Great Expectations

An orphan who helps an escaped convict on the marshes is raised years later as a gentleman in London with the support of an anonymous benefactor. He does not know who is paying. The film compresses the novel well and its opening is counted among the most copied beginnings of its kind. The narrative does not hide what rising in class costs; as he climbs he starts to be ashamed of the people who raised him. David Lean directed, adapting Charles Dickens's novel, with John Mills and a young Jean Simmons. It won Oscars in technical categories. Who it's for: those who like classic English adaptations. Who it's not for: viewers wanting literal fidelity; parts are shortened and the ending is changed.