McFarlane, B. (2008). Part Two: From Text to Screen. In: 'Screen Adaptations: Great Expectations: A Close Study of the Relationship Between Text and Film'. Berkshire: A & C Black Publishers Limited. p92. Mills, N. (2009). 'Actress Jean Simmons Fulfills 'Great Expectations' Again'. From the Archives.Los Angeles Times. Lean, D. (1946). 'Great Expectations'. Charles Dickens. (2003). Chapter 8. In: Charlotte Mitchell 'Great Expectations'. 2nd ed. London: Penguin Classics. p89-99. 'HeyU Guys'. (November 2012). 'Helena Bonham Carter Interview - Great Expectations'.
Reed's portrayal of Miss Havisham was one of the first on screen reincarnations from Dickens's novel. When looking at this 1934 silent film version it is clear that the styling takes inspiration from the mid Victorian period as Miss Havisham's hair carries more structured styling than the extravagant curls and tight ringlets seen within later adaptations. Authors such as Brian McFarlane have argued that this first version of Miss Havisham was "created in terms less eccentrically memorable that Martita Hunt's incarnation in 1946", however Reed's adaptation of Miss Havisham remains one of her most well known roles. This adaptation transformed Miss Havisham from an object of insanity as portrayed within the novel and instead created a persona of eccentricity and who dies peacefully as opposed to a horrific burning. In turn within Reed's representation Miss Havisham is significantly more turned in to the happenings of the world around her. This concept is captured through her somewhat discarding of the veil which is a key prop within later adaptations to portray her hiding from a time that has moved on. Martita Hunt, 'Miss Havisham' by Cecil Beaton 1946
Martita's reincarnation of Miss Havisham is one of the most famous and recognised representations within all the portrayals of Great Expectations. Similarly to that of Reed's version, Hunt's incarnation carried a same sense of eccentricity but embraces a much darker and distressing element within the costume. Historically it is assumed that Miss Havisham is no more than her early 20's when she is jilted at the alter, this can be calculated through a variety of hints within the novel. Miss Havisham states to Pip that she has "never seen the sun since you were born", Pip is an apprentice which places him around the age of 13/14 when historically boys no longer had to attend basic schooling. Seeing as women often married in their early twenties this would mean that Miss Havisham would be around 30 when she meets Pip therefore making her no older than her late 40's when she dies when Pip is roughly in his 20's. This information is particularly important when examining Martita's version as her age during the role was 47 therefore making her one of the most age accurate reincarnations of the character. It is this accuracy in the representation of her age that has made this representation a pin point for many of the following interpretations throughout the coming years. Margaret Leighton, 1974
This representation of Miss Havisham portrayed by Margaret Leighton is another example of a characterisation that embodies a far more Georgian influence into the styling of the hair, therefore suggesting an early Victorian setting. Once again there is a sense of age being captured within this version as the hair is white and the skin around the neck is visibly wrinkled. It appears that within most film adaptations of the novel Miss Havisham is frequently portrayed as an aged figure despite it never actually being mentioned within the novel. In reality if Miss Havisham was the late Georgian woman (as suggested by the styling within 1974) then she would have a preoccupation with vanity. Furthermore if this were the case it leads the question of how a woman so obsessed with her own reflection would allow herself to fall into such decay. Joan Hickson 1981
This portrayal of Miss Havisham is visibly connected more to the early/mid victorian period meaning that other characters such as Estella and Pip would be children within the mid 19th century for Miss Havisham to still be trapped in such a styling. Again this representation of Miss Havisham is aged and visibly that of an older actress. The hair is white as described in the novel however features such as the half arranged veil and flowers in her hair are missing/less visible. In addition to this is the colouring of the dress which appears more gold/ivory than a tatty moth eaten yellow material. Personally this representation appears far more polished and put together than that of other representations, perhaps this was done intentionally to visibly embody her sense of vanity more effectively by not allowing herself to go fully to waste. However I feel that the sense of madness and decay so prominent within her description is lost here and instead of an embodiment of Miss Havisham we see a polished costume construction. Jean Simmons 1989
Simmons portrayed the character of Miss Havisham back in 1989, previously Jean Simmons had played the role of a young Estella in the original 1946 version of the book, however she went on to reprise the role 43 years later in this remake. The actress was quoted by writer Nancy Mills (2009) to have said that the role of Miss Havisham became much more to her about the acting than that of the costume and character appearance. This was something I found unusual because Miss Havisham's character is as much her costume as it is her mannerisms, therefore to half heartedly disregard a whole element of her being is strange to then try to embody the whole person. That being said Simmons's portray of Miss Havisham is one that is remembered for creating a realistic embodiment of the character as Jean believed she could relate on a personal level as she "understood Miss Havisham's 'agoraphobia". Within regards to the costuming this detachment from the novel is clearer, the skeletal frailty depicted by Dickens is more a older woman amongst a bundle of fabric with curls and ruffs that appear a little more 'little bow peep' than moth-eaten bridal.
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Anne Bancroft 1998
This embodiment of Miss Havisham is by far the most distant from the physical descriptions explored within the novel and is visibly a much more modern interpretation. The makeup styling within this version has elements of the 1960's with the bold graphic eyeliner, red lip and blonde waved back hair. Unlike other versions of 'Great Expectations' this version follows the story much more loosely, focusing instead on the character of eccentric millionairess Ms Dinsmoor. This interpretation is visually very loosely based on Dickens's character of Miss Havisham, embracing more an air of sophisticated insanity than that of the conventions of the classic gothic literary icon. Regardless Anne Bancroft's performance continues to embrace that element of dark sadness that embodied that of Dickens's creation, however the costuming connection remains loose.
This adaptation of Miss Havisham appears more regal and elegant in characterisation than that of previous versions. The costume is visibly much more white than other versions and the curls of the hair are neater and less haggard. In addition the face of Rampling's version of Miss Havisham is more youthful with bright eyes and softer skin. This is a far fresher interpretation of Miss Havisham and one that could be argued as accurate in regards to skin texture as although described as "skeletal" no where does Dickens specify that Miss Havisham is old and wrinkled. Rather like a "wax work", Rampling's softer face embodies that essence of self preservation and vanity. Despite this I feel that visually there is not much else to offer in creating the character of Miss Havisham in regards to her decay as her dress and surroundings remain well polished and cared for. The fundamental description of the world around her falling into decay is somewhat lost within this version and instead visually it appears as if Rampling is portraying a Havisham before corrosion has set in physically. Another flaw within the characterisation of Rampling's portray is that of the hair which despite being very neat is also completely the wrong colour. Furthermore she appears to be wearing a crown (giving her a royal essence) that does not exist in the novel.
Opera - Miss Havisham's Fire (1979, revised 2001)
In 2001 the role of Miss Havisham was revisited again as an opera, focusing on the tragic life and death of the infamous Miss Havisham. The character styling for this opera is something far more aged than other previous versions, obviously being for theatre the age makeup used to create Miss Havisham would of had to be enhanced to be visible to the audience. However from a photographic perspective this causes her character to appear incredibly frail and sickly. Although to many this may be an accurate interpretation of the character, to myself I personally do not feel she would have appeared so haggard in the face. Within theatrical recreations of Miss Havisham there appears to be an obsession with old age and creating a woman so ancient she is almost death to look upon. But the reality is that within the novel Miss Havisham is merely within her 40's at the latest time of her death, and furthermore a character so obsessed with her own vanity as portrayed through her many mirrors and preservation of her wedding gown, would not allow herself to fall into such extreme decay. In addition the walking stick used within this Operatic characterisation only enhances this concept of an old lady like figure, admittedly within the novel she is described to strike the floor with a cane but that in turn is not an object to be used for elderly support 'She set her hand upon her stick, in the resolute way that sometimes was habitual to her, and looked at the fire with a strong expression of forcing herself to attend'. Gillian Anderson, BBC Christmas Adaptation 2011
Anderson's interpretation of Miss Havisham is one that appears to carry a more youthful sense of disturbing beauty than that of previous versions. Her costume is cleaner than that of the novels description, giving her more of a sense of ghostly purity, than decay. In addition to this the styling of the dress is far more preserved than in the novel and previous versions as it visibly carries less frayed on the lace elements and the fabric itself is very crisp looking and new. Unlike the novel and previous versions there is no veil featured within the BBC adaptation and likewise the dress itself is more early 1900 everyday than Victorian bridal and she is missing many of the jewels described by Dickens within 'Great Expectations'. "Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck, and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table". Regardless of this there was one element in particular about this character styling that stood out to me and seemed to take a unique interpretation of Miss Havisham's fall into deeper insanity, this was created through the hair. When Pip first meets Miss Havisham the front of her hair has maintained the neat ringlet curls popular at the beginning of Victoria's reign. So,e critics have argued that this is far from accurate to the novel however the concept behind this character feature is interesting. The back of her hair is messy perhaps to reflect her inability to regain her life and control. However the front is perfectly maintained, we known from the novel that Miss Havisham is of a vain nature so this idea isn't necessary incorrect. The perfect curls may reflect that little piece of sanity and control she has left but as she looses Estella and her grip on life the ringlets fall into a tatty mess. Joining the rest of her hair as a metaphore for the chaos of her life. Furthermore the attention to detail within this version such as the self mutilation and champing of the skin adds a sense of realism to Miss Havisham, creating a concept of a woman with deep mental issues rather than the disturbing fairy godmother image created within other adaptations. Helena Bonham Carter, Mike Newell's Great Expectations 2012
In an interview with actress Helena Bonham Carter she described that her idea of Miss Havisham was much younger than previous portrayals, aiming for a more early middle age when she first meets Pip, rather than haggard and elderly. However the sense of extremity within the mind of a woman who completely shuts herself off from the world became a key focal point for Helena's portrayal, this idea of creating ones own world of insanity is almost fairytale like. In addition to this Helena stated that going into research on the effects of light deprivation on the human body was crucial to creating a realistic character as Miss Havisham despite being fantastical is meant to be a real person so would obviously suffer the physical effects of someone who had hidden away in the decay of their previous life. Osteoporosis was one condition in particular that built up a lot of the character creation for Miss Havisham within this version as the concept of how the muscular system would react to no outdoor movement enhances the idea of how the body decays and ages prematurely through detachment from society. Another element that was essential to Helena's version was that of the vast amount of fairytale imagery throughout the novel, such as the veil, use of jewels and cane. The long veil and body of hair connotes classic tales such as Rapunzel with Miss Havisham herself representing that young maiden who was never rescued from her tower. As time goes on the veil grows longer with Miss Havisham's hair becoming more entangled and matted with jewels that Helena states to imagine would have "sparkled like stars". The concept of the single shoe again relates to another tale, that of Cinderella whereby she only has one shoe on when she falls from the image of a princess back to a maid. Likewise Miss Havisham has only one shoe when her wealth and heart are stolen from her, and in turn she acts like the unofficial (and slightly backward) fairy godmother to Pip. Furthermore is the concept of the hair which appears to grow as Miss Havisham becomes older and more decayed, like her whole life is becoming entangled more into herself. By the end she is so dried out and falling apart that when she is caught on the candles her whole body is burnt up almost immediately.
Despite all of this it is still apparent however of Miss Havisham's sense of vanity, in addition to this is the title of the novel itself. 'Great Expectations', it could be argued that the reasons for Miss Havisham's vanity and constant need to refine herself is that she still hopes for the man who jilted her to come through the door. Why else would she have stayed in her wedding dress since the day she was abandoned, is it to remind herself never to trust men? Or is it clinging on to that last desperation for love which would make sense as her character is based on a real woman by the name of Eliza Emily Donnithorne (1827-1886).
The most recent portrayal of Miss Havisham is that of Paula Wilcox's version which takes on a more vampish essence. Her version carries a heavy Georgian aspect with the use of white ringlet curls that appear to be brushed through to create volume and the elegant draping sleeves popular during the end of the 18th century. However as this interpretation is for that of Opera the makeup is more dramatic and carries a heavy theatrical edge, this is visible through the use of the contouring of the eyes and jaw as well as the bold black lips. Despite the boldness of the makeup design it works effectively to enhance that skeletal depiction created by Dickens and would at least mean the character was visible to the back row of the theatre.
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