The Multiple Miss Havisham's

Helena Bonham Carter. Great Expectations, directed by Mike Newell. 2012.

Helena Bonham Carter played 'Miss Havisham' in the 2012 remake of 'Charles Dickens' 'Great Expectations', directed by Mike Newell. The only aspects I like about the portrayal of 'Miss Havisham' here is the costume and maybe the hair. The costume is yellowed enough to show the state that the character has been in. The hair, lost its youthful glow and colour, replaced by grey, dry unexpectedly nearly perfect hair. I had expected 'Miss Havisham' to have decayed hair, for it to be less perfect then the obvious wig placed on Helena's head. The hair still looks too perfect. If you hadn't been out of a room or seen sunlight for ages let alone a bath; the hair would be awful looking. I like the idea of the makeup, however you can quite obviously see the product on and around the eyes, maybe it should have been tinged with less red colours and more browns. Okay you want to show that she has been crying, but this just looks like eyeshadow...once again too perfect! My idea of 'Miss Havisham' would be that her makeup and skin would look disgusting. Oil lamps causing havoc to the texture and colour of her skin. Helena's skin also looks too perfect, like they haven't taken into consideration the conditions of which 'Miss Havisham' was living in. Surely she would have scratches or irritations? Blotchy skin from the heat of the fire?  

Gillian Anderson. Great Expectations. Directed by Brian Kirk for the BBC. 2011

The next 'Miss Havisham' is the fabulous Gillian Anderson for the BBC's remake in 2011. This portrayal appears to be a bit better then the previous, although there are still some aspects like the hair which seem to be too perfect still? I wonder what hairspray she used all those years to keep those barrel curls tight? 
The only thing I really love about the makeup here is the dry lips and dark eyes. The eyes are not as red and heavy as the previous example. The dark circles look more natural and blended to show the turmoil. The lips are more realistic too then the previous. Pale, cracked and flaky is exactly what I thought 'Miss Havisham's' lips would look like. Around the mouth it is visible that the makeup artist has tried to add some ageing to the face. It appears that this 'Miss Havisham' is a younger one as there isn't much ageing to the skin. 
I love the decaying dress and flowers though. Definitely saves the look.

Obviously because the two previous looks had to be made for TV they needed to be more subtle so that HD TV would not pick up the product. The same is not said for theatre. I love the over the top makeup and think that from ages away it would look amazing and so realistic. 

Paula Wilcox, Jo Cliffords remake of Great Expectations. 2013. Vaudeville theatre London

From close up this makeup looks like a contouring advertisement, from far away you see the haunted 'Miss Havisham'. From far away the character will look gaunt. I like that they have used a older actress as this will help with the aged aspect! I think that the eyes could have been darker and the hair more messy. This 'Miss Havisham' looks as if she has still tried to take care of herself, to keep her youthful appearance maybe in case of her loved ones return? 

Joan Hickson. 1981 remake of Great Expectations. Directed by Julian Amyes

I think that Joan Hickson makes an amazing 'Miss Havisham'. As an older lady it would have been easier for the makeup artist to make the look authentic to the age of 'Miss Havisham'. The makeup is natural, adding to the structure and texture of the skin. I think that this look is so much better then the modern versions. The modern versions rely too much on product, whereas older versions are more natural.



The idea of how 'Miss Havisham' should look is always down to your own interpretation. These looks have definitely given me inspiration for certain aspects, to create my own idea, and have also shown me what works and what doesn't. I also need to take into consideration where my 'Miss Havisham' will be seen, whether on TV or on stage. As the look is to be made for TV, i will need to think about the amount of product I use and how well blended the product is.