Great Expectations To Close London Film Festival

A few days ago it was announced that Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie is set to open 56th BFI London Film Festival on October 10th, and now it’s been revealed that the closing movie will be the European Premiere of Mike Newell’s take on Great Expectations.

In the film, young orphan Pip is given a chance to rise from his humble beginnings thanks to a mysterious benefactor. Moving through London’s class-ridden world as a gentleman, Pip uses his new-found position to pursue the beautiful Estella, a spoilt heiress he’s loved since childhood. Yet the shocking truth behind this great fortune will have devastating consequences for everything he holds dear.

The movie stars Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Jeremy Irvine, Holliday Grainger, Robbie Coltrane, Ewen Bremner, Jason Flemyng, Sally Hawkins, David Walliams and Tamzin Outhwaite. It was adapted for the screen by David Nicholls, writer of the global best-seller One Day. The film will be released nationwide on 30th November 2012 in the UK.

Director Mike Newell comments: “It’s a great honour to be invited to be the BFI London Film Festival’s Closing Night film. I’m proud that our new version of Great Expectations should be presented this year, the bi-centenary of Dickens’ birth. I’ve tried to make a film that is true to the theatrical vividness, energetic characters and high colour that he is loved for, while mining the deep seams of emotional cruelty and madness that underlie one of Dickens’ darkest-shadowed stories. I’ve tried to make a film for a young modern audience in which Pip and Estella’s fated love affair is shown through feelings and stresses that are of today and in a city that was, then, full of brawling energy, was unimaginably wealthy and very bad.”

Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes and Mike Newell are expected to attend the Festival. The 56th BFI London Film Festival runs from Wednesday 10th October-Sunday 21st October.