Lean followed his collaborations with Coward by bringing to the screen the work of Charles Dickens in a pair of films still considered among the very best adaptations of the great writer. In fact, in the case of the double Oscar-winning Great Expectations, it is hard to disagree with critic Roger Ebert’s assessment of it as “the greatest of all the Dickens films”. At least in part, this is down to the magnificent casting, with John Mills (Pip), Valerie Hobson (Estella), Martita Hunt (Miss Havisham), Finlay Currie (Magwitch), and Alec Guinness (Herbert Pocket) bringing these familiar characters to life beautifully.

Screening as part of The Films of David Lean season.