Both Sunset Boulevard and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? were inspired by David Lean's adaptation of Great Expectations, as were, by extension, the characters of Norma Desmond and Baby Jane Hudson, and their homes. [9] In film and television [ edit ] Many journalists have drawn connections between the jilted Miss Havisham and subsequent jilted brides (life imitates art), such as the widely-reported case of Alice Pinard-Dôges, who committed suicide in 1894. [8] Alternative and derived versions [ edit ] Collin, Robbie (29 November 2012). "Great Expectations, review". The Daily Telegraph. London . Retrieved 9 March 2013.

Verity Hawkes and her costume department are basically my way in to Miss Havisham. The first time I tried on Verity's costume, she said "I don’t want it dusty and old, I want it rotten. I think Miss Havisham is darker than that, she is rotten on the inside." It was so great, and the dress is sort of rotting. You know when you see a lemon left in the fruit bowl, and it has gone those beautiful shades of green. The decay is growing up the dress, it’s amazing. I worked most of the time with Fionn and Shalom – they are irritatingly young and beautiful, and really good! I have had a lovely time, and I sort of forget I’m not the same age as them. Then I look in the mirror and go "oh yes, they have given me a great white wig." It’s amazing working with them, they are brilliant. It is very exciting to see where they will go. Ronald Frame's 2013 novel, Havisham, is a non-canonical story about Miss Havisham's early life. The story tells how Miss Havisham (given the name of Catherine) is the daughter of a brewer. The story tells of more than just the infamous trauma of being left behind by her fiancé and goes on with her taking charge of her family's business before descending into vengeful madness, adopting Estella, and arranging the meeting of Estella and Pip. KC: Obviously Ridley is an icon of cinema so having his input and his lens on things is always really invaluable. Ryan, J. S. "Donnithorne, Eliza Emily (1826–1886)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.

Interview with Kate Crowe & Dean Baker (Executive Producers)

When we meet Pip he's quite young and he is a very enthusiastic, excited kid in a lot of ways, although also quite unsatisfied. He's unsatisfied with where he is, what he's been born into and has these aspirations for travelling the world, seeing the Empire, going to Cairo to become a gentleman and escaping the situation he's in, which is not a particularly happy one at home. He lives with his sister and her husband – they’re a slightly dysfunctional family. I think he's a character who's possibly going through a lot of grief as well, like the death of other family members years before. As the story goes on, it's just him trying to shake that off and trying to become his own person and make his way in London. KC: Steve’s version of Miss Havisham is not a gothic masterpiece stuffed away in a dusty room. She is very human and very flawed. Olivia’s performance captures all this, she’s cruel, funny, witty, vulnerable. It’s a brilliant performance, of course. Can you tell us about the relationship between Pip and Miss Havisham and what it's been like working with Olivia Colman? It’s humbling, there's no doubt about it. I'm from the Elephant and Castle, that's where I grew up and where I live now, and it's where this is all set. There was a great line in one of the earlier drafts, where Jaggers sends Pip off to South London and says, "Take this letter to the Walworth Road." Pip says, "What if anyone stops me?" And he says, "Don't talk to anyone within two miles of the Elephant and Castle, they're not to be trusted," and I just laughed. That's where I'm from, I live on the Walworth Road. I really wanted to tell, for what it's worth, my interpretation of who Magwitch is. How do you balance staying true to the source material whilst also making it feel timely and modern?

What makes this story such a timeless tale is that it’s somebody who’s desperate to be something other than themselves. I think, at some point, everyone has gone through that. Or desperately wanting to climb the social or class ranks to be richer than they are. There's something in that for everyone to relate to at some point in their life.

Interview with Johnny Harris (Magwitch)

It's hard to describe him really because he goes on a journey. It depends which Magwitch you're talking about, you know, he's quite different at the beginning to the end. Magwitch is a troubled man. On the surface, he's a convict, a rogue, a highwayman, a legend of the road, and he's lived the life of sin. We meet him when the repercussions of that are in full swing. Then there’s an awakening, and from there on he's someone who is trying to do the right thing in life. Until you spoke to [Estella] the other day, and until I saw in you a looking-glass that showed me what I once felt myself, I did not know what I had done. What have I done! What have I done! (Chapter XLIX) KC: It really taps into themes that are there in Steve's writing in his other works. He looks at things like class and social mobility and, in this version, the time that it's set, the way that empire and commerce has affected and shaped London, for example, are all things that very much interest Steve.