Also if you can read the book before watching either film, you can get increase your knowledge of what to expect, and add extra things to review about (whether either version meets/met your expectation of a certain scene, what could/should have been added, surprises in scene choice regarding scenery, music score, etc) Finally, compare acting ability of the choice of actors in both versions, maybe an actor was perfect for the role, maybe they were stale, or eyecandy, perhaps the actor was good, but the role didn’t leave much room for making the film better. You should also keep in mind that each director may be trying to achieve different goals, maybe it was to direct the audience towards a certain social change that needs/should be addressed, maybe it’s to modernize the classic masterpiece by setting it in a more modern or even futuristic setting, or maybe it’s to try to make a 100 million dollars or more in theaters, if you can figure out the reason the film is protrayed as it is, you can get a better angle for reviewing it in your comparasion.
January 23rd, 2010 at 2:26 am
Good Reviews should try and cover everything from audio,acting,originality,story.Reviews on films are a matter of taste.Ive read reviews about films that didnt get a good write up and then watched the film and thought it was great
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January 23rd, 2010 at 3:14 am
Well the Best Version to me would be the near 4 hour version presented on Channel 11 (WTTW) Public Broadcasting in 1999. I have the DVD now. That had the mood and the set of Charles Dickens theme. They fleshed out the story more, from a younger Pip to a more naive one as he becomes an adult. The two actresses Justine Waddell and Charlotte Rampling were amazing, they gave the perfect performances as hurt women who sly played games with this young boys life. The pace of the movie went right along with the book, and put in certain parts only readers would recognize. Now the version most people think about is Ethan Hawke’s in 1998. Which was a self involved look at Pip, to me. Miss Havisham in that version seem off or loose throughout the movie, which doesn’t bring mystery to her character. In the BBC version (as mentioned above) Miss Havisham we come to think is odd after meeting her, but come to like her and Estella. But then the oddness of the wedding cake in the dinning room, lets you full know we had no idea what we were dealing with. There was not that much interesting happening in Great Expectations (Ethan’s version). Many people thought it was sexy, put it wasn’t, I came to long for older versions or more old-english style settings that any modern interpretations.
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January 23rd, 2010 at 4:04 am
First watch the older version first to get an overview of what will be compared to it, then watch the newer version. When reviewing start with what you liked about the newer version (what did it do right, etc) then write about your disappointments (what could it have done to better express the events, etc). Also if you can read the book before watching either film, you can get increase your knowledge of what to expect, and add extra things to review about (whether either version meets/met your expectation of a certain scene, what could/should have been added, surprises in scene choice regarding scenery, music score, etc) Finally, compare acting ability of the choice of actors in both versions, maybe an actor was perfect for the role, maybe they were stale, or eyecandy, perhaps the actor was good, but the role didn’t leave much room for making the film better. You should also keep in mind that each director may be trying to achieve different goals, maybe it was to direct the audience towards a certain social change that needs/should be addressed, maybe it’s to modernize the classic masterpiece by setting it in a more modern or even futuristic setting, or maybe it’s to try to make a 100 million dollars or more in theaters, if you can figure out the reason the film is protrayed as it is, you can get a better angle for reviewing it in your comparasion.
References :