Oliver Twist (1948) - Criterion Collection
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Features
• Black & White
• Dolby
• DVD-Video
• NTSC
In Theaters : 30 July, 1951
DVD Release : 12 January, 1999 |
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Oliver Twist (1948) - Criterion Collection description
David Lean's 1948 version of Charles Dickens' classic novel begins with a bang: the young hero's pregnant mother fighting her way through a storm, a perfect metaphor for Oliver's difficult road ahead. Set in a world of slums in the shadow of Victorian England, the story traces the boy's life in a workhouse and then with a gang of little pickpockets. A ... review details
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Oliver Twist (1948) - Criterion Collection Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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THE GENIUS OF DAVID LEAN
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David Lean is best known for his super epics, like Lawrence Of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Bridge On The River Kwai. But earlier in his career, he did some outstanding films based on the plays of Noel Coward (like Brief Encounter) and on the works of Dickens (like Great Expectations). His film Oliver Twist, from 1948, is an early masterpiece.
You can see the genius of Lean in every frame; but there is one scene in particular that stands out. It is the one in which Bill Sikes is beating Nancy to death for giving the names of him and the rest of their gang to Mr. Brownlow. Lean doesn't show the actual beating, but he shows the reaction to it by someone else in the room: Bill Sike's dog. All you hear are the girl's screams and all you see is the dog, terrified, frantically trying to get out of the room by clawing his way through the door. It is one of the most terrifying scenes I've ever watched, and yet you don't see one bit of violence. It is incredible.
Eventually, Sikes lets the dog out, and he leaves in a panic. Later, Sikes finds the dog in the streets, and he cowers before his master. I've never seen a dog tremble like he does in this scene. It, too, is incredible, and the dog should have gotten an Oscar.
Genius finds new and more effective ways to accomplish things that would normally be considered distasteful or inappropriate.
The other scene that stands out to me is near the end, when the crowd is coming to get Sikes. It is the climax of the film, and it is powerful. I've never seen a crowd scene more spectacular, or a climax more suspenseful. There's also never been a more terrifying villain than Bill Sikes (played menacingly by Robert Newton), especially in the eyes of a boy. He contrasts nicely with Oliver Twist (played by John Howard Davies) and his innocence.
Oliver Twist was banned in this country (it's British) when it came out in 1948 because the Film Board felt Alec Guinness' portrayal of Fagan was anti-Semitic. It is over-the-top, especially the nose. But Guinness is genius. Kay Walsh as Nancy, Francis L. Sullivan as Mr. Brumble, Henry Stephenson as Mr. Brownlow and Anthony Newly as the Artful Dodger are also outstanding.
Waitsel Smith |
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Oliver Twist (1948) - Criterion Collection dvd movie.