With a brilliant cast full of charm and talent, Roman Polanski’s version of Oliver Twist captures all the elements of the Charles Dicken’s classic story about an orphan boy and his adventures on the streets of 19th Century London.
The film is a bit of a darker take on the story, especially when compared with the 1968 musical version, and features a great performance from Sir Ben Kingsley as the legendary master pickpocket Fagin and a solid portrayal of Fagin’s best pupil The Artful Dodger from Harry Eden.
The movie begins with young Oliver, played by a wide-eyed Barney Clark, being taken to the workhouse where he eventually says those famous words – “please sir, I want some more.” From there Oliver is sold to an undertaker to serve as a coffin boy. After a fight with another boy, Oliver flees the shop and begins a long trip to London to make his fortune.
Once in the busy city of London, Oliver quickly makes the acquaintance of Dodger and is introduced to the charismatic Fagin – who takes in the young boy and agrees to let him become part of his group of wayward boys. Fagin shows Oliver the “game” that the boys do on the streets with unsuspecting gentlemen, and puts the him to work under the schooling of Dodger.
When Oliver gets pinched for pick pocketing, fate steps in and the boy is taken by a wealthy gentleman - who believes Oliver innocent and truly good. Fagin, scared that he will be turned over to the cops, tells the evil Bill Sykes (played by Jamie Foreman) about Oliver and how he could bring the cops to their door. This sets up a thrilling final act as Oliver is kidnapped by Sykes, forced to help him in a robbery, shot by Sykes, and finally returned to the rich man.
Throughout the movie, Polanski blends elements of the classic story with great acting and good filming. The film really does bring the story to life, and it seems that the dialogue (which is very familiar to anyone who has seen past versions or read the novel) jumps right from the page to the screen. The director has taken some liberty with the story and changed certain storylines to condense it down into a feature film length. This was mainly done for pacing, and nothing that is changed hurts the overall story or takes away from the enjoyment of the film. An example of Polanski’s tinkering can be seen in the way the rich man and Oliver are no longer related.
Polanski’s Oliver Twist captures the classic images of the story
Kingsley’s version of Fagin transforms the character into almost a “rat like” creature that is always fidgeting about and mumbling. You easily get the sense that this guy is only looking to line his own pocket through his exploitation of his gang of orphaned boys. At the same time, the actor makes sure that Fagin keeps an essence of the charm that allows the character to lure Oliver and the audience to crime – even if Oliver is unaware what he is doing is wrong.
The actor almost plays the character like the pied piper, but we are able to see how he really has no morals through his agreeing that Oliver must die rather than risking a chance he would go to the police. Still, Kingsley again makes us feel for the broken man in the film’s conclusion when Fagin is waiting to go to the gallows. His final moments with Oliver are truly moving, but, at the same time, you have to wonder if he is putting on a show to get the boy to somehow save him from the rope. This lingering question is what makes Kingsley’s performance so great.
Even though the film has brilliant performances from Kingsley and the two young actors that play Oliver and Dodger, other cast lack some of the quality that has been brought to the screen in past adaptations. Foreman’s portrayal of Bill Sykes is rather dull compared to the menace that Oliver Reed brought to the character in the 1968 musical. Reed really set the standard for playing Sykes and you could tell how evil the character was just in Reed’s facial expressions. While Foreman’s performance is fine, the actor lacked that intensity (in my opinion) that was established by Reed.
Kingsley’s Fagin is both charming and evil
Another problem with Polanski’s Oliver Twist is the movie’s pacing. Even with certain aspects of the novel cut from the movie, the film does drag from time to time, and gets extremely long towards the end. The actors keep you interested in the movie, but you are ready for the credits when they finally roll. This shouldn’t keep anyone from giving the movie a try, but people who are not fans of the story might be a bit bored before it is over.
The DVD comes with some good special features that fans of Polanski and the Oliver Twist story will enjoy. They include Twist By Polanski – where the director discusses his reasons for wanting to make Oliver Twist; The Best of Twist – a detailed look at the making of the film through its sets, costumes, cinematography, editing and music; and Kidding With Oliver Twist – a look at the young stars of the movie through their diaries, and other interviews.
The Twist By Polanski is pretty interesting and features the director discussing why he wanted to make a family film that his own children could enjoy. They also discuss his connections to the story and love for the character through his own experiences growing up during War World II. This presents the story in a different light, and is really worth watching.
Overall, Polanski’s Oliver Twist captures the charm and magic that has made the story a classic and favorite for audiences. The actors all do a great job of bringing their characters to life on the screen, and the director makes sure to add enough originality to the story to keep it from being a copy of what we have already seen. I would recommend the movie to any fan of Dickens or anyone wanting to watch an uplifting family film.
Fagin and Dodger show Oliver the “game”
Oliver Twist is available for pre-order at Amazon for a Jan. 24th release. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Feb. 13th release date. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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