The 1946 film version by director David Lean – who would also go on to make a critically acclaimed version of "Oliver Twist" – is still widely acknowledged as the best film adaptation of Dickens' novel. Lean's movie starring the orphan Pip features a frightening opening sequence when Pip encounters the convict Magwitch. "Spartacus" actress Jean Simmons has a star turn in the movie as the cold Estella.
