Saturday 20/05/23Great Expectations (1946) ***** (BBC2, 1.00pm)There have been plenty of adaptations of Charles Dickens’ novel (the BBC recently brought us Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight’s take), but this one is by far and away the best. John Mills heads an excellent cast, with director David Lean creating the perfect atmosphere and setting. For the uninitiated, this classic tells the story of orphan Pip, who falls in love with the adopted daughter of an eccentric old woman, before a mysterious benefactor provides him with the opportunity to rise through the ranks of London’s high society. He soon forgets all about his humble roots, and isn’t prepared when he discovers the truth about the girl he loves and the stranger funding his new life.
The Remains of the Day (1993) ***** (BBC2, 2.55pm)Anthony Hopkins gives one of his best performances as Stevens, a butler in a 1930s mansion who devotes himself to his master and the smooth running of the household. In fact, he’s so dedicated, he puts the demands of the job above his own emotional needs, rebuffing the advances of the spirited housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) – and so obedient, he fails to question his employer’s (James Fox) increasingly pro-Nazi politics. Made at the height of period-drama specialists Merchant Ivory’s powers, this sensitive adaptation transforms Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel into a deeply moving drama. The impressive supporting cast includes Hugh Grant, Christopher Reeve, Peter Vaughan and Tim Pigott-Smith.
Confess, Fletch (2022) **** (Sky Cinema Premiere, 6.10pm) PremiereFreelance journalist Fletch (Jon Hamm) arrives in Boston from Rome at the behest of his recent bedfellow Angela de Grassi (Lorenza Izzo). Her father has been kidnapped by three thugs with guns and the ransom is the family’s stolen Picasso painting worth around 20 million dollars, which is reportedly in the possession of germophobic art dealer Ronald Horan (Kyle MacLachlan). Unfortunately, Fletch’s base of operations in Boston, a rented townhouse belonging to Owen Tasserly (John Behlmann), contains a murdered woman… Adapted from the second book in Gregory Mcdonald’s series of award-winning mystery novels, Confess, Fletch is a fizzing crime caper. Hamm exudes an old-fashioned playfulness reminiscent of Cary Grant that is difficult to resist and the script gifts him a full arsenal of bone-dry wisecracks.
