Rating: 
Summary: Great Film - With Reservations about Racism
Review: Oliver Twist is the great tradition of restoration and revenge stories that include The Count of Monte Cristo, Cinderella, Robin Hood, and many other myths. The aristocrat born in squalor, abused, betrayed and otherwise forced to live as a member of the lower orders never fails his blood. Dickens used this theme in other works such as Nicholas Nickelby and Great Expectation, but Oliver Twist remains the most satisfying of these excursions into the lower depths. David Lean's version of the book is one of the great post-war British films. Shot in expressionist black and white, Oliver Twist doesn't shy away from the nasty bits of the underworld life that Oliver is forced into. Robert Newton's Sykes gleams with a psychotic edge, and Anthony Newley's Dodger leaps from the screen like Dicken's makes him rise from the page. James Newton Howard, as the poor but blonde lad, looks wan, pathetic, and suitably aristocratic among the unwashed. (Howard survived the experience and grew up to produce the well-beloved Monty Python) The sets are spectactular and well-detailed. I should like you to notice the street band that appears in several scenes looking moldy and playing with resigned anger. The claustrophic slums of London are dark, dusty, and muddy all once, and when the sun pentrates the mire, it is so strange that it transforms the squalor into beauty. This is Lean's black and white masterpiece. The sequence where Sykes beats Nancy to death is one of Lean's best. The terror of Bulldog is moving, and after the beating, when Sykes opens the window and the morning sun bursts in is filmmaking at its best. Lean also manages to cut the book without losing the essense of the story: the plot against Oliver by a userper who stands to inheirit Brown's estate if Oliver is surpressed. This greedy man conspires with the Beadle and with Fagan to get rid of the Oliver. Lean compresses this material well; the best scenes remain. The fall of Bumble and his wife is still one of the great scenes of all times. "The Law, sir, is an ass. The law, sir, is a bachelor." Now to Alec Guiness's Fagan. Anti-semiticism was so ingrained in Britian that neither Lean nor Guiness saw anything wrong with making Fagan into a Nazi's dream of a Jew. Made up in a fright wig and a nose that longer than anything outside of a puppet show, Guiness presents Fagan's charm and evil as he would have played Shylock, the uncious cheat, liar, and villian, corrupter of children and receiver of stolen goods. Indeed, in the catalog of villians in English literature Fagan is second only to Shylock. So outrageous did post-Holocaust audiences find this Fagan, the film's distributor cut some of the more disturbing close-ups for American audiences. Even Dickens realized he had gone too far back in the 1830's: he wrote wholly good, kind, and emasculated Jewish characters in later books, but the damage was done. Fagan is at no time presented as a relious Jew; even as he awaits hanging, he refuses to see Rabbis who come to him. Fagan is also somewhat psychotic, and collapses mentally the night before he hangs. To many people in the Europe Fagan and Shylock represented the Jewish People, not Moses, Albert Einstein or Moses Montefiore. This is a legacy of misunderstanding and hate with with we Red Sea Pedestrians must deal with every day. This is great filmmaking and one of my favorite films. "Oliver Twist" is one of Lean's great films, and certainly the finest interpretation of Dickens on-screen, but the sorrow, the pity, the death camps, the suicide bombers, and 2000 years of violence against my people cannot be ignored simply because this is a work of art. I watch it and weep.
Rating:
Summary: Dark Brilliance
Review: There have been many versions of Charles Dickens classic, OLIVER TWIST. Indeed, ever since movies began, there have been numerous attempts to bring this classic tale of a young boy's battle against thieves, neglect and abuse to the screen. However, it is this version, directed by the great David Lean, that has come to be regarded as the definitive version. By now, the story of a young abused orphan who escapes the workhouse, only fall into a den of thieves, is a familiar one. It is also blessed with some of Dickens' most memorable characters: the brutal Bill Sikes and his girlfriend Nancy, the pompous Mr. Bumble, the noble Mr. Brownlow, the envious Monks, and last but not least, the sly and nasty Fagin and his rag-tag gang of boy thieves, including the sneaky Artful Dodger. Lean captures the atmosphere of the tale perfectly with stark black and images that will haunt your mind's eye, while Bernard Herrmann presents a wonderfully classic score. One musical highlight is when Fagin teaches Oliver the finer points of pickpocketing with a wonderfully amusing demonstration. Lean's direction also keeps the moving as a good clip, while not sacrificing the finer points of his narrative. As for the casting, they do a wonderful job to the point of seeming to come bounding out of the page itself. Francis Sullivan is perfect as the blustery beadle of the workhouse, Mr. Bumble. Robert Newton (years before he would ham it up as Long John Silver for Disney's TREASURE ISLAND) turns in a dark and violent turn as the thuggish Bill Sikes. Kay Walsh is equal parts steel and heartache as the ill-fated Nancy. John Howard Davies (who would eventually become a famed British television producer) is touching as the title character, without becoming too saccharine. Henry Stephenson makes for a warm and caring Mr. Brownlow. A very young Anthony Newley makes a strong impression as the fantastic Artful Dodger. But, in the end, it is Alec Guinness's controversial performance of the master thief, Fagin, that will linger in the memory. In unrecognizable make-up designed to make him look the worst Jewish stereotype, combined with a mincing, lisping manner, Guinness creates a truly slimy and disturbing character that generates controversy to this very day. Indeed, when the film was first released in 1948, many critics were up-in-arms over the seeming anti-Semitic portrayal of Fagin to the point that the film wasn't allowed in the US until 1951, when some small cuts of Guinness' performance were made. There have been many other versions of this classic drama, ranging from the solid Lon Chaney/Jackie Coogan silent, to the wonderful 1968 musical OLIVER!, to the rather limp Disney remake. But, this one has stood the test of time as the definitive version. As such, this is a must see film for all fans of Dickens' work and one that I give one of my highest recommendations.
Rating:
Summary: The champion of OLIVER TWIST versions
Review: There have been many versions of Charles Dickens classic, OLIVER TWIST. Indeed, ever since movies began, there have been numerous attempts to bring this classic tale of a young boy's battle against thieves, neglect and abuse to the screen. However, it is this version, directed by the great David Lean, that has come to be regarded as the definitive version. By now, the story of a young abused orphan who escapes the workhouse, only fall into a den of thieves, is a familiar one. It is also blessed with some of Dickens' most memorable characters: the brutal Bill Sikes and his girlfriend Nancy, the pompous Mr. Bumble, the noble Mr. Brownlow, the envious Monks, and last but not least, the sly and nasty Fagin and his rag-tag gang of boy thieves, including the sneaky Artful Dodger. Lean captures the atmosphere of the tale perfectly with stark black and images that will haunt your mind's eye, while Bernard Herrmann presents a wonderfully classic score. One musical highlight is when Fagin teaches Oliver the finer points of pickpocketing with a wonderfully amusing demonstration. Lean's direction also keeps the moving as a good clip, while not sacrificing the finer points of his narrative. As for the casting, they do a wonderful job to the point of seeming to come bounding out of the page itself. Francis Sullivan is perfect as the blustery beadle of the workhouse, Mr. Bumble. Robert Newton (years before he would ham it up as Long John Silver for Disney's TREASURE ISLAND) turns in a dark and violent turn as the thuggish Bill Sikes. Kay Walsh is equal parts steel and heartache as the ill-fated Nancy. John Howard Davies (who would eventually become a famed British television producer) is touching as the title character, without becoming too saccharine. Henry Stephenson makes for a warm and caring Mr. Brownlow. A very young Anthony Newley makes a strong impression as the fantastic Artful Dodger. But, in the end, it is Alec Guinness's controversial performance of the master thief, Fagin, that will linger in the memory. In unrecognizable make-up designed to make him look the worst Jewish stereotype, combined with a mincing, lisping manner, Guinness creates a truly slimy and disturbing character that generates controversy to this very day. Indeed, when the film was first released in 1948, many critics were up-in-arms over the seeming anti-Semitic portrayal of Fagin to the point that the film wasn't allowed in the US until 1951, when some small cuts of Guinness' performance were made. There have been many other versions of this classic drama, ranging from the solid Lon Chaney/Jackie Coogan silent, to the wonderful 1968 musical OLIVER!, to the rather limp Disney remake. But, this one has stood the test of time as the definitive version. As such, this is a must see film for all fans of Dickens' work and one that I give one of my highest recommendations.
Rating:
Summary: The big picture
Review: This is a classic, fantastic film that comes as close to art as a movie can come. Filmed more than half a century ago by director David Lean, Oliver Twist puts the modern blockbuster to shame.
On the suggested anti-semitism of Alec Guinness's Fagin I have something to say. In this movie Fagin is a caricature. To suggest, as some reviewers have, that this amounts to a hatred of, and an attack on Jews is ridiculous. To link the portrayal of Fagin to suicide bombings and death camps is, in my opinion, nothing but self obsessive. The Christians don't come out of this flick looking too good (Sir, our charity is being taken advantage of!). Half of them are pompous idiots and the other half cruel and heartless taskmasters. Rather, the portrayal of England as a grim and hard place only reflects the desperate struggle that every poor person, Christian or Jew, faced in trying to make a living. This movie is more of a mirror of the social values and class system of England 200 years ago than anything else.
Every character in this movie is flawed; that's one of the reasons it's such a classic. Despite his grotesque appearance and suspect motives, we can thank Fagin for being the first person in the movie to make Oliver laugh, when he and the Dodger perform the art of pickpocketing. And laugh Oliver does. He positively squeals with joy.
The Criterion print is pretty good. The contrast is excellent and the sound is crisp. Look out for some suprising camoes. A young Diana Dors appears as Charlotte and Hattie Jacques is one of the singers at the Three Cripples pub.
Rating: 
Summary: another good film based on one of Dickens' books
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film. This film, directed by David Lean is also bsed on the famous Charles Dickens novel, based on the popularity of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, it is a wonder he didn't do A Christmas Carol also. Having not read the novel I cannot determine how close the film is to it. The plot is probably too well known for a summary to be necessary. The acting is quite impressive also. There was a controversy over Alec Guiness' portrayal of Fagin. While the makeup is impressive, The charater's Jewishness and the very large nose on the makeup labeled the filmmakers as anti-Semitic. The extras casting for the climax of the film is well done also. There is also an egregious flub in the film. When Oliver faints in the courtroom the POV camera overshoots the set. There is only a theatrical trailer as a special feature on this release but it still is a good movie.
Rating:
Summary: Watch literature become cinema.
Review: While it's silly to be arbitary about what makes great art in any form, a fair test of a movie's cinematic quality is how long it holds your attention without dialog...and...beyond that...how long it holds your attention without dialog without your noticing it. That's how you know you're in the grip of a masterpiece with David Lean's translation of Dickens' "Oliver Twist" into film. He's adapting Dickens, for goodness sake, yet the first 24 minutes of the film doesn't have a word in it. Just gripping black-and-white cinematography, some very expressive actors, wonderful music by Sir Arnold Bax...all beautifully focused and grippingly concentrated under David Lean's watchful eye. Although it's his first solo feature film directing credit, his gift for narrative in cinematic form already equals that of Dickens' narrative gift in literature...as good as it gets. John Howard Davies as Oliver Twist is exquisitely handled, his beautiful, androgynous face representing the powerful innocence of his character. Alec Guiness, submerged in elaborate makeup, brings Fagin to perfect, complex life in a portrait that is at once completely inhabited, yet full of objective wit and professional relish. And Robert Newton's Bill Sykes, primarily created by Newton's exquisite pantomime framed in successive Lean closeups, is one of the most self-tortured villains you'll ever see. There's no insight to be found in Sykes' properly limited grasp of words, but oh, those eyes! This is one of those movies that shows you how highly-conceived cinema can net out into the greatest entertainment medium established during the 20th century.
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