Oliver Twist (1948)
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100% of critics liked it
(17 reviews) -
78% of users liked it
(8,357 ratings)
The second of director David Lean's adaptations of a Charles Dickens novel (Great Expectations (1946) was the first), Oliver Twist expertly boils down an enormous novel to a little less than two hours' screen time. The film begins with baby Oliver left on the doorstep of an… More The second of director David Lean's adaptations of a Charles Dickens novel (Great Expectations (1946) was the first), Oliver Twist expertly boils down an enormous novel to a little less than two hours' screen time. The film begins with baby Oliver left on the doorstep of an orphanage/workhouse by his unwed mother. Proving a difficult charge to the wicked orphanage official, Oliver (John Howard Davies) is sold into a job as an undertaker's apprentice. He runs away and joins a gang of larcenous street urchins, led by master pickpocket Fagin (Alec Guinness). Oliver is rescued from this life by the kindly Mr. Brownlow (Henry Stephenson); but, with the complicity of evil Bill Sikes (Robert Newton), Fagin abducts Oliver. Sikes' girl friend Nancy (Kay Walsh) restores Oliver to Brownlow, leading to tragic consequences before an ultimately happy ending. Oliver Twist was filmed in England in 1948, but its American release was held up for three years due to the allegedly anti-Semitic portrayal of the duplicitous Fagin. Even in its currently censored form, Oliver Twist is one the best-ever film versions of a Dickens novel. It served as a blueprint for Oliver! (1968), the Oscar-winning musical version. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- David Lean
- Written By
- Charles Dickens, Stanley Haynes, David Lean
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jul 30, 1951 Limited
- On DVD
- Jan 12, 1999
- Studio
- United Artists
Critic Reviews
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Don Druker, Chicago Reader
Alec Guinness as the master pickpocket Fagin is the high point of David Lean's 1948 version of the Dickens classic.
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Variety Staff, Variety
From every angle this is a superb achievement.
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, Time Out
Perhaps marginally less beguiling than Great Expectations, but still a moving and enjoyable account of Dickens' masterpiece.
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
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.
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
It's Lean's direction that makes the production really pop. It's relentless, but fluid and deft, keeping us on our toes rather than wallowing in misery.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Robert Newton
as Bill Sikes
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Alec Guinness
as Fagin
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Kay Walsh
as Nancy Sikes
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Francis L. Sullivan
as Mr. Bumble
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John Howard Davies
as Oliver Twist
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Anthony Newley
as Artful Dodger
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Mary Clare
as Mrs. Corney
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Ralph Truman
as Monk
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Josephine Stuart
as Oliver's Mother
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Gibb McLaughlin
as Mr. Sowerberry
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Kathleen Harrison
as Mrs. Sowerberry
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Amy Veness
as Mrs. Bedwin
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W.G. Fay
as Bookseller
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Maurice Denham
as Chief of Police
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Ivor Barnard
as Chairman of the Board
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Diana Dors
as Charlotte
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Hattie Jacques
as Singer
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Frederick Lloyd
as Mr. Grimwig
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Edie Martin
as Annie
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Henry Stephenson
as Mr. Brownlow
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Peter Bull
as Landlord of "Three Cripples"
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Henry Edwards
as Police Official
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Michael Dear
as Noah Claypole
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Kenneth Downey
as Workhouse Master
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Deirdre Doyle
as Mrs. Thingummy
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Maurice Jones
as Workhouse Doctor
- Alex Guiness
- Anthony Newly
