Customer Reviews

Oliver Twist (1982)

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There are a lot of movies based on Charles Dickens classic novel Oliver Twist and I remember watching this version on TV I liked it and thought that George C. Scott and Tim Curry were really good and I would like to see this movie put on DVD! Tim Curry was good as Bill Sykes and the scene in which he attacked Nancy was scary!

Note: I just saw the movie on YouTube in Region 1.

This 1982 made-for-television version of Charles Dickens' classic novel "Oliver Twist, Or The Parish Boy's Progress" is interesting, with Academy Award winner George C. Scott as Fagin, Tim Curry as Sikes and Michael Hordern as Mr. Brownlow. I like the scene where Nancy tucks Oliver in, as he's burning up with a fever (which makes sense, given that he walks all the way from Mr. Sowerberry's house to London). However, there are a lot of liberties taken with the original novel, as usual. I don't have space or time to go into them, but 102 minutes, 2 hours or even 2/1/2 hours simply isn't enough time for a movie to do complete justice to the novel. Of course, there has to be a strong script in place as well, and the versions that I've seen (the 1922 version, the famous musical starring Mark Lester, this one and the 1999 & 2007 miniseries') are simply not scrupulously faithful to the novel. The BBC miniseries starring Eric Porter is the closest version yet that is faithful to the book. But even that one has its flaws. Still, it's better than the other versions above-mentioned, and until another movie or miniseries of this excellent novel comes along that is faithful to the book, that version is the one to see. This film is Not Rated.

I was a little surprised that I actually liked this version of O.T. The costuming was good, in fact much better than I expected. George C. Scott was a bit too likeable as Fagan, and I agree, the rage simply wasn't there.It's a shame since Scott was/is a fine actor. The Jewish sterotyping wasn't as bad as in other films, although the words "dirty Jew" does crop up from time to time. Dickens would later remove a lot of the more offensive slurs in later editions of the book. Tim Curry sleep walked through the whole film. I'm wondering if he really WAS drunk during the taping. His ragged costume and yellowed teeth did little to help. Others have done a much more menacing "Bill Sikes" and it shows. Robert Newton of "Treasure Island" fame and Oliver Reed are among the better performances. For the purist, the basic storyline is intact, but like any true Dickens fan, you find yourself asking, "please sir, I want some more"

This 1982 British TVM of the Charles Dickens classic directed by Clive Donner has a teleplay by James Goldman, unsubtle class distinction between the rich and the poor where the poor are comic grotesques, but also a gentle performance by George C Scott as Fagin.
Jewish groups took offence at the performance of Alec Guiness' Fagin in the David Lean 1948 version, forcing Lean to cut footage in order for his film to be released in America. Scott's own nose probably helps him pass for Jewish, and here he shows sexual interest in Nancy to counterbalance the subtext of a man who enjoys the company of young boys. However Scott's infamous rage is in check, perhaps because he shares some much tube time with children.
If purists may find this Fagin is more likeable than Guinness' that seems hardly important to those interested in witnessing great acting. It's only a pity that Scott is a relatively minor player in the narrative, but even the title boy becomes a relatively minor player in this adaptation!
As Bill Sikes, Tim Curry is rather non-threatening and his dog seems dubbed, but Eileen Atkins as Mrs Mann, the head of the orphanage, gets some laughs from her duplicitous agenda. With Oliver being an Alice in Wonderland blonde and one half expecting the performers to burst into the songs from the musical Oliver! at any moment, the treatment doesn't achieve a semblence of reality until Scott appears, and after that rises and falls. This Oliver is never really in any serious peril, notably not from Bill Sikes, but at least Fagin retains his dignity.

This 1982 British TVM of the Charles Dickens classic directed by Clive Donner has a teleplay by James Goldman, unsubtle class distinction between the rich and the poor where the poor are comic grotesques, but also a gentle performance by George C Scott as Fagin.
The David Lean 1948 version presented Alec Guinness' Fagin as both lowlife Jew and malignant old homosexual, with protests by Jewish groups forcing Lean to cut footage in order for his film to be released in America. Scott's own nose probably helps him pass for Jewish, and here he shows sexual interest in Nancy to counterbalance the homosexual subtext of a man who enjoys the company of young boys. However Scott's infamous rage is in check, perhaps because he shares some much tube time with children. If purists may find this Fagin is more likeable than Guinness' that seems hardly important to those interested in witnessing great acting. It's only a pity that Scott is a relatively minor player in the narrative, but even the title boy becomes a relatively minor player in this adaptation!
As Bill Sikes, Tim Curry is rather non-threatening and his dog seems dubbed, but Eileen Atkins as Mrs Mann, the head of the orphanage, gets some laughs from her duplicitous agenda. With Oliver being an Alice in Wonderland blonde and one half expecting the performers to burst into the songs from the musical Oliver! at any moment, the treatment doesn't achieve a semblence of reality until Scott appears, and after that rises and falls. This Oliver is never really in any serious peril, notably not from Bill Sikes, but at least Fagin retains his dignity.