NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Walt Disney Japan Co Blu-ray (August 2024): Walt Disney Japan Co have transferred Alfonso Cuarón's Great Expectations to Blu-ray. We compared the 2002 20th Century Fox (non-anamorphic) DVD to the Fox Video (Brazil - Region 4) anamorphic DVD HERE. I am a huge fan of the film and was pleased to see it on 1080P Blu-ray out of Japan. While it wouldn't be considered a pristine image, it is heads and tails above both, two decade old, SD transfers. Detail, color balance (truer flesh tones,) contrast and, of course, the improved resolution, give the film a fresh, highly impressive, presentation highlighting the gorgeous Emmanuel Lubezki (Cuarón's Children of Men and Gravity, Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life and Alejandro González Iñárritu's The Revenant) cinematography. I love all the green similarly in the director's A Little Princess. A highly appreciated upgrade.  

NOTE: We have added 132 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Walt Disney Japan use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original English language with an optional Japanese DUB. Great Expectations has few demonstrative separations mostly revolving around the water. The score was by Patrick Doyle (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Dead Again, Gosford Park, Henry V, Nim's Island, Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way, and the 2011 version of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, among his credits.) Doyle is a veteran of many literary adaptations and frequent collaborator of Kenneth Branagh. There is other energetic music by groups like Buddha Heads, Grateful Dead, The Coasters and notably Bésame Mucho performed separately by Ray Conniff and then Pedro Vargas and then Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé and then by Mantovani - we're not including Anne Bancroft's Ms. Nora Dinsmoor joining in! Glorious... and it all sounds like a huge beneficial bump in the lossless. Walt Disney Japan Co offer optional English or Japanese subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Walt Disney Japan Co Blu-ray offers no extras, I'd love a director's commentary with Hawke and/or Paltrow. Sadly, no dice.

In my recent review of Kino's Blu-ray of the 1946 Nicholas Nickleby, I extolled Dickens and the 1998 version of Alfonso Cuarón's Great Expectations. I also lamented that I didn't believe it had reached Blu-ray status. My friend, Trevor, in email corrected me and pointed me to this Japanese Blu-ray. I was never so pleased to be wrong. I'm still quite enamored with Cuarón's Great Expectations especially the performances of Anne Bancroft (The Graduate) as she one of my favorites (I love her in this so much.) Lithe Gwyneth Paltrow (Sliding Doors) as ice-princess Estella - Chris Cooper (Lone Star, Jarhead, Breach), who never give a bad performance, as decent grassroots Joe - Finn's only father-figure. Let's continue, brief Kim Dickens (enjoy her smallish roles in Zero Effect, Mercury Rising and House of Sand and Fog) as deserting sister Maggie. Both younger versions of Finn and Estella were... beautifully portrayed. Hawke is excellent although De Niro may have been overplayed. Strange, I realize, for me to cite him as a lone weak point. Mable and John Ringling's (best known of the seven Ringling brothers) Ca' d'Zan residence, built in 1924 in Sarasota, Florida, was used for Paradiso Perduto (Italian for "Lost Paradise".) It was set as the mansion of insanely wealthy and delightfully eccentric recluse Nora Dinsmoor (lovable Bancroft.) All of Finn's artwork and portraits of the main characters in the film were done by Italian painter Francesco Clemente. Each actor sat for him privately. What a find - thanks again Trevor. The, bare-bones, Walt Disney Japan Blu-ray is absolutely recommended for the best home theater presentation of the film. I may buy a second.

Gary Tooze