Oliver!
by Carol Reed, Ronald Saland
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Harry Secombe, Mark Lester, Oliver Reed, Ron Moody, Shani WallisDirector: Carol Reed, Ronald Saland
Brand: LESTER,MARK
Cinematographer: Oswald Morris
Producer: John Woolf
Writer: Charles Dickens
Writer: Jay Anson
Writer: Lionel Bart
Writer: Vernon Harris
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 153 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-08-11
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Oliver!
Movie Review: The last of the cast of thousands musicals. Infectious songs with a great Fagin, Bill Sykes, and Nancy
Summary: 5 Stars
Dickens' story of Oliver Twist has always been popular and heart wrenching. Well, unless you are just too too sophisticated for such things. I find that being "above" such works just too deadly dull. A small boy simply trying to survive in the world that is not only indifferent to him, but actively hostile to his trying to live, is something people identify with and want to do something about. And it was the desire to prick the conscience of the public to inspire action to care for the poor and orphans that Dickens was after. David Lean made a fine film of the novel in 1948. This musical was made twenty years later and won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1968. There were many nominations including Ron Moody's wonderful portrayal of Fagin. His is a very different Fagin from the character in the novel, but one that is always a delight on the screen and is indelible in the memory.
And what Moody did for Fagin is pretty much what happens to the whole story. Everything is cheered up quite a bit (for the most part) and cleaned up for a musical that sends everyone home singing some pleasant tunes. The story follows the broad outlines of the novel. Nancy (Shani Wallis) is freshened up and made more beautiful than such a creature could ever have been, but she still pays the price for protecting Oliver from Bill Sykes. Oliver Reed's Bill Sikes is amazingly threatening and burns in the memory of children who see the movie, even today.
The musical does have a sharp split in mood. The first half of the movie, all the way to the song "Who Will Buy" is pretty much treated as a journey, but one of improving fortune for Oliver and culminates in that song. The mood is jolly and full of tunes one can't help but remember. You find yourself singing them for days afterwards even when you don't want to. They are that infectious. However, after that song, once Sikes decides he needs to get the boy back to protect himself, no matter what. The story and the film change a great deal. It is almost like falling off a cliff.
The musical finds a happy ending for all except the one great villain and his beautiful victim. However, the jolly mood of the first half returns with some more happy tunes and we leave the theater with the horror of Sikes and Nancy sort of tucked away behind our good mood. As I watched this musical again, I was amazed how well things still hold up. There is one song, though, that as an adult I found a bit unnerving. When Nancy sings "As Long As He Needs Me", I thought about how too typical this self destructive attitude is and wish such an awful sentiment didn't get such a beautiful song. She isn't staying by a cancer patient, you know. She is pledging to a monster. Still, it is a beautiful song. I just hope it is more often sung in the context of a more noble situation.
Oh, and for you younger viewers. All those huge crowd scenes are actually full of people. I know that today all those little folks in the back would all by CGI. However, those did not exist in 1968. Those are all people dancing way in the back. Yeah, even the dots way way in the back are actual people dancing. This musical was already a bit dated when it was done as far as style and being happy and cheerful without irony. Such a movie was, I believe, never made again. So, it is great that we have this multiple Oscar winning film to remember a time before everyone felt the need of being miserable as a fashion statement. Strongly recommended for all audiences, except the too ironically detached.
Summary of Oliver!
Experience the high-spirited adventures of Oliver Twist in this Oscar(r)-winning musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale! Young Oliver (Mark Lester) is an orphan who escapes the cheerless life of the workhouse and takes to the streets of 19th-Century London. He's immediately taken in by a band of street urchins, headed by the lovable villain, Fagin (Ron Moody), his fiendish henchman, Bill Sikes (Oliver Reed), and his loyal apprentice, The Artful Dodger (Jack Wild). Through his education in the fine points of pick-pocketing, Oliver makes away with an unexpected treasure... a home and a family of his own. Set to a heartfelt score that includes such favorites as "Consider Yourself," "Where Is Love?" and "As Long As He Needs Me," Oliver! leads us on a journey in search of love, belonging, and honor among thieves. Winner of six Academy Awards(r) (1968), including Best Picture and Best Score, Oliver! will steal your heart!Similar DVD Movies
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