BBC GREAT EXPECTATIONS: CHARACTER INTERPRETATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT

The very first time I watched the Helena Bonham and Gillian Anderson productions of Great Expectations, I watched to understand the character roles and plot. 

Now, re-watching both versions again, I am starting to notice and analyse the characters' appearance. Paying more attention to how they are styled and how their styles change as the character progresses and develops throughout the film. 

The first character that we meet is Pip, the protagonist of the story. Lets look at his styling. 

Young Pip

On the left is Pip played by Oscar Kennedy in the Gillian Anderson version and on the right is Toby Irvine also playing Pip in the Helena Bonham version. 

We can see straight away that young Pip is presented differently in the two versions. The Pip on the left is very scruffy, his hair appears greasy and dull, but very natural. His face looks worn and he appears to be a hard working boy: the shadows under his eyes make him look tired and he has dirt on his face. 

On the other hand, the Pip on the right looks much healthier, his blonde hair has a lot more texture, with waves and curls but looks, again, very natural. If you look closely, you can see that his hair has highlights, sunkissed, meaning that he spends much of his time outside: a working class boy. 

I find Pip on the right looking much sweeter and more loveable, whilst the Pip on the left looks a lot more scruffy and unkept. 

Older Pip 

This is the older Pip. Pip on the left played by Douglas Booth in the Gillian Anderson version and Pip on the right played by Jeremy Irvine in the Helena Bonham version. 

As you can see, Pip on the left remains much of his young self, his hair in a similar style but on the right Pip appears much different to the young Pip he was, his hair, grown out of the cutesy ringlets into a darker wavey long mop which looks again, very natural. It looks unkept and uncared for, which might imply that Pip has settled into his lifestyle of being a blacksmith, not daring to dream of the life of a gentleman. 

Gentleman Pip

After Pip receives his fortune, he quickly changes his appearance - the appearance of a gentleman. In both versions of Great Expectations by the BBC, I have noticed that Pip adopts a new look fairly quickly, this may imply his immaturity and his idea of idealism, as soon as he finds out he can be a gentleman, he immediately acts and dresses the way he thinks a gentleman would. 

The Pip on the left, has adopted the romantic waves, there is a lot more detail and texture in the hair, this can be seen as a development in his character, his rising status - as a gentleman. Now that he has his fortune, he has so many 'expectations', symbolised by the amount of added detail to his hair.

On the other hand, Pip on the right has also gone for a drastic change, a haircut. He appears neater and cleaner, the change from long hair to short hair might symbolise his dropping of his lowly blacksmith status, as when Pip learns that he has 'Great Expectations' and comes to understand ideas like poverty, ignorance and immorality, he does not want be poor, ignorant or immoral. 

Miss Havisham

I love how Miss Havisham is presented in both productions. I found that her appearance remains very consistent throughout in both versions by the BBC. Miss Havisham wants to suspend time, and forever live in the moment: therefore she stays in her decaying wedding dress. In this unit, I will be focusing a lot on consistency as a skill, and I find it remarkable how the stylists can maintain the character throughout, as we, the audience, find her as we left her. 

On the left is Miss Havisham played by Gillian Anderson and on the right is Miss Havisham played by Helena Bonham. Straight away, I notice that the Miss Havisham by Gillian Anderson is much more toned down whilst the Miss Havisham by Helena Bonham is very dramatic, shown by the large dress and huge hair with the veil. 

Miss Havisham is presented differently because she is seen through different eyes. 

The Gillian Anderson version may be perceived through an adults perspective as Miss Havisham here adopts the crazy little traits such as itching and pinching her skin when she nervous or anxious. A child would not notice and recognise these. 

However, the Miss Havisham by Helena Bonham is visually crazier. Her appearance is exaggerated which may imply that she is perceived through the eyes of a child - Pip. 

I like the interpretations of both Miss Havishams' that we see here, however, I lean more towards the Gillian Anderson version. I feel that her character here is present more realistically, her hair is classic and elegant, and her dress is aged and limp which looks as though it once had more volume. 

On the other hand, I really like the hair in the Helena Bonham version, it has a lot of detail and character to it. I like the tones and texture within the hair, and also the extravagant shape. It encourages me to experiment with different techniques in order to achieve similar hair, and using some elements for my own interpretation of Miss Havisham. 

Young Estella 

Pip first meets Estella when they were kids. Here, we have the two versions of Estella, the left from Gillian Anderson's version and the right from Helena Bonham's version.

The young Estella from the Gillian Anderson version was always portrayed as a cold hearted girl - even as a child. She did not act like a child, it seems as though even at a early age Miss Havisham had already numbed her heart and her ability to act normal with people around her. In the picture, her hair is pulled away from her face and pinned into a very structured shape at the back, this hairstyle makes her look older than her age. 

However, on right, we have another Estella, this Estella appears more friendly and playful in the Helena Bonham production. She acts childlike when she is a child, this is also signified by her hair. Her hair is a rich golden colour with bouncy thick curls, this gives her a more childish character and symbolising youth. 

As the story progresses and she becomes fond of Pip, she puts her hair into pigtails, an even more childish hairstyle which may represent her affection towards Pip. 

Also, notice how both girls have been given a middle parting. It seems a middle parting was popular amongst girls in the Victorian era. 

The Older Estella

Estella is known to be very beautiful in the novel, and a trained weapon against men's hearts. Here, we can see the two interpretations of Estella in the BBC productions. 

There is a lot of differences in the styling of Estella. You can see on the right, that Estella appears softer, the hair has a lot of texture, but softness remains. The colour is also very soft and this hairstyle says something about her false coldness. Although her words are sharp and her appearance is cold, she still has elements of warmth and softness  

In contrast, the Estella on the right has a very structured hairstyle, this makes her appear cold as there appears to be no softness, the hair appears hard and almost too perfect - this could reflect her agenda, she knows exactly what she is doing and she will carry out what she was trained for with no second thoughts. 

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These interpretations of the main characters are truly inspiring, I can now start to think about my own interpretation of these characters and how I can style to evoke emotion and create an impact.