Oliver! (1968)
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85% of critics liked it
(26 reviews) -
72% of users liked it
(55,279 ratings)
Inspired by Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, Lionel Bart's 1961 London and Broadway musical hit glossed over some of Dickens' more graphic passages but managed to retain a strong subtext to what was essentially light entertainment. For its first half-hour or so, Carol Reed's… More Inspired by Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, Lionel Bart's 1961 London and Broadway musical hit glossed over some of Dickens' more graphic passages but managed to retain a strong subtext to what was essentially light entertainment. For its first half-hour or so, Carol Reed's Oscar-winning 1968 film version does a masterful job of telling its story almost exclusively through song and dance. Once nine-year-old orphan Oliver Twist (Mark Lester) falls in with such underworld types as pickpocket Fagin (Ron Moody) and murderous thief Bill Sykes (Oliver Reed), it becomes necessary to inject more and more dialogue, and the film loses some of its momentum. But not to worry; despite such brutal moments as Sikes' murder of Nancy (Shani Wallis), the film gets back on the right musical track, thanks in great part to Onna White's exuberant choreography and the faultless performances by Moody and by Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger. The supporting cast includes Harry Secombe as the self-righteous Mr. Bumble and Joseph O'Conor as Mr. Brownlow, the man who (through a series of typically Dickensian coincidences) rescues Oliver from the streets. Oliver! won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and a special award to choreographer Onna White. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Carol Reed
- Written By
- Vernon Harris
- Genres
- Drama, Kids & Family, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Dec 11, 1968 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Rich Gold, Variety
There's plenty of mileage left in the famous story.
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, TIME Magazine
After a season of watching inane twitching in the name of dance, the viewer is most happily greeted by Onna White's choreography, an exuberant step-by-step exploration of Victorian zeal.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
In retrospect, it seems emblematic of the triviality Reed descended to in the last years of his career. The Third Man it's not.
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, Time Out
Reed is craftsman enough to make an efficient family entertainment out of Lionel Bart's musical, but not artist enough to put back any of Dickens' teeth which Bart had so assiduously drawn.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
A treasure of a movie.
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)
Cast
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Ron Moody
as Fagin
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Shani Wallis
as Nancy Sikes
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Oliver Reed
as Bill Sikes
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Harry Secombe
as Mr. Bumble
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Hugh Griffith
as The Magistrate
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Mark Lester
as Oliver Twist
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Clive Moss
as Charlie Bates
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Jack Wild
as Artful Dodger
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Peggy Mount
as Widow Corney
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Leonard Rossiter
as Mr. Sowerberry
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Joseph O'Conor
as Mr. Brownlow
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Hylda Baker
as Mrs. Sowerberry
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Sheila White
as Bet
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Megs Jenkins
as Mrs. Bedwin
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Wensley Pithey
as Dr. Grimwig
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Fred Emney
as Chairman
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John Baskcomb
as Workhouse Governor
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Norman Pitt
as Workhouse Governor
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Arnold Locke
as Workhouse Governor
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Frank Crawshaw
as Workhouse Governor
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Elizabeth Knight
as Charlotte
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Veronica Page
as Oliver's Mother
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Henry Kay
as Doctor
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Kenneth Cranham
as Noah Claypole
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James Hayter
as Mr. Jessop
- William Smith
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Peter Locke
as Fagin's Boy
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Robert Bartlett
as Fagin's Boy
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Kim Smith
as Fagin's Boy
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Norman Mitchell
as Arresting Policeman
- Edwin Finn
- Ian Ramsey
- Jeffrey Chandler



