Tales from Dickens: Miss Havisham (1959)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] the story I'm going to tell you is taken from Great Expectations it concerns another of those marvelous characters Charles Dickens created her name is Miss haversam and we are going to see her Through The Eyes of a small boy in whose life she played a grotesque part my father's family name being pip and my Christian name Phillip my infant tongue could make of both names nothing more explicit than pip so I called myself pip and came to be called pip my mother and father both being dead I lived with my sister and her husband Joe gager the local blacksmith astonishing pep you're quite a scholar how do you spell gar J I don't spell it at all Here Comes Your sister and the mayor ringing like a peel of bells now if this boy ain't grateful this night he never will be it's only to be hoped he won't be pampered from what I hear that ain't her line she knows better well what you staring at is the house a far some individual mentioned something about a she well she is a she isn't she unless you call Miss havisham or he miss havisham she wants this boy to go and play there and he'd better play there or I'll work him well to be sure oh now miss aam comes to know about pep isn't it just barely possible that Uncle pumble chuk is a tenant of hers and couldn't she then have asked him if he knew of a boy to go up and play there oh look ay me here am I standing talking to you and Uncle PUK waiting outside in the May catching cold pip get your hat Julie my sister took me to miss havisham's house what name ggary and this is PIP so this is PIP is it come in PIP did you wish to see Miss havisham yes Miss havisham wishes to see me uh but you see she doesn't in there [Music] who is it the gargy boy pip come to play look at me you're not afraid of a woman who has never seen the son since you were born no do you know what I touch here yes ma'am what do I touch your heart broken I'm tired I need div verion and I have done with men and women I have a fancy I want to see some play there there play play play I would if I could but it's so new here and so strange and so fine and so Melancholy so Melancholy for both of us come here Estella your own one day my dear and you will use it well let me see you play cards with this boy with this boy why he's a common laboring boy you can still break his heart come boy what do you play boy nothing but big of my labor miss biger him a s what caus her he has and what thick boots she says hard things to you what do you think of her I don't like to say only in my ear I think I think she's very proud anything else I think she's very pretty anything else I think I should like to go home now and never see see her again though she's so pretty I'm not sure that I shouldn't like to see her again but I should like to go home now you shall go soon play the game out I she showed me out I felt as if I were a dog in disgrace she made me feel so spurned and humiliated why don't you cry cuz I don't want to you do and you're nearly crying now hm go boy go along as I walked home I grew more and more dissatisfied with what I was and it was while I was thus fired with a new resolution to improve myself that I encounted Biddy the daughter of the local school Master hello pip so you've been to miss haban yes I heard about it from your uncle pumble chuk how did you get on all right I suppose biddy how do you manage it either I'm very stupid or you're very clever what is it I manage you always know your lessons no matter how much I study I never know them as well as you I suppose I must catch it like a cough biddy I'm serious would you help me help me to do better why of course pip I'd be glad to what suddenly made you want to become a scholar I don't know it's just that I like people the matter I don't know I tell you I don't know it's just that I wish my boots weren't so thick and my hands so cool on the appointed day I returned to miss havisham's and my hesitating ring at the gate brought out Estella on this occasion there were visitors is waiting in the hall I later learned they were relations of Miss aam who hoped to inherit her wealth why does she keep us waiting here yes why doesn't she send for us she will send for you when she wants to see you you can fetch the others this is where I shall be laid when I'm dead they will come and look at me here do you know what that is I can't guess what it is Mom it's a great cake a bride's cake mine come walk me walk me [Applause] de Miss havisham how well you look I do not set a pocket I'm yellow skin and bone how can she be expected to look well poor thing the idea and how are you thank you Miss habam I'm as well as can be expected why what's the matter with you oh nothing worth mentioning but I habitually seen more of you in the night that I'm quite equal to then don't think of me very easily said thinking is easy enough it's already true it's a weakness to be so affectionate but I can't help it there Matthew never comes to see how his sister is I have taken to the sofa and laay there for hours with my head down and my feet I don't know where on account of Matthew's inexplicable conduct my brother will come and see me when At Last I am laid on that table that will be his place there to my head and you'll be there Carmela and Sarah pocket there so you all know where to take your stations when the time comes now go walk me walk me I suppose there's nothing to be done but comply and depart I suppose it's something to have seen the object of one's love and Duty even for so short a Time bless you miss havisham dear this is my birthday Pip in that case I wish you many of them I don't suffer anyone to speak of it they all come here on this day but they dare can not refer to it on this day of the year long before you were born this heap of Decay was brought here when they lay me dead in my bride's press on the bride's table which shall be done and it will be the final curse upon him so much the better if it is done on this day take him [Music] away that day as I left the house I encountered yet another of Miss havisham's relations young Herbert pocket hello young fellow hello who let you in Mrs Stella come and fight then stop a minute though I ought to give you a reason for fighting haha would [Applause] you I TR sponge you one can I help you no thank you good afternoon same to you thank you very much boy come here [Music] boy you may K me if you like [Music] so miss havisham's cruel plan had succeeded young as he was pip was already in love with Estella and was to grow more deeply so as his visits to her became a regular occurrence as pip himself tells us Estella was always about and always let me in and out but she never told me I might kiss her again sometimes she would coldly tolerate me sometimes she would be quite familiar with me and sometimes she would energetically tell me that she hated me you're stupid boy it's a waste of time playing cards with you Estella break their hearts my pride and hope break their hearts and have no mercy she beautiful pip do you admire her everyone must who sees her misham who does she use you if she favors you love her if she tears your heart to pieces and as it grows older it will tear deeper love her love her love her hear me pip I bread and educated her to be loved I developed her into what she is that she might be loved love her I'll tell you what real love is it is blind devotion unquestioning self humiliation utter submission giving your whole heart and soul to the Smite as I did well what kept you so long Miss havam indeed why she wants to see Joe she wants him to bring my dentures for apprenticeship oh she does does she and did she say anything about about me no h and when did she expect him to go running up there she said as soon as possible oh I suppose I would to go in oh just like you letting everybody treat you as a doormat I'm sure she didn't you'll be quiet well I suppose I better go and uh I'll go along B you get on so you are the husband of this boy's sister you are the husband of this boy's sister what I mean to say pep is as I up and married your sister and I were at the time what you might call if you was any ways inclined a single man and you have reared the boy with the intention of taking him as your Apprentice is that so Mr Garry you know pep it were looked forward to betwix us not but what pip if you've ever made objections they would have been attended to has the boy ever made any objections you know yourself pep it with a wish of your own heart have you brought his papers with you you yourself pip saw me put them in my hat therefore you know that they're here [Applause] you expected no premium with the boy pep you know the answer full well you know it to be no pip and wherefore should I say it pip has earned a premium here there are 25 guies in this bag give them to your master pip this is very liberal on your part pep and is as such received and welcome though never looked for far nor near nor nowhere and now old chap may we do our duty may you and me do our duty by one another and by them with your liberal present have conveyed to be for the satisfaction of Mind of them as never and for myself far B it and for myself far bad goodbye pip let the M Stella her am I to come again miss ham no Gary is your master now hence forward you are bound to him it was the following Sunday after church that I went for a walk with viddy if I tell you something biddy will you promise to keep it a secret why of course pip byy I want to be a gentleman I wouldn't if I was you I don't think it would answer I can never be anything but miserable unless I can be a gentleman that's a Pity if I could have been half as fond of the forge as I was when I was little I know it would have been much better for me I might even have grown up to keep company with you I should have been good enough for you shouldn't I byy yes I'm not over particular would never have mattered my being co and common if nobody had told me so that wasn't a true nor polite thing to say who said it the beautiful young lady at Miss havisham's and she's more beautiful than anybody ever was and I admire her dreadfully and I want to be a gentleman on her account I'm glad that you gave me your confidence pip and you know that you may depend upon I keeping it come on we go home Joe don't you think I pay Miss Havish a visit well pep what for what for Joe what are any visits for there are some visits perhaps this forever remains open to question And in regards to visiting Miss hamerson she might think you expected something of her don't you think that I might say that I did not Jo you might old chap and she might credit it similarly she might not but Joe yes I'll jum since the day of my being bound to you I've never thanked Miss havisham I shown that I remember her now that's true pep and unless you wants to turn around a set of four horseshoes which might not be so EX acceptable as a present in a total vacancy of hes I don't mean that sort of a remembrance Joe you can make her a grid IR to cook her sprats on I don't mean any presents at all Joe but if you'd give me a half holiday tomorrow I think I'd go make a call on Mrs S havisham her name ain't that's Haram pep unless she's been Rec christened I know Joe it was just a slip of my mind what do you think it Joe I think it might be all right pep if you tell her your visit is just a visit to thank her by doing handsome by you and not in any ways of expecting anything F now go tomorrow Joe thank you Joe you here again what do you want I've only come to see how Miss havisham is oh have you oh oh will then come [Applause] on and what wind brings you here pip I came to see you miss herim well I hope you want nothing you'll get nothing no indeed Miss havisham I only wanted you to know that I'm doing very well in my apprenticeship and I'm always much obliged to you well well come now and then come on your birthday looking around for a Stella eh I hope I hope she's well she's gone abroad educating to be a lady far Out Of Reach prettier than ever admired by all who see her do you feel that you have lost her do you feel now know that you have lost her pip when she returns she'll be a fine lady a fine lady pip then what do you suppose she'll think of you a rough cost boy working in a dirty Forge what do you suppose she'll think then so whether she's away or here she's lost to you Kip lost lost [Music] what I most dreaded was that in some unlucky hour I being at my grimiest and commonest should lift up my eyes and see Estella looking in at one of the windows I was haunted by the fear that she would sooner or later find me out with a black face and hands and would exalt over me and despise me often on after dark I would think of Miss habam alone in those candlelit rooms the moldering bride cake on the table Miss havisham for whom on that morning long ago time had stopped at 20 minutes to [Music] n pip did see Estella again but not in Jo Gary's Forge years later she nearly broke his heart as Miss aashim intended [Music]