A young pregnant woman makes her way to a Workhouse in Mudfog where she gives birth to a baby boy and dies. The Beadle, Mr. Bumble names the boy ‘Oliver Twist.’ Years later, Oliver is brought back to the workhouse where he and the other boys are treated cruelly by Mr. Bumble and matron Widow Corney. When a group of boys draw straws, Oliver gets the shortest one and so has to ask for more gruel. As punishment, Bumble sends Oliver to work as an apprentice for undertaker, Mr. Sowerberry. However, when Sowerberry’s older apprentice, Noah Claypole, insults Oliver’s deceased mother, Oliver flies into a rampage and attacks Noah, earning lashes from Sowerberry.
To escape the torture, Oliver travels a seven day journey to London, where he befriends the Artful Dodger, a young pickpocket who introduces him to Fagin, an elderly criminal who trains boys how to steal. Fagin is, in fact, working with a mysterious man known as Monks, Oliver’s half-brother, whose prime goal is to ensure Oliver becomes a criminal to lose an inheritance which favours the latter, left by Monks’ father. As part of Monks’ plan, Fagin sends Oliver out with Dodger to pick pockets. When Dodger and his friend, Charlie Bates, steal a handkerchief from Mr. Brownlow, Oliver is thought to be the thief and arrested. Learning of this, Fagin and his vicious associate, Bill Sykes, fearing that Oliver will “peach”, send Sykes’ lover, Nancy to the court, where the latter learns that Oliver has been found innocent and taken to live with Mr. Brownlow.
Meanwhile, Monks visits Bumble and the Widow Corney (now Bumble’s wife) and buys a locket belonging to Oliver’s mother; the only proof of Oliver’s identity. When Mr. Brownlow sends Oliver to return some books, Sykes and Nancy bring Oliver back to Fagin’s lair, though Nancy immediately regrets doing so when Fagin attacks Oliver for trying to escape. Sometime later, whilst at the Three Criples pub, Nancy overhears a conversation between Fagin and Monks and learns of the latter’s true intentions towards Oliver. Whilst Sykes takes Oliver out to commit a robbery, Fagin pays Dodger to spy on Nancy, who informs Mr. Brownlow about Monks’ plan, though keeps Fagin and Sykes' names out of it. Dodger reports to Fagin and Sykes, causing the latter to murder Nancy, believing her to have betrayed him.
Nancy’s murder brings down the public onto Fagin, Monks and Sykes. Monks is questioned by Brownlow, who by now, realises that Oliver is indeed his grandson. Monks is forced to confess his evil plot against Oliver, causing the police to arrest him. Bumble and the Widow Corney are also fired from their jobs at the workhouse, for assisting in Monks’ scheme. Sykes is pursued by a mob and uses Oliver as a hostage. He is shot by a member of the mob, loses his footing and accidentally hangs himself. Oliver is rescued and returns to live with Brownlow, finally finding the family he sought.
Although critically acclaimed, Alec Guinness's portrayal of Fagin and his make-up was considered antisemitic by some as it was felt to perpetuate Jewish racial stereotypes.[3] Guinness wore heavy make-up, including a large prosthetic nose, to make him look like the character as he appeared in George Cruikshank's illustrations in the first edition of the novel. At the start of production, the Production Code Administration had advised David Lean to "bear in mind the advisability of omitting from the portrayal of Fagin any elements or inference that would be offensive to any specific racial group or religion."[4]
Lean commissioned the make-up artistStuart Freeborn to create Fagin's features; Freeborn had suggested to David Lean that Fagin's exaggerated profile should be toned down for fear of causing offence, but Lean rejected this idea. In a screen test featuring Guinness in toned-down make-up, Fagin was said to resemble Jesus Christ.[5] On this basis, Lean decided to continue filming with a faithful reproduction of Cruikshank's Fagin, pointing out that Fagin was not explicitly identified as Jewish in the screenplay.[6]
When released in 1948, the film was criticized by American columnist Albert Deutsch, who had seen the film in London. Deutsch wrote that even Dickens "'could not make Fagin half so horrible,' and warned that the film would fan the flames of anti-Semitism." The New York Board of Rabbis appealed to Eric Johnston, head of the Production Code Administration, to keep the film out of the U.S. Other Jewish groups also objected, and the Rank Organization announced in September 1948, that U.S. release was "indefinitely postponed."[7]
As a result of such protests, the film was not released in the United States until 1951, with 12 minutes of footage removed.[8] It received great acclaim from critics, but, unlike Lean's Great Expectations, another Dickens adaptation, no Oscar nominations. The film was banned in Israel for antisemitism. It was banned in Egypt for portraying Fagin too sympathetically.[9]
The March 1949 release of the film in Germany was met with protests outside the Kurbel Cinema by Jewish objectors. The Mayor of Berlin, Ernst Reuter, was a signatory to their petition which called for the withdrawal of the film. The depiction of Fagin was considered especially problematic in the recent aftermath of The Holocaust.[10]
Beginning in the 1970s, exhibitors began to show the full-length version of Lean's film in the United States. It is that version which is now available on DVD.
Reception
The film was the fifth most popular film at the British box office in 1948.[11][12] According to Kinematograph Weekly the 'biggest winner' at the box office in 1948 Britain was The Best Years of Our Lives with Spring in Park Lane being the best British film and "runners up" being It Always Rains on Sunday, My Brother Jonathan, Road to Rio, Miranda, An Ideal Husband, Naked City, The Red Shoes, Green Dolphin Street, Forever Amber, Life with Father, The Weaker Sex, Oliver Twist, The Fallen Idol and The Winslow Boy.[13]
The producer's receipts were £277,300 in the UK and £103,100 overseas.[2]
"...it is safe to proclaim that it is merely a superb piece of motion picture art and, beyond doubt, one of the finest screen translations of a literary classic ever made."[14]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 24 critics, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The site's critics' consensus reads:
"David Lean brings the grimy beauty of Charles Dickens' Victorian England to vivid cinematic life in Oliver Twist, a marvelous adaptation that benefits from Guy Green's haunting cinematography and Alec Guinness' off-kilter performance."[15]
Legacy
Author Marc Napolitano noted that Lean's version of Oliver Twist had an impact on almost every subsequent adaptation of Dickens's novel. The film had two major additions that were not in the original novel.[16] Of the opening scene, an idea that originated from Kay Walsh,[17] Napolitano wrote:
"The opening scene, which depicts the beleaguered and pregnant Agnes limping her way to the parish workhouse in the midst of a thunderstorm, presents a haunting image that would resonate with subsequent adaptors. Even more significantly, the finale to the Lean adaptation has eclipsed Dickens's own finale in the popular memory of the story; the climax atop the roof of Fagin's lair is breathtaking."
Songwriter Lionel Bart acknowledged that Lean's film "played a role in his conception" of the musical Oliver![16] Lean biographer Stephen Silverman referred to the 1968 film version of Oliver! as "more of an uncredited adaptation of the Lean film in story line and look than of either the Dickens novel or the Bart stage show."[1]
"One common complaint about the form of Dickens' Oliver Twist has been that the author fell so in love with his young hero that he could not bear to make him suffer falling into Fagin's hands a third time and so made him an idle spectator in the final half of the book."
Author Edward LeComte credited Lean for resolving the issue in his film version,[18]:50 where Oliver remains "at the center of the action" and has a "far more heroic" role.[18]:47
Oliver! is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, after being raised in a workhouse, escapes to London, where he meets a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal Fagin, discovers the secrets of his parentage, and reconnects with his remaining family.
Oliver Twist is a 1999 drama serial produced by ITV based on the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
Oliver Twist is a 1997 American made-for-television film based on Charles Dickens's 1838 novel of the same title. The film was directed by Tony Bill, written by Monte Merrick and Stephen Sommers, and produced by Walt Disney Television. It stars Richard Dreyfuss, Elijah Wood, David O'Hara, and Alex Trench as the titular character.
Oliver Twist is a 2005 drama film directed by Roman Polanski. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood adapts Charles Dickens's 1838 novel of the same name. It is an international co-production of the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and France.
Mr Brownlow is a character from the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Brownlow is a bookish and kindly middle-aged bachelor who helps Oliver escape the clutches of Fagin. He later adopts Oliver Twist by the end of the novel.
Oliver! is a 1968 British period musical drama film based on Lionel Bart's 1960 stage musical, itself an adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1838 novel Oliver Twist.
Oliver Twist is a 1922 American silent drama film adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1838 novel Oliver Twist, featuring Lon Chaney as Fagin and Jackie Coogan as Oliver Twist. The film was directed by Frank Lloyd. It was selected as one of the best pictures of 1922 by New York Times, Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. Walter J. Israel handled the costuming. Studio interiors were filmed at the Robert Brunton Studios in Hollywood. The film's tagline was "8 Great Reels that make you ask for more. Will Hays says Jackie Coogan Films are the sort the World needs." A still exists showing Fagin training his wards to be pickpockets.
Fagin is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel Oliver Twist. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a "receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children whom he teaches to make their livings by pickpocketing and other criminal activities, in exchange for shelter. A distinguishing trait is his constant and insincere use of the phrase "my dear" when addressing others. At the time of the novel, he is said by another character, Monks, to have already made criminals out of "scores" of children. Nancy, who is the lover of Bill Sikes, is confirmed to be Fagin's former pupil.
Oliver Twist is a 2007 British television adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1838 novel Oliver Twist, written by Sarah Phelps and directed by Coky Giedroyc. It consists of five episodes, broadcast on BBC One from 18 to 22 December 2007. It aired on PBS' Masterpiece Classic in the United States on 15 and 22 February 2009, in two ninety-minute installments. In Australia, ABC1 also opted to air this series as a two-part special each Sunday at 8:30 pm from 20 December 2009.
Oliver Twist is the title character and protagonist of the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. He was the first child protagonist in an English novel.
Oliver Twist is a 1982 American-British made-for-television film adaptation of the 1838 Charles Dickens classic of the same name, premiering on the CBS television network as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Stars include George C. Scott, Tim Curry, Cherie Lunghi, and Richard Charles as Oliver, in his first major film role.
Edward "Monks" Leeford is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. He is actually the criminally-inclined half-brother of Oliver Twist, but he hides his identity. Monks' parents separated when he was a child, and his father had a relationship with a young woman, Agnes Fleming. This resulted in Agnes' pregnancy. She died in childbirth after giving birth to the baby that would be named Oliver Twist.
Oliver Twist is a 1982 Australian 72-minute made-for-television animated film from Burbank Films Australia, a part of the studio's series of adaptations of Charles Dickens' works made from 1982 through 1985.
Oliver Twist is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by William J. Cowen. The earliest sound adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1838 novel of the same title, it stars Dickie Moore as Oliver, Irving Pichel as Fagin, Doris Lloyd as Nancy, and William "Stage" Boyd as Bill Sikes.
Oliver Twist is a 1985 BBC TV serial. It was produced by Terrance Dicks, directed by Gareth Davies, and adapted by Alexander Baron from the 1838 novel by Charles Dickens. This version follows the book more closely than any of the other film adaptions.
Oliver Twist is a lost 1916 silent film drama produced by Jesse Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by James Young. It is based on the famous 1838 novel, Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens and the 1912 Broadway stage version of the novel.
Oliver Twist is a 1912 British silent drama film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Ivy Millais, Alma Taylor and Harry Royston. It is an adaptation of the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. It was the directorial debut of Bentley who went on to become a leading British director. It was the first in a series of Dickens adaptations by Bentley.
Mr. Bumble is a fictional character and minor antagonist in the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
Oliver Twist is a 1962 BBC TV adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1838 novel Oliver Twist, serialised in 13 episodes. Due in part to its transmission at Sunday teatimes, the production proved to be controversial, with questions asked in Parliament and many viewer complaints over the brutal murder of Nancy by Bill Sikes in its eleventh episode. The serial has survived intact, and was released to DVD in 2017 by Simply Media.
1 2 3 Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 354. Income is in terms of producer's share of receipts.
1 2 Napolitano, Marc (2014). "Chapter 1 - Setting The Stage: Oliver Twist, Lionel Bart, and Cultural Contexts". Oliver!: A Dickensian Musical. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0-19-936482-4.
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