Great Expectations- My First Impressions

This semester for Level 4 Make Up in Motion, our theme in Gothic Horror, in preparation for this topic we were asked to read Great Expectations.  Great Expectations, a novel by Charles Dickens focuses on three main characters, Pip, Miss Havisham and Estella and there many journey's and obstacles through what seems like a very complicated life.  Having read Great Expectations before, I had a good idea of the plot, however having also watched two versions of the film, one released in 1998 and the other in 2012 and a TV version, it is clear that the interpretations of the characters on each platform are very different.

In both the book, TV show and films, the themes are all very similar.  The novel has a very mysterious and almost fairytale like portrayal, which has been represented in the films and TV show too, you can recognise this theme straight away from the gloomy, foggy, marshland setting. However there are also themes of suffering, separation, innocence and heartbreak.  These themes are particularly portrayed through the character of Miss Havisham, one of the main characters I will be focusing on during this project.

Gillian Anderson

Helena Bonham Carter

First Image Credit: (Online) Available at: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02063/Gilian-Anderson5_2063010i.jpg. Accessed 20 January 2014.

Second Image Credit: Gillian Anderson, Helena Bonham Carter and Miss Havisham on film - Telegraph. (Online) Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8907506/Gillian-Anderson-Helena-Bonham-Carter-and-Miss-Havisham-on-film.html?image=3. Accessed 20 January 2014.

Estella and Miss Havisham are particularly interesting characters to me because they have very different traits and personalities, Miss Havisham is mentally broken and stuck in the same monotonous routine, however Estella strives for freedom and seems to want to explore the outside world. The different interpretations of Miss Havisham particularly caught my eye, in the BBC TV Series of Great Expectations, the character of Miss Havisham played by Gillian Anderson is perceived very differently to her characters portrayal in the 2012 film, where she is played by Helena Bonham Carter.  

Anderson plays a much more innocent version of Havisham than Bonham Carter, her tattered by still slightly elegant dress and neat curls around the front of her face give her an angelic look, her skin also looks dewy and surprisingly healthy, this was interesting as I would have expected Miss Havisham to look a lot more haggard as after all, she has been deprived from sunlight for many years.  However, there are still elements that capture how exhausted Miss Havisham really is, but to me these are only really shown from the dark bags under her eyes and her dry, cracked lips.

Helena Bonham Carter plays a much fiercer character in the film, the tones of white, grey and black throughout her hair create a typical Gothic look.  Her skin also looks a lot more dry and unhealthy than Gillian Anderson's in the TV series, her skin is wrinkled and her eyes look tired. 

I cant wait to get stuck in with this project, there seems to be so much that I'm going to be able to explore, especially when it comes to the characters and central themes of Great Expectations, I'm really looking forward to the next few months and can't wait to get creating!