{"id":15172,"date":"2010-12-09T13:50:09","date_gmt":"2010-12-09T20:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15172"},"modified":"2022-12-13T21:37:08","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T04:37:08","slug":"oliver-twist-1948","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15172","title":{"rendered":"Oliver Twist (1948)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Please sir &#8212; I want some more.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Oliver-Twist-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Oliver-Twist-Poster-192x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"192\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-58185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Oliver-Twist-Poster-192x300.png 192w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Oliver-Twist-Poster-655x1024.png 655w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Oliver-Twist-Poster-82x128.png 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Oliver-Twist-Poster-173x270.png 173w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Oliver-Twist-Poster.png 705w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nOrphaned Oliver Twist (John Howard Davies) joins a gang of pickpockets led by miserly Fagin (Alec Guinness) and evil Bill Sykes (Robert Newton).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alec Guinness Films<\/li>\n<li>David Lean Films<\/li>\n<li>Literature Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>Orphans<\/li>\n<li>Robert Newton Films<\/li>\n<li>Thieves and Criminals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary notes, David Lean&#8217;s adaptation of this <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=73446\">classic serialized Dickens novel<\/a> is &#8220;a dark, highly atmospheric, punishing film&#8221;, one which will doubtless make you &#8220;really get upset [by] watching likable eight-year-old Oliver&#8230; be pushed around the cruel world&#8221;. Indeed, as much as I genuinely admire this brilliantly crafted film, I find it challenging to sit through, especially during the traumatic second half, when Oliver is torn away from his would-be kindly benefactor (Henry Stephenson), and Bill Sykes (a &#8220;terrifying&#8221; Robert Newton) shows his true colors by beating &#8220;to death his sympathetic companion, Nancy&#8221;. Indeed, this is a no-holds-barred Dickensian universe &#8212; starting from the astonishingly dramatic opening sequence, in which Oliver&#8217;s soon-to-die mother (Josephine Stuart) staggers across the moors in labor, hoping to make it to the Parrish Workhouse in time to give birth to her son. Meanwhile, DP Guy Green&#8217;s high-contrast b&#038;w cinematography is never anything short of stunning, and the supporting cast (including Francis L. Sullivan as Mr. Bumble) is consistently strong. <\/p>\n<p>The film is perhaps &#8220;best remembered&#8221;, however, for its infamous portrayal of &#8220;the Jew&#8221;, Fagin, by a youthful Alec Guinness in heavy prosthetics. Jewish groups at the time objected strongly enough that its U.S. release was delayed for several years, and &#8220;bits with the character were deleted&#8221; (they&#8217;ve since been restored); meanwhile, modern viewers continue to be dismayed by the overt anti-Semitism evident in Guinness&#8217;s characterization. While I certainly can&#8217;t argue with these sentiments, I find myself in agreement with Peary&#8217;s concise, somewhat neutral assessment of Guinness&#8217;s performance as &#8220;mannered, effeminate, [and] creepily effective&#8221;. Ultimately, for better or for worse, Lean and Guinness remain faithful to Dickens&#8217; original conception of Fagin &#8212; and to <a href=\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/0\/0e\/Cruikshank_-_Fagin_in_the_condemned_Cell_%28Oliver_Twist%29.png\">Cruikshank&#8217;s illustrations in the original serialised novel<\/a>. Indeed, it&#8217;s this close attention to detail that marks both <em>Oliver Twist<\/em> and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=13076\"><em>Great Expectations<\/em><\/a> (the latter generally considered to be the superior of the two films) as enduring cinematic adaptations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>P.S.<\/strong> Watch for teenage Anthony Newley in his first significant role as the Artful Dodger. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>John Howard Davies as Oliver<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-davies.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-davies.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15175\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Alec Guinness as Fagin<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-fagin.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-fagin.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15176\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Robert Newton as Bill Sykes<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-newton.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-newton.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15177\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A fine ensemble cast of supporting players<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-supporting-cast.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-supporting-cast.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15178\" \/><\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li>John Bryan&#8217;s set designs<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-sets.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15179\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The powerful opening sequence<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-opening.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-opening.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15180\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Guy Green&#8217;s dramatic cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/oliver-twist-cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15181\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>David Lean&#8217;s masterful direction\n<\/li>\n<li>Jack Harris&#8217;s smart editing\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as another literary masterpiece by David Lean. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#classic\">Genuine Classic<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#director\">Important Director<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0040662\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1951\/07\/31\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-oliver-twist-rank-film-based-on-charles.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.combustiblecelluloid.com\/classic\/oliver48.shtml\">Combustible Celluloid Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/oliver-twist\/review\/108081\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/85535\/oliver-twist#articles-reviews?articleId=107442\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/65987\/oliver_twist.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Please sir &#8212; I want some more.&#8221; Synopsis: Orphaned Oliver Twist (John Howard Davies) joins a gang of pickpockets led by miserly Fagin (Alec Guinness) and evil Bill Sykes (Robert Newton). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Alec Guinness Films David Lean Films Literature Adaptation Orphans Robert Newton Films Thieves and Criminals Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: As Peary notes, David Lean&#8217;s adaptation of this classic serialized Dickens novel is &#8220;a dark, highly atmospheric, punishing film&#8221;, one which will doubtless make you&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15172\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15172"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88786,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15172\/revisions\/88786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}