Great Expectations (1998)

Cultural historian Dr. David Parker and Thelma Grove of the International Dickens Fellowship discuss characters, themes and the plot, as well as the importance, of Dickens's novel Great Expectations. Key scenes from the novel are dramatized. Parker and Grove point out the associations of the characters with actual people and events in Dickens' hometown of Rochester, England, and offer different views on Pip's relationships with the characters Mrs. Havisham, Estella, Jaggers, Joe Gargery, and Magwitch. Themes discussed include penal reform, chains of events leading to catastrophic and unforeseen circumstances, unrequited love.