Oliver!
(1968)
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Inspired by Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, Lionel Bart's 1961 London and Broadway musical hit glossed over some of Dickens' more graphic passages but managed to retain a strong subtext to what was essentially light entertainment. For its first half-hour or so, Carol Reed's Oscar-winning 1968 film version does a masterful job of telling its story almost exclusively through song and dance. Once nine-year-old orphan Oliver Twist (Mark Lester) falls in with such underworld types as pickpocket Fagin (Ron Moody) and murderous thief Bill Sykes (Oliver Reed), it becomes necessary to inject more and more dialogue, and the film loses some of its momentum. But not to worry; despite such brutal moments as Sikes' murder of Nancy (Shani Wallis), the film gets back on the right musical track, thanks in great part to Onna White's exuberant choreography and the faultless performances by Moody and by Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger. The supporting cast includes Harry Secombe as the self-righteous Mr. Bumble and Joseph O'Conor as Mr. Brownlow, the man who (through a series of typically Dickensian coincidences) rescues Oliver from the streets. Oliver! won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and a special award to choreographer Onna White.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide |
In this immensely popular film version of Lionel Bart's musical, Ron Moody — top-billed and Oscar-nominated as Fagin — brings a wealth of Petticoat Lane wit and wisdom, and a certain magnificence, to the role he had created on stage. The film collected six Oscars, including best picture and best director (Carol Reed, a last minute substitute for Lewis Gilbert, who probably would have brought the charm the fable sometimes lacks), and there's no denying that the Academy recognition for sound and art direction is well and truly justified. Today, the film works well as a child's introduction to Dickens, and adults can enjoy Shani Wallis's Nancy, Onna White's brisk Broadway choreography and the inimitable Harry Secombe's Mr Bumble.
Halliwell's Film Guide
The last, perhaps, of the splendid film musicals which have priced themselves out of existence; it drags a little in spots but on the whole it does credit both to the show and the original novel, though eclipsed in style by David Lean's straight version.