Trivia / Great Expectations (1946)

• Costume Backlash: Alec Guinness found his wig to be very uncomfortable, making the initial filming process quite nerve-wrecking.
• Creative Differences: Guy Green replaced Robert Krasker as the cinematographer in this movie. David Lean and Ronald Neame were not satisfied with Krasker's studio re-creation of the marshes in the opening scenes.
• Creator Couple: David Lean's wife Kay Walsh, who does not star in this version, came up with the idea for an ending where Pip saves Estella from a similar fate to Miss Havisham, and received a screenplay credit. She was also instrumental in "dragging" her husband to a stage production of the book, where he became a fan of the story.
• Darkhorse Casting: Jean Simmons was not yet a familiar face to moviegoers when she was cast as the young Estella, but her performance impressed David Lean.
• Dawson Casting: John Mills, playing Pip from the age of nineteen to twenty-five, was thirty-eight at the time of filming, while Alec Guinness was thirty-two playing Herbert Pocket, who is roughly the same age.
• Enforced Method Acting: Jean Simmons never saw Martita Hunt out of costume, and this allowed her to only see her as Miss Havisham for their scenes.
• Fake Brit: A slight example. Martita Hunt was born in Argentina to a British family and spent the first twenty years of her life there.
• Hostility on the Set: Valerie Hobson called the experience of working with David Lean on this movie, "the unhappiest", and called him "a cold director. He gave me nothing at all as an actress."
• I Am Not Spock: Despite having appeared in several popular films of the day, Martita Hunt's preference for the stage meant that she is best remembered as Miss Havisham.
• Production Posse: It would be the first of six films Alec Guinness made with David Lean.
• Role Reprise: David Lean based the streamlined film script on a 1939 stage version he had seen, where Alec Guinness played Herbert Pocket and Martita Hunt played Miss Havisham.
• Star-Making Role: The film launched Alec Guinness' film career.
• Throw It In!: Invoked. Alec Guinness struggled with a close-up in which he had to laugh out loud. David Lean told him to forget about the whole thing, sat by his side, and signaled the camera to start turning in the conversation. He said something which made Guinness laugh and then said, "Cut". Guinness: "So he got this shot on a totally false premise... but thank God. I don't think I would have ever achieved it otherwise".
• What Might Have Been:
  • Both Ingrid Bergman and Margaret Lockwood were considered for the role of Estella.
  • Petula Clark tested for the role of Estella as a girl.

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