Lowell Reads Great Expectations Film Night: David Lean's Classic Adaptation - Thursday, July 12th 6:30pm

“Tell me boy, do you know what wittles is?”

David Lean pulled no punches. Never. Not once. Before he brought us The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957),  Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984), he brought forth a pitch perfect, critically acclaimed adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic Great Expectations (1946).  This moody period piece grabs the viewer right from the opening scene and takes them on a fascinating journey through the life and trials of one Philip Pirrip a.k.a. Pip. The journey is certainly a difficult one for Pip as he looks to make a jump up from being a poor uneducated blacksmith apprentice to a cultured gentleman capable of winning the heart of the object of his affection—dearly beloved, Estella. As in every great Dickens tale, there’s an enormous amount of humor and heartfelt, ridiculous, and sometimes grotesque humanity. Lean did a  commendable job of  rendering all this mixed up muddle of life onto the screen.

Join us, next Thursday, July 12th @ 6:30 pm for a free screening of this film. And don’t forget to pick up a copy of the novel from our display on the first floor landing of the grand staircase. The first round of book discussions (part 1 of the novel) will be happening Thursday July 19th @ 6:30PM and Friday July 20th @ 10:00AM). Ask us about borrowing a free book club kit to host a discussion of your own!