There can be no denial of the fact that the novel, Great Expectations, is one of the finest works of literature. The novel has intrigued the literary critics as well as the avid readers alike, and it is deemed among the most famous literary works in the history of literature. The stalwart author, Charles Dickens goes on to exude his literary quintessence and aesthetic appeal in this novel that has left a lasting mark in the minds of one and all owing to its content and portrayal. Indeed, this novel in context is one of the most apt literary works to be adapted in the cinematic form. The literary work has all the needed elements so as to be a success in the filmic form. An adaptation of this novel would surely hog the limelight and leave the gazillion audience enthralled by the sheer excellence of the content and the skill of the cinematic work. A close introspection of the work in context would enable one and all to have a much better comprehension of the text and its filmic significance.
There can be no doubt that the character of Miss Havisham is one of the most striking and significant characters of the novel. If this novel is adapted in the cinematic form, the portrayal of the character of Miss Havisham would be one of the key factors for the film to work. Dickens goes on to explicate her looks in the course of the narrative of the novel. She is portrayed by the author being “dressed in rich materials - satins, and lace, and silks - all of white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white.” (Dickens Ch.8) Apart from this, she is described to wear bright jewelry on her hands and neck. Now, this description by the novelist gives a clear picture of the looks of this character in context. In a cinematic adaptation, the director has to give proper attention to the looks and attire of this character.
Characterization is one of the main aspects of pre-production in making a film. The writers and the director of the filmic adaptation have to pay utmost care toward the penning of this character. It has to be noted that much of the film’s success is based on how this character shapes up to be, being one of the main elements of the story. The filmmaker has to note the fact that the character is in reality an eccentric and affluent old woman who resides in this manor known as the Satis House. Now, in the course of the narrative of the novel, Miss Havisham often comes across to be insane in her nature. She is seen flitting around the manor in this faded wedding dress of her. She even keeps the decaying food on the table. The ambiance of the house is surrounded by clocks that are all stopped at twenty minutes to nine. The screenplay writers of the adaptation have to reckon the fact that all of these elements that have been explicated by Dickens in his novel come together to portray the psyche and eccentricity of the character in context.
The filmmaker has to give ample importance to the mise en scène and the props during the filming of the character of Miss Havisham. As it can be gauged by going through the novel by Dickens, much of the eccentricity and state of mind of this lady is explicated by the ambiance of the house in which resides. The mise en scène of this house has to be perfect so as to bring out the psyche of this woman. Much importance has to be given in the portrayal of the clocks and the table for dining. These would work as cinematic portrayal of the disturbance of her mind. One can imagine how intriguing the ambiance would turn out to be if these things are portrayed cinematically. One needs to remember that this lady was jilted by her fiancé just minutes before their marriage. This led her to have this vendetta against males in general. Now, the cinematic elements have to aim at accentuating this effect in the visual form while filming the character for the movie.
Now, a number of effective cinematic techniques can be used so as to portray the character of Miss Havisham in the best possible way. In a movie, the filmmaker has the liberty to utilize the camera angles and the lighting so as to portray the character in a certain manner. The filmmaker can make the use of canted shots in the portrayal of this character of Miss Havisham. Generally, canted shots are used for portraying some sort of disorientation of the character or the situation in a narrative. However, in the case of Miss Havisham, canted shots would work to portray the eccentricity of her mind. It would be evident that her psyche and perspective is anything but normal. The way she plans to take vengeance on the entire male community is truly something that is bizarre. Also, low angle shots can be assorted with the canted shots. A low angle shot of this character would establish her surmounting influence on the entire narrative of the film. Truly, her influence works a lot in shaping the story by Dickens.
It has to be reckoned that Miss Havisham is eccentric in nature. She has even raised her daughter, Estella, to be a tool for fulfilling her vengeance on the males of the society. She has trained her daughter to break the hearts of the men in a bid to take revenge for her own heart-break. The cinematic portraiture has to be good enough to accentuate the effect of the presence of the character on the screen. One of the most intriguing things in this novel by Charles Dickens is that the author goes on to include much detailed information in the text so as to help the imagination of the avid readers. As such, the work of the director of the cinematic adaptation becomes easier as he or she can get a lot of information about the character and its attributes from the novel itself. It has to be reckoned that both the mansion and her time are totally “stuck in time” waiting for a festivity that would not occur ever. One can only imagine the tremendous importance of portraiture of this character in the best possible way for the cinematic adaptation of the novel. Indeed, it would need much prowess on the part of the director to bring out the affective appeal of this character on the screen.
One can very well draw an inspiration from German Expressionist cinema of the past times so as to incorporate some filmic stylistics for the portrayal of the character in context. It needs to be noted that the German Expressionist filmmakers went on to portray the emotions of the characters through overt expressions, lighting and the ambiance of the scenes. Now, in the cinematic adaptation of this novel, the traits of German Expressionism can very well be utilized so as to portray the psyche and eccentricity of the character of Miss Havisham. It has to be reckoned that expressionism goes on to seek the essence of things. As such, the filmmaker would seek the most expressive aspect of the character in context. Thus, there would be ample scope for the filmmaker to use chiaroscuro lighting for portraying the character of Miss Havisham. Apart from this, the filmmaker can ask the set designer of the film to give emphasis on the shapes, patterns and forms in the scenes where Miss Havisham would be present in the film.
There can be no denial of the fact that Miss Havisham is so much affected by the tragedy of her life that she has turned bitter and vengeful in nature. The incident has taken a toll on her mind and she is left stranded in the time of the tragedy. The clocks of her house testify to this fact. Her sense of reality is thus distorted in nature. The filmmaker can very well portray this distortion through the characteristic traits of expressionism. The filmmaker can plan to use distortion of images by incorporating mirrors in the mise en scène of the sequences including Miss Havisham. Apart from this, angularity and extreme verticals can add to the cinematic effect of the portrayal of the character in context. It has to be reckoned that the world of Miss Havisham is nightmarish as she is stuck in time. Her demeanor and presentation testifies to this fact. If the filmmaker is determined to use the traits of expressionism, the character of Miss Havisham can very well act in a highly gesticulatory manner.
“At the center of Dickens’ portrayal of women in Great Expectations lies a stark and melodramatic image: women, lacking in capacity to love, become destructive to themselves and to men.” (Hartog 248) This is the central theme of the novel. This would also constitute the central theme of the cinematic adaptation. When one views the character of Miss Havisham, this tendency of self-destruction is apparent. The very fact that she wears the same outfit and has left all the clocks at her mansion stuck in time shows that she is living in the past. All her life is aimed at avenging the disrespect and trauma that was caused to her. The filmmaker has to understand that the character of Miss Havisham in the film has to portray this essence via her dialogues, expressions, costumes, makeup, as well as in complement to the mise en scène and the ambiance. The dialogues that have been penned by the famous novelist can very well be used by the filmmaker in the cinematic adaptation. The fact that Dickens is extremely detailed in his approach as a novelist would work in great favor of the filmmaker. He can find proper guidance and aid in the writing of the novelist.
The primary aim of the filmmaker would be to recreate what has already been penned in detail by the novelist and also add to it with his creative zeal and cinematic vision. As far as the costume of Miss Havisham is concerned, the costume designer can opt for an old wedding gown. Her makeup would show her all made up yet lacking the glow and vibrant look. This has to be coupled with her expressions, the lighting and the camera angles. All of these elements can come together to make this the pivotal character of the cinematic adaptation of Great Expectations. There can be no debate over the fact that the novel’s character stirs the minds of the avid readers and leaves a lasting impression with its idiosyncratic ways. The detailed and skillful literary portrayal of Charles Dickens does the magic for the novel in context. The filmmaker should pay stress on the scenes involving the interaction of the character of Miss Havisham with the other characters. There, the filmmaker can incorporate a number of bodily movements, facial expressions and gesticulations so as to add more creativity to the character’s portrayal on the screen.
One should aim to read and interpret the text of the novel penned by the stalwart author “with a sympathetic and intelligent comprehension of the spirit in which it was written and of what it was actually about.” (Raphael 400) Thus, the filmmaker should also aim to bring out the pain in the heart of Miss Havisham that has led to her eccentricity and incongruity with the reality of life. She is someone who is stuck back in time being unable to get over her past. Having lost her youthfulness and exuberance herself, she trains Estelle for being cold to men so that she can realize the essence of revenge on the entire male community of the society. Indeed, she does this out of the pain emerging from her own tragic life. As such, it is the prerogative of the filmmaker being the main person behind the vision and articulation of the filmic adaptation that he or she is able to portray this mental state and the trauma that encompasses the life of Miss Havisham. Her vengefulness is something that drives the story ahead and leads to a number of consequences for the other characters of the narrative text.
Hence, it would be correct to conclude by opining that the cinematic adaptation of the novel, Great Expectations, penned by Charles Dickens would truly catapult the expectations of the audience to paramount heights. With the popularity that this novel has in the world in the present times, the film would definitely be watched by a huge number of people who would be eager to see the audio-visual representation of the narrative text by Dickens. While the filmmaker has to take care of a number of other factors for achieving the perfection of the cinematic adaptation of this novel, the characterization of Miss Havisham has to be bang on so as to evoke the affective reaction of the avid audience of the film. With the cinematic elements and filmic techniques that have been discussed in the course of the paper, one can surely highlight the characteristic traits of the eccentric character that plays a highly pivotal role in the entire story. The director should add to the vision of the novelist. The mise en scène, the lighting, the costumes, the props, the makeup, the camera angles can all come together to make the portrayal the perfect one so as to leave an everlasting mark in the minds of the innumerable people who would come to see the cinematic adaptation of the novel.
Works Cited
Hartog, Curt. “The Rape of Miss Havisham.” Studies in the Novel 14.3 (1982): 248-265.
Raphael, Linda. “A Re-vision of Miss Havisham: Her Expectations and Our Responses.”
Studies in the Novel 21.4 (1989): 400-412.
