I really don't see why anyone has thought it necessary to produce further versions of this Charles Dickens classic after this one. John Howard Davies is the definitive Oliver, skinny just this side of malnourished, but with an inner light that shines out no matter how much dirt and grime they smear on his face. (At 12, this was near the END of his acting career. He's gone on to an impressive list of directorial and production credits.) Alec Guinness's Fagin is more evil and I believe more honest than the "psychologically informed" later portrayals, and the nose itself is a masterpiece! (I just wish I could stop expecting him at any moment to burst into song: "I'm reviewing -- bum bum bum -- the situation...") As for Sikes, Robert Newton's characterization is so scary that I felt like checking to make sure there really was a solid glass barrier between him and me. Sets, lighting, cinematography -- what can one say? Industrial Revolution cities were largely monotone and filthy: thank goodness TV's with smell sensation are still in the future!
Review of Oliver Twist
