Customer Reviews

Oliver Twist (1933)

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It's always interesting to see a Poverty Row studio like Monogram adapt a classic novel, especially one by Charles Dickens. I've seen a number of film versions of "Oliver Twist," and this one really works hard with the subject matter.

In 1933, Dickie was one of the star players in the Hal Roach "Our Gang" comedies. So Roach "loaned" Dickie for a hefty sum to Monogram so they could use his star power in their adaptation of "Oliver Twist." The film itself took about ten weeks to shoot, a long time by Monogram standards.

And Dickie Moore is so gosh-darn cute as Oliver that it's a shame he has so little dialogue in the film. For a character who is supposed to be in the foreground, we often find him in the background with other characters rounding out most of the dialogue. Not that Dickie is a bad Oliver, just one of the meeker, milder ones.

Director David Lean's classic 1948 noir version of "Oliver Twist" is my all-time favorite, with the gritty 1922 silent Jackie Coogan/Lon Chaney, Sr. version running a close second.

But in all fairness to this version of "Oliver Twist," it is well worth watching. Also, it's interesting to see how Monogram handles a classic period novel with a very little money. And, as with most low budget productions, this great cast takes their parts seriously and puts everything they have into them. Dickie does the best he can while the rest of the cast performs in true ensemble style to round out this entertaining film.

One main point here is that the story has been sanitized to a certain extent for this film. Possibly the producers wanted their "Oliver Twist" to be more of a "family film." So they toned down, and even changed some, of the more horrific parts of Oliver's experiences in the harsh poverty-stricken world of England in the 1830's. There are still some acts of violence in the movie, but nothing compared to other film versions on the market.

So the Dickie Moore "Oliver Twist" is probably closer to a G-rated version than most other film versions, with the exception of possibly the "Oliver" musical. Lastly, Alpha's DVD print and sound are good and that helps with the viewing experience of this interesting film.

This is a very well done version of Oliver Twist. I purchased this film because I'm a big fan of Edna Mae Oliver but I was blown away by the performance by the young Dickie Moore. He is in a word..supurb. The supporting cast is spot on, too. This was a real treat to watch. Recommend it highly