The Evolution of Miss Havisham on films

Florence Reed was in role of Miss Havisham in the film "Great Expectations" based on the book by C. Dickens.  The following picture is a scene from the film made in 1934.
     In this way of representing Miss Havisham I find very strange the idea of perfectly dressed hair. I think the hair must be messy, as after years and years of never changing her look, her hair cannot be as perfect as it was in the day of her wedding.

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1946: In the film made in this year the actress who played the role of Miss Havisham was Martita Hunt. In this representation of the character I feel that she looks more realistic to how the author describes her.  She looks around 50 years old. And one of the most imposrtant thing I appriciate in this presentation is the way her hair is dressed, which is a real mess- what actually makes it look more similar to how I imagined her. Also the dress on her is still suitable to the period of time the book is corelated which is the Victorian era. It is noticeablea as well, even if it's not coloured picture ,that the colour of the dress is not snow- white which proves the fact that she is wearing it for ages.

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    In 1974, another recreation of the book was made. This time the character of Miss Havisham was played by  Margaret Leighton. I really like the way she looks for representing Miss Havisham. The make-up she is wearing make her look tired, desperate, sad, depressed at the same time. The pale skin, the redness under her eyes and her grey/black eyes make her look very similar to ho I imagined this character. Also teh hair is a real disorder and the dress seem to be worn a lot of time. By saying it I try to explain and desomstrate how  the cast that worked on this film, from my point of view created the look that represents the way Dickens describes her.

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In 1981, another film was made and Joan Hickson was in the role of Miss Havisham. The first thing I notice is the hair and the make-up which correspond to the Victorian era. The make-up is very natural and it seem to be nearly inexistent and as I mentioned already when talking about the victorian beaty- more natural you looked more beautiful you were considered in that era. While the hair is composed of tight curls that cover the ears on both sides that represents an Early Victorian hair design.

















Jean Simmons, who had previously played Estella in 1946, played Miss Havisham in Great Expectations in 1989.

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In 1998, Anne Bancroft played a character called Ms. Dinsmoor in a modern version of Great Expectations, set in New York, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In fact even her look is very different to what it is suposed to be, but as a new version of Great Expectations I think there are no limits in representing the characters. She is not even wearing a wedding dress, as well as the make-up and hair and all other details are completely different.

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Charlotte Rampling as Miss Havisham in Great Expectations in 1999. The fist thing I've noticed is tht the hair is styled in an mid-late Victorian way, ant id is also very clean and neat.

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Gillian Anderson cuts a ghostly figure as Miss Havisham in the BBC’s Christmas adaptation of Great Expectations in 2007. In this presentation of Miss Havisham, I think her look corresponds to the era. The hair is styled in an Early Victorian style. The make-up ris very soft looking very natural at the same time.

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The film version, directed by Mike Newell, is likely to generate much controversy. The screenwriter David Nicholls said the scenes in which Pip meets Miss Haversham are “a bit like going to see Hannibal Lector”. This time the role of Miss Havisham is played by Helena Bonham Carter. I love the way she looks and how she represents the character.