If I could eavesdrop on any conversation, it would definitely be between Charles Dickens and David Lean. It’s remarkable how Lean so skillfully brought Dickens' carefully crafted characters to life visually and dramatically. This story—"Pip"—begins with young "Pip" (Tony Wager) finding an escaped convict in a spooky graveyard while visiting his mother's grave. Despite being frightened, he helps the man by giving him food and freeing him from his restraints. Later, as he grows older, he’s asked by a wealthy local woman, “Miss Havisham” (Martita Hunt, playing her with impressive authority), to befriend the truly nasty and spoiled "Estella" (Jean Simmons). Some time passes, and then "Pip"—now played by John Mills—is taken from his country life by a lawyer, Francis L. Sullivan, who is warm and wise, and told that he’s set to receive an income and inheritance from someone anonymous, which will drastically alter his circumstances—and it certainly does. He and his new roommate, "Mr. Pocket" (Alec Guinness), quickly adjust to their newfound wealth. Dickens had such a knack for creating memorable names – “Pip,” “Pocket,” “Jaggers,” “Pumblechook,” and “Magwitch” – that they give the audience more room to imagine what these characters are like, their strengths and weaknesses. Lean uses lighting, subtle music by Walter Goehr, and a truly excellent performance from everyone involved to pull us into the story as "Pip" gets closer to discovering the source of his fortune and, naturally, how his relationship with an adult “Estella” (Valerie Hobson) will play out—whether it improves, ends, or falls apart. Dickens didn’t usually rely on excessive emotionalism in his stories, and I'm truly glad of that – you just know, as everyone does, that the good times don't stick around forever!

Source on TMDB