Oliver Twist

Drama (1922)
US

Starring: Jackie Coogan, Lon Chaney
Director: Frank Lloyd
Listings: London | Rest of UK and Ireland

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Oliver Twist

PA Synopsis:

Oliver is born in a workhouse and raised in poverty, under the cruel and tyrannical regime of Mr Bumble. Running away to London, Oliver falls into the hands of Fagin and his gang of thieves, led by Bill Sykes, his mistress Nancy and young pickpocket The Artful Dodger. Fagin and co try to mould Oliver into a proper little thief but the boy's goodness eventually leads him to kind Mr Brownlow.

LondonNet Film Review:

Fresh from Oscar glory with The Pianist, a harrowing but uplifting story from the Warsaw ghetto, Roman Polanski returns with a family friendly tale from the pen of Charles Dickens.

"Above all it is a tale for a young audience. My ambition is to make a film for my own children. I read bedtime stories to them every night and I know what enchants them and how they identify with the characters."

Dickens was a ready choice therefore, his works laden with characterisation so rich that their images are now the stock in trade of Victorian retrospection. Oliver Twist grips childrens' minds with fear and elation as the orphan boy confronts the barbaric debris of the Poor Law system that Dickens did so much to condemn and ultimately banish from Britain.

So far so good then. Ready audience, hearty tale. Problem is it has been done before and done to mighty effect, first by David Lean in his atmospheric and terrifying 1948 version followed by Carol Reed's seminal musical of 1968. So entrenched is Reed's version in this little boy's memory that in each town and bar scene here I was positively willing the extras to burst into a hearty cockney chorus. Thankfully, Polanski declines to quench my lyrical thirst.

Instead, with a major re-work and edit of the novel by screenwriter Ronald Harwood, Polanski delivers up his own distinctive take on the source.

His story is at times chilling and heaped with social horror, at others redolent in its depiction of the colour and gaiety of the times. Lean's earlier dramatic depiction is among the more frightening films you're likely to watch, and thanks to its black and white photography the dark and dreary atmosphere is never lost. In contrast Polanski uses vivid colours and vibrant sets to convey the excitement and optimism among the filth of a rapidly expanding 19th century London.

"We are not going to strive for realism, quite the opposite. The characters in this story are larger than life with the emphasis on their glorious humour and eccentricities. This is a Dickensian tale in the truest sense, which means it is exuberant, intriguing and timeless".

Following Alec Guinness (1948) and Ron Moody (1968) was a tough challenge for Ben Kingsley. But his Fagin stands up to this comparison; he conjures up the charm, vulnerability and cruelty of the pivotal character to good effect and in timeless context.

"What we don't have in the UK today is a Charles Dickens who will say 'Come over here, go around that corner, there are three kids who are playing truant and sniffing glue � and one of them will be dead by the afternoon'. This is what Dickens did. He actually had the guts. Because there were people living in Hampstead who didn't know what was happening in Moss Side in Manchester. And this is the same today" says Kingsley.

Elsewhere Jamie Forman (Bill Sykes), Leanne Rowie (Nancy) and Barney Clark (Oliver) play in tune with Polanski's more rounded take. But it is Mark Strong's mesmeric performance as Toby Crackit, Sykes's dandy cohort in crime that steals the show for me. Strong strikes just the right note between bon viveur and brutal hood allowing you to smile and wince in equal measure. Pure Dickens then really.

There's no braver director than Polanski. Taking on Oliver Twist is a challenge few would relish. Sure, some of the plot omissions and changes do grate, but overall this is a fresh and worthwhile take on a well worn subject with fine performances and colourful set-pieces. Indeed I smell more Academy nominations in the air.

Peter D. Clee

Click here for David Clee's thoughts on the new Oliver Twist...
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