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Oliver Twist

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100% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
When 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist (John Howard Davies) dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble (Francis L. Sullivan), for a second serving of gruel, he's hired out as an apprentice. Escaping that dismal fate, young Oliver falls in with the street urchin known as the Artful Dodger (Anthony Newley) and his criminal mentor, Fagin (Alec Guinness). When kindly Mr. Brownlow (Henry Stephenson) takes Oliver in, Fagin's evil henchman Bill Sikes (Robert Newton) plots to kidnap the boy.
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Oliver Twist

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Critics Consensus

David Lean brings the grimy beauty of Charles Dickens' Victorian England to vivid cinematic life in Oliver Twist, a marvelous adaptation that benefits from Guy Green's haunting cinematography and Alec Guinness' off-kilter performance.

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Critics Reviews

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David Parkinson Empire Magazine When Lean does subjugate his ego to Dickens's genius, this becomes a powerful study of depravity, misery and cruelty... Rated: 4/5 Nov 27, 2019 Full Review 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. Nov 6, 2007 Full Review Variety Staff Variety From every angle this is a superb achievement. Nov 6, 2007 Full Review Vernon Young New Mexico Quarterly Certainly no better film than England's Oliver Twist was shown to American filmgoers during the year 1951 and one hopes that it will now enter the repertory of vanguard movie societies as securely as The Baker's Wife has done. Jan 17, 2024 Full Review Adrian Turner Radio Times This masterly adaptation of the Dickens novel by director David Lean brims with unforgettable scenes and performances, especially Alec Guinness's Fagin and Robert Newton's genuinely frightening Bill Sikes. Rated: 5/5 Nov 27, 2019 Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm ...employs the visual economy of silent cinema. Rated: 3/4 Sep 10, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert C The scene where Bill Sykes beats Nancy to death and all David Lean shows is Sykes' dog frantically trying to get out of the room, is one of the most violently effective things I've ever seen in cinema. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/31/24 Full Review Tony M A great film for its time but I prefer the 1968 musical Oliver. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/24 Full Review Steve D Not a bad version but there are many better options. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/20/24 Full Review Audience Member Classic movie portrayal of classic novel. Classy! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member A really decent adaptation of a Dickens classic. Not much more you can say about this. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review William L A faithful adaptation of the Dickens classic responsible for much of the visual distinction associated with the tale. A great use of light and shadow to accompany the black and white color scheme that only serves to enhance some of the exceptional sets, cinematography, and sense of intensity carried over from the source material. With his prosthetic nose, Guinness is near-unrecognizable, but seizes the screen with every moment that the camera is on him. (4/5) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/09/20 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis When 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist (John Howard Davies) dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble (Francis L. Sullivan), for a second serving of gruel, he's hired out as an apprentice. Escaping that dismal fate, young Oliver falls in with the street urchin known as the Artful Dodger (Anthony Newley) and his criminal mentor, Fagin (Alec Guinness). When kindly Mr. Brownlow (Henry Stephenson) takes Oliver in, Fagin's evil henchman Bill Sikes (Robert Newton) plots to kidnap the boy.
Director
David Lean
Producer
Ronald Neame
Screenwriter
Stanley Haynes, David Lean
Production Co
Cineguild
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 28, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 18, 2016
Runtime
1h 45m
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