John Mills has “Great Expectations” in the David Lean adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic

Great Expectations (1946) is a British drama directed by David Lean and based on the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens and starring John Mills and Valerie Hobson. The strong supporting cast included Jean Simmons, Finlay Currie, Martita Hunt, Torin Thatcher, and Alec Guinness. The cinematography by Guy Green won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White.

Orphan Phillip “Pip” Pirrip (Anthony Wager) lives with his mean older sister and her kindhearted blacksmith husband, Joe Gargery. While visiting his parents’ graves, Pip meets Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict (Currie). Magwitch intimidates young Pip into bringing him tools to remove his chains. Pip brings him the tools and food too. Magwitch thanks him for his efforts but is eventually captured and sent to jail.

An eccentric spinster named Miss Havisham (Hunt) arranges to have Pip provide companionship for her adopted daughter Estella (Jean Simmons). Estella treats Pip cruelly but he is entranced by her beauty and finds himself falling in love with her.

As Pip (Mills) grows older, a secret benefactor provides him with money and privilege in London. Pip has no idea who his benefactor is. The lawyer Mr. Jaggers says that his benefactor wants to remain anonymous. Pip still pines for Estella (Hobson) even though she still treats him indifferently.

Will Pip ever discover his benefactor and will he find true love with Estella?

Alec Guinness and John Mills

Great Expectations trivia

• Alec Guinness and Martita Hunt were both in the stage production of Great Expectations.
• This was Guinness’s first significant screen role. It was the first of six movies he would make with Lean.
• Jean Simmons who played young Estella would go on to play Miss Havisham in the 1989 TV mini-series.
• David Lean had never read any Dickens when it was suggested that he direct an adaptation.
• Tony Wager who played young Pip was three years younger than Jean Simmons.

 

To watch the movie on YouTube, click here.

 

 

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Discussion questions

1. If you are familiar with the novel, how close do you think the film was to the book?
2. This film made John Mills a major star in England. What did you think of his performance?
3. Many critics thought that Valerie Hobson was miscast as Estella. Do you agree?
4. The film won an Academy Award for its black-and-white cinematography. Do you think it was well deserved?
5. Did you have a favorite character actor or performance?
6. This film is widely considered the best screen adaptation of a Dickens novel. Do you agree?

Robert Newton and Celia Johnson head the cast in David Lean’s “This Happy Breed”

This Happy Breed (1944) is a British drama directed by David Lean and starring Robert Newton, Celia Johnson, Stanley Holloway, and John Mills. The screenplay is by Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, and Ronald Neame. The screenplay is based on the play This Happy Breed (1939) by Noel Coward.

The story dramatizes the life of a suburban London family from 1919 to the early years of World War II.

Robert Newton and Celia Johnson

David Lean (1908 - 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time. Lean started out working in silent films where he worked his way up from teaboy to film editor. He made the transition to talking pictures and in directed his first feature In Which We Serve in 1942 which was made in collaboration with Noel Coward. Lean collaborated with Coward on This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), and Brief Encounter (1945) widely considered one of the greatest British films ever made. Today Lean is best known in America for his epic productions of films like The Bride on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984).

Robert Newton (1905 – 1956) was a popular English actor and is probably best remembered for his role as Long John Silver in the Walt Disney version of Treasure Island (1950). His exaggerated accent in that role is credited with what we consider the “pirate voice.” Newton was a popular player in London’s West End and he also appeared on Broadway, replacing Laurence Olivier in Private Lives. He made several films in Hollywood including The Desert Rats (1953), Les Miserables (1952), Blackbeard the Pirate (1952), and The High and the Mighty (1954).

Celia Johnson (1908 - 1982) was an English actress who was a star on the stage, film, and television. She was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in Brief Encounter. Other films Johnson starred in include This Happy Breed (1944) and Captain's Paradise (1953). Later in her career, Johnson won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969).

John Mills (1908 - 2005) was an English actor who made over 100 films in the United States and in Great Britain. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Mills worked on the stage in London in the Noel Coward revue Words and Music (1932). He made his film debut in the U.K. in 1932 and appeared with Ida Lupino in The Ghost Camera (1933). He had a supporting role in Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) starring Robert Donat. Mills starred as Pip in Great Expectations (1946) to great acclaim and popular box office. Mills continued acting into the 2000s.

This Happy Breed trivia

• Laurence Olivier is the narrator during the film’s opening.
• David Lean’s first Technicolor movie and first solo directing credit.
• John Mills was the only cast member to reprise his role for the film.
• Robert Donat was offered the role of Frank Gibbons but turned it down.
• Celia Johnson plays John Mills’s mother-in-law but they were both the same age in real life.

 

To watch the film on YouTube, click here or the link below.

 

Discussion questions

1. Do you think Lean had an underlying message in the telling of the story of the Gibbons family?
2. Did Newton and Johnson make a believable married couple?
3. Were the family situations realistic? Could you relate to any of them?
4. Did the situation with Queenie (Kay Walsh) ring true?
5. Did you have a favorite character or scene?
6. Were you surprised that the film was in Technicolor? Was color a plus?

 

To join the discussion on August 7, 2023, at 6 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Charles Laughton, John Mills, and Brenda de Banzie star in “Hobson’s Choice”

Hobson’s Choice (1954) is a British romantic comedy film directed by David Lean and starring Charles Laughton, John Mills, and Benda de Banzie. The film is based on the play of the same name written by Harold Brighouse. The film’s setting is 1880 Salford, England.

Henry Horatio Hobson (Laughton) is the proprietor of a somewhat fancy boot shop that he runs with his three daughters. Hobson is a widower who rules his business with an iron hand. He doesn’t even pay his daughter any wages. Not only do they work for him, but they keep house for him as well.

The eldest daughter, Maggie (de Banzie) has a real head for business and at 30 years old, she’s too old for marriage, according to her father. One of his main reasons for believing this is because she’s invaluable to his business. The two younger sisters are both keeping company with young professional men but their father is against paying marriage settlements.

Maggie decides that she wants to get out from under her father’s control so she sets her sights on Will Mossop, the most talented boot maker in the city. She convinces him that they should marry and start their own boot business. At first, Will is reluctant. However, Maggie sees potential in Will and she is determined to develop it. She tutors him in writing and advises him in the ways of business.

As a married couple, Maggie and Will have managed to turn their little startup into a very profitable business.

How will this all work out with Henry Hobson who has resented his daughter’s foray into the boot business in direct completion with him?

Brenda di Banzie and John Mills

Charles Laughton (1899 – 1962) had a long career on the stage and in Hollywood. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Henry VIII in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) and was nominated for two other Best Actor Oscars for his performances in Mutiny on the Bounty (1933) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). His performance in The Suspect is considered one of Laughton’s most natural screen performances, which is credited to director Siodmak, a close personal friend of the actor.

John Mills (1908 - 2005) was an English actor who made over 100 films in the United States and in Great Britain. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Mills worked on the stage in London in the Noel Coward revue Words and Music (1932). He made his film debut in the U.K. in 1932 and appeared with Ida Lupino in The Ghost Camera (1933). He had a supporting role in Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) starring Robert Donat. Mills starred as Pip in Great Expectations (1946) to great acclaim and popular box office. Mills continued acting into the 2000s.

Brenda de Banzie (1909 – 1981) was a British actress of stage and screen. American film audiences may remember her as Lucy Drayton in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), but she had many roles in British cinema. She costarred with Laurence Olivier as his wife in The Entertainer (1960). She starred with Olivier on Broadway in role she created, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Other film roles include The Mark (1961), and The Pink Panther (1963).

John Mills, Brenda di Banzie, and Charles Laughton

Hobson’s Choice trivia

• Charles Laughton played the role of Hobson on the stage as a teenager.
• Brenda de Banzie plays a 30-year-old in the film but was 44 at the time of filming.
• John Mills was only nine years younger than Charles Laughton and considered his role as  Will Mossop among his favorite film roles.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

 

To join the discussion on July 24, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. What was your overall impression of the film?
2. Did you find the family relationships relatable?
3. Was the relationship between Will and Maggie believable?
4. Which role did you think was most critical to the success of the film?
5. Did anything about this film surprise you?

Katharine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi in "Summertime"

Summertime (1955) is a romance directed by David Lean and starring Katharine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi. The film is based on the play The Time of the Cuckoo by Arthur Laurents. 

Jane Hudson (Hepburn) is a middle-aged secretary from Akron, Ohio, who is traveling to Venice, Italy for the first time in her life. This is a vacation trip that she had saved for over many years. During her vacation, she feels a sense of loneliness when she sees all the couples in the city. Along the way, she meets Renato de Rossi (Brazzi) who expresses a romantic interest in her. 

Will Jane find true love and happiness with Renato or will she go back to Akron, Ohio, and resume life as a "fancy secretary?"

Katharine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi

David Lean (1908 - 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time. Lean started out working in silent films where he worked his way up from teaboy to film editor. He made the transition to talking pictures and in directed his first feature In Which We Serve in 1942 which was made in collaboration with Noel Coward. Lean collaborated with Coward on This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), and Brief Encounter (1945) widely considered one of the greatest British films ever made. Today Lean is best known in America for his epic productions of films like The Bride on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984).

Katharine Hepburn (1907 - 2002) was an American actress on stage, screen, and television. She is the Oscar champ, winning four competitive Best Actress Awards. She received her first in 1933 for Morning Glory and her fourth for On Golden Pond (1981). Other Hepburn films include Little Women (1933), Alice Adams (1935), Stage Door (1937), Holiday (1938), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Woman of the Year (1942), Adams Ribs 1949), and The African Queen (1951). Hepburn continued acting as late as 1994, concentrating on television acting in The Man Upstairs (1992) with Ryan O’ Neal and This Can’t Be Love with Anthony Quinn.

Summertime trivia

• Katharine Hepburn got an eye infection when she fell into the canal. It plagued her for the rest of her life.
• Tourism to Venice increased after the release of this film.
• This was the last of Lean's "small" film project and supposedly his favorite.
• The director became so enamored of Venice that he made it his second home.
• Olivia de Havilland considered starring in the film.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on April 18, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation to the discussion along with a Zoom link.

Discussion questions

1. Was Katharine Hepburn convincing as a spinster from Akron, Ohio?
2. Do you think the red goblet Renato sold to Jane is really an antique?
3. What did you think of Renato's relationship with Jane? Do you think he really cared for her?
4. Did you have a favorite character actor?
5. Were you surprised by anything in the film?
6. Was the ending satisfying? Did you expect a different ending?

Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard have a “Brief Encounter”

Brief Encounter (1945) is a British romantic film directed by David Lean and starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. The screenplay was written by Noel Coward which was based on his play Still Life (1936).

Laura Jesson (Johnson) and Dr. Alec Harvey (Howard) are two strangers who meet by chance at a train in England. The two, both married to other people, begin to meet and develop a relationship that goes deeper than friendship. How will these two reconcile their growing love for each other when they’re both attached to other people?

Brief Encounter was only the fourth film that Lean directed. It was also the first time he was nominated for Best Director by the Motion Picture Academy. Lean won two Best Director Academy Awards for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1958) and Lawrence of Arabia (1963). He was nominated for Best Director a total of seven times from a total output of 17 films.

Celia Johnson and Tevor Howard

David Lean (1908 - 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time. Lean started out working in silent films where he worked his way up from teaboy to film editor. He made the transition to talking pictures and in directed his first feature In Which We Serve in 1942 which was made in collaboration with Noel Coward. Lean collaborated with Coward on This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), and Brief Encounter (1945) widely considered one of the greatest British films ever made. Today Lean is best known in America for his epic productions of films like The Bride on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984).

Celia Johnson (1908 - 1982) was an English actress who was a star on the stage, film, and television. She was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in Brief Encounter. Other films Johnson starred in include This Happy Breed (1944) and Captain's Paradise (1953). Later in her career, Johnson won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969).

Brief Encounter trivia:

• The film was shot during the winning days of World War II.
• This was Trevor Howard’s first major film role.
• Billy Wilder says he got the idea for his film The Apartment (1960) from a pivotal scene in this film.
• The film was banned in Ireland on its initial release.
• Celia Johnson was married to Peter Fleming, the elder brother of Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond.

To watch the film on YouTube click the link below.

Why watch this movie?

This was director David Lean’s first Best Director Academy Award nomination.

The film is considered one of the best British films of all time.

Lean’s film focuses more on the story than “star power” or a glamorous setting.

It influenced future director Robert Altman.

To join us for a discussion of the film on April 13, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time on Zoom. To join the discussion click here. Once you RSVP you’ll receive an email and invitation for the Zoom meeting.

Questions for discussion:

1. Why do you think this film has the reputation for being one of the best films of all time?
2. What did you think of the characterizations of Johnson and Howard? Were they likable?
3. Did anything in the film surprise you?
4. Was the ending satisfying? Did it end the way you had anticipated?