Oliver Twist orphaned at birth and raised in the workhouse is expelled for daring to ask the Beadle for more food. Unhappily apprenticed to an Undertaker Oliver escaped to London where he meets the cheeky Artful Dodger the villainous Fagin the aggressive Bill Sykesand the kindly but doomed Nancy. Torn constantly between the forces of good and evil Oliver eventually seals his fate by picking the pocket of a rich gentleman.
This film is the definitive (and first) version of the classic Dickens novel.
As with many films on first release (which subsequently become revered over time as a classic) this won no awards in 1948/9. This was wholly due to the fact that "Fagin" strongly resembled the archetypal Nazi image of a Jew (very sensitive subject so soon after WWII). In fact, the reality was that the grotesque nose was not part of the original screenplay, but Alec Guinness (when made up as Fagin as per the scripted description) looked so remarkably like Jesus Christ that they had to strongly detract from this image! Hence the nose - perhaps in hindsight, this was insensitive.
The passage of time, however, no longer allows this error in judgment to detract from a remarkably strong drama, which is still capable of shocking you. The imagery is classic David Lean, capturing as he does, the Victorian atmosphere to perfection, with plenty of seediness, fear and foreboding.
The murder of Nancy by Bill Sykes is probably the best filmed version ever. Never once do you see any gratuitous detail of the murder, but only see Sykes' dog reacting to this appalling act, which has more impact on you than you could think was possible.
One of the best films ever made.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Oliver Twist, orphaned at birth and raised in the workhouse, is expelled for daring to ask the Beadle for more food. Unhappily apprenticed to an Undertaker, Oliver escaped to London, where he meets the cheeky Artful Dodger, the villainous Fagin, the aggressive Bill Sykesand the kindly but doomed Nancy. Torn constantly between the forces of good and evil, Oliver eventually seals his fate by picking the pocket of a rich gentleman. Actors Robert Newton, Alec Guinness, Kay Walsh, John Howard Davies, Francis L. Sullivan, Henry Stephenson & Mary Clare Director David Lean Certificate Universal Suitable for All Year 1948 Languages English Duration 1 hour 50 minutes (approx)
David Lean's classic adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel. Oliver (John Howard Davis) is a young orphan boy who is expelled from the workhouse run by Mr Bumble (Francis L. Sullivan). After becoming an apprentice to an undertaker Oliver decides to run away to London, only to meet the Artful Dodger (Anthony Newley) and fall amongst his gang of thieves, led by the scheming Fagin (Alec Guinness).
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