Oliver Twist, an orphan in Victorian times, runs away to London to seek his fortune, where he falls in with a gang of pickpockets led by the crooked Fagin. Oliver is caught by the police but rescued by Mr Brownlow, a kindly old man who takes pity on him and investigates his identity. Fagin and his cronies are keen to have Oliver back however ...
Probably the most famous of the novels of Charles Dickens, with its many unforgettable characters, Oliver Twist is that rare thing - a fabulous and memorable story of universal appeal but also an insightful social commentary of its times (it was published in serial form in 1836). Lean's film is a textbook adaptation - the visual elements of the story are exploited to the full, the characters spring vividly to life and the montage flows seamlessly together. Guy Green's photography is exceptional (his operator was Oswald Morris, who later shot the 1968 musical version Oliver!), particularly in the early scenes at the workhouse - nineteenth-century dramas of the Merchant-Ivory ilk often favour bright sunny colour fantasies, whilst Green's dark, grimy, hard-edged, black-and-white visuals are much more evocative of the time. The cast is very good; Fagin was the career-making role for Guinness, unrecognisable behind a hasidic beard and a ludicrous false nose, but Newton is big-time scary as evil Bill Sikes and Newley gives a mature performance beyond his years as the thoughtful, pragmatic Artful Dodger. A smashing film of an equally smashing book, with many memorable scenes (Oliver asking for more gruel, his induction into Fagin's gang, the backalley chase through London, Nancy's murder, Oliver and Bill on the roof). Trivia - child star Davies, who plays Oliver, went on to be the original producer of the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Probably the most famous of the novels of Charles Dickens, with its many unforgettable characters, Oliver Twist is that rare thing - a fabulous and memorable story of universal appeal but also an insightful social commentary of its times (it was published in serial form in 1836). Lean's film is a textbook adaptation - the visual elements of the story are exploited to the full, the characters spring vividly to life and the montage flows seamlessly together. Guy Green's photography is exceptional (his operator was Oswald Morris, who later shot the 1968 musical version Oliver!), particularly in the early scenes at the workhouse - nineteenth-century dramas of the Merchant-Ivory ilk often favour bright sunny colour fantasies, whilst Green's dark, grimy, hard-edged, black-and-white visuals are much more evocative of the time. The cast is very good; Fagin was the career-making role for Guinness, unrecognisable behind a hasidic beard and a ludicrous false nose, but Newton is big-time scary as evil Bill Sikes and Newley gives a mature performance beyond his years as the thoughtful, pragmatic Artful Dodger. A smashing film of an equally smashing book, with many memorable scenes (Oliver asking for more gruel, his induction into Fagin's gang, the backalley chase through London, Nancy's murder, Oliver and Bill on the roof). Trivia - child star Davies, who plays Oliver, went on to be the original producer of the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus.