Customer Reviews

Oliver Twist

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

As others have said, if you want a quality retelling of Dickens' "Oliver Twist," then turn to David Lean or the glorious musical version, and not this bland re-hash with possibly the weakest Oliver (not to mention writing and direction) that I have ever seen for this story. There are only two characters that partially redeem it: an earthy, maternal Nancy and an Artful Dodger that, as portrayed by Elijah Woods, may not be what Dickens had in mind, but certainly becomes someone you care about and want to save - much more so than the annoying Oliver, who has two facial expressions (wide-eyed and not wide-eyed), a shrill voice, and an unhealthy obsession with his mother's locket, which stalls the plot at the most unlikely moments. The double irony is that this rather stupid, greedy child (who discovers a conscience quite late) is rescued from the streets to enjoy a life of ease and comfort, while the infinitely more promising Artful Dodger (whose tender response to Oliver's bout of conscience is the most moving two minutes in the film) is carted off to jail - a quip from him being enough to stop this Oliver making any move to save him! It's enough to make you want the REAL film buried here - the one about Woods' Artful Dodger, caught between confused loyalties, sensitive and intelligent in a world merciless to both, protective of both Nancy and Oliver but powerless to help either, trying desperately to seem more callous than he is and to pretend to himself that he has chosen this life.... It's his tragedy that is almost buried in this dull film, but it's hard not to be grateful it was made, if only for those scenes lit from within by Woods' amazing talent.

OLIVER TWIST, the Charles Dickens novel of crime and childhood corruption in Victorian England, is perhaps one of the most adapted works in film. With such classic characters such as the innocent Oliver Twist, the master-thief Fagin, the touching Nancy and the comical Mr. Bumble, adapting the novel to the screen has proved to be a filmmaker and actor's dream. Probably the best versions out today are the classic 1951 David Lean version and the merry 1968 musical version, OLIVER! Of course, there are many other film and TV versions as well. This 1997 version produced by Walt Disney Co. for their "Wonderful World of Disney" TV show is unfortunately one of the lesser versions of this classic tale despite some handsome production values.

Part of the reasoning of this low opinion stems from a rather rambling screenplay that almost completely changes the title character (played by Alex Trench) from a put-upon victim into an overly spunky and almost overly abrasive tyke. It's not Trench's fault in that he does a good job with this rather false characterization, but he ends up seeming more suited to playing the Artful Dodger than Oliver Twist. In contrast, Elijah Wood's performance as the Artful Dodger comes across as overly mannered and laid back. As a result, his Dodger seems ill-equipped emotionally to be a "street educated" tough.

The pivotal role of Fagin, that master teacher of young pickpockets, has undergone much revision since Dickens first created him. Originally a slimy, nasty Jewish stereotype, the character has been softened to the point of sometimes being comic relief. Of course, this is due to modern sensibilities that have dictated the de-emphasis on racial stereotypes. That in itself isn't a bad thing as Ron Moody's masterful performance in OLIVER! showed, but Richard Dreyfus seems ill-prepared in the role. Wandering around in a false nose and gravelly voice, Dreyfus is inconsistent in the role and turns a star turn into something merely average. David O' Hara and Antoine Byrne are more successful in their roles of the brutal Bill Sikes and his ill-fated lover, Nancy. Unfortunately, the screenplay gives these characters rather short shift and they don't get much of a chance to make an impression. Indeed, the movie streamlines the classic story to an almost absurd degree with the elimination of classic characters and situations such as Mr. Bumble and Oliver's apprenticeship to the funeral parlor of the cruel Sowerberrys.

At about 90 minutes, the movie seems to go faster than it does because of the absurd trimming. The Walt Disney Company does not do the classic story justice and leaves the viewer feeling very unsatisfied as a result. This movie may be handsome to look at, but this is not a version that I would recommend. Stick with the classic David Lean or 1968 musical version for a better and more satisfying experience.

As usual, Disney has just twisted the plot and characters to fit its own view of the world. The plot is lost in the cuteness that only Disney can create, and the characters become shallow and simple. I suggest the PBS version, or an older one. Even Oliver! is more true to Dickens than this. Shame on Disney!

It's not quite Dickens' classic novel, but then again, I ask you; what is? "Oliver Twist" is a brilliant film despite the fact that the story is not quite the way old Charles Dickens wrote it. When viewing this film one must remember that it was meant to appeal to a great number of people and not just to those who love literature. It was also meant to be a family film, which is why it is not as dreary or complicated as the original novel was.
One must also remember too, that this film was originally created for television.

The cast is great, especially Elijah Wood who played the Artful Dodger and Antoine Byrne who played Nancy. The young boy who played Oliver could have been a little better prepared for the part, but still he did a wonderful job. I have also never seen anyone portray Fagin in such an amusing manner as Richard Dreyfuss.

Overall the film is fun as well as funny and is sure to be an enjoyment to the entire family. For those who want to see a film that is based more closely to the novel I would suggest trying another version.

This ultimately disappointing adaptation of the Dickens classic has very few things to recommend it to the general viewer.

Unimaginatively directed and poorly scripted, it lacks the pace or depth of previous adaptations. Disney have stripped the story to its bare bones and taken considerable artistic licence even with those. What results is a pedestrian amateurish effort entirely bereft of the humanity, complexity and grit of the original novel.

What makes the failure of this film even more remarkable is that, on paper at least, it would seem to have had an enormous potential. Boasting the names of Oscar Winner Richard Dreyfuss and the talented Elijah Wood among its cast and with the budgetary power of Disney behind it, `Oliver Twist' ought to have succeeded. The film was also shot entirely in Ireland at a location near to the spectacular Wicklow Mountains. Seemingly determined to make the worst of their resources the makers have allowed their `Oliver Twist' to be made, mainly, on a series of completely unconvincing indoor sets. Even the few outdoor scenes might just as well have been shot on a set due to the simplistic camera-work involved. The opening sequence in the hills pales into insignificance when compared to that of David Lean's brooding masterpiece and the scenes set in Industrial Revolution London are entirely lacking in realism.

As regards the cast, Alex Trench in the title role comes off poorly, being utterly unable to invoke the audience's sympathy with a performance that collapses under the burden of poor direction. Richard Dreyfuss's Fagin is probably the most disappointing. Surely, with his proven abilities, he should be able to rise above the limitations of a lacklustre script and considerably modified character. Yet he fails to do so and his overly genial Fagin lacks any degree of vivacity and is probably the most inexcusable failure of the whole film. One of the many liberties Disney has taken with the original is to considerably expand the role of the Artful Dodger; it is a decision that inadvertently rescues this version of `Oliver Twist' from total disaster. Remarkably the one member of the cast who manages to construct a character with any level of charisma and depth is Elijah Wood who was barely sixteen at the time of filming. His Dodger is a prime example of Wood's ability to inject life and emotional complexity into the most ordinary of roles. In Wood's hands the Dodger becomes an outwardly confident and thick-skinned but ultimately a very lonely, vulnerable and confused individual. He is the only character that manages to engage the audience's sympathy in this production and frankly every scene without Wood's Dodger is a scene wasted. That said, his accent slips woefully at several points-which is a pity because as evidenced by `The Lord of the Rings' he is eminently capable of pulling off a convincing English accent with the aid of a decent voice coach. The only other positive things about this film are the discerning use of its score, which succeeds in being quite evocative and a few scattered moments of gentle humour.

In short this if you are looking for an even-moderately interesting adaptation of this classic then look to Lean's black and white piece of genius-or even the musical version `Oliver!'. This 1997 Disney offering fails utterly through a combination of unimaginative direction, poor sets, an atrocious script and some lacklustre performances. Unless, as an aspiring director, you want to observe how NOT to make a good film then you would be justified in giving `Oliver Twist' a miss.

I love Charles Dickens Oliver Twist story and I have seen some movies based on his book that were exceptionally good but this movie was horrific. Have you noticed that most of the positive 5 and 4 star reviews seem to be by girls who have major crushes on Elijah Wood. Sorry but I don't think they can be objective as they are extremely biased! I like Elijah Wood and I generally think he is a superb actor but I'm sorry but he was badly miscast as the Artful Dodger. His British accent was horrible and he looked too old for the part and in his costumes he looked like some kind of sissified dandy instead of a streetwise pickpocet. Sorry but this movie is a clunker!

This is a dreadful sanitized interpretation of Dickens' Oliver Twist.

The whole cast is American and have the most laughably awful English accents - to the point where it is distracting. Richard Dreyfuss and Elijah Woods accent slip every other word.

Oliver is supposed to be a fragile, deeply saddened little boy (the book will make you cry for me) but the 'actor' who plays him comes across as a happy-go-lucky kid who is always seen smiling. He has no facial expression and can't project a single emotion.

Fagan, who is played by Dreyfuss,is supposed to be a heartless, shady, and crafy character but instead comes across like Santa Clauss. I keep expecting him to burst into song. The only way you can tell the character is angry is when you get the Jaws-type disonnant music - without it, you wouldn't even know.

Not only is the acting bad, but the story is changed dramatically - some characters that are pertinent to the story are cut out completely.

If you have or have not read Dickens (you really ought to read it) it is a sad, disturbing and heart renching tale of a little boys horrendous life. This grittiness is NOT at all evident in this interpretation. If you want a smaltsy movie, go rent a Disney flick like Lion King or something, coz Oliver Twist is NOT suposed to be like that.

I have seen two other versions of Oliver Twist, the excellent BBC version, and the rather weak musical "Oliver!". The BBC version is the closest to the book, so if you are a fan of it, watch that one. "Oliver!", in my opinion, really did not get across the message of the book, nor the tragedy of the characters' lives either. If you can't stand a change from Dickens' classic, don't watch this movie. But if you are open-minded, a fan of Disney or Elijah Wood, you'll like this movie. It has all the basic outlines of the Oliver Twist story, Oliver asking for more, going to London and meeting up with Fagin, Nancy's death at the hands of Bill Sikes, et cetera. But the details are changed a great deal, for instance, Dodger's and Rose's parts are both enlarged, which I like. I read the book around the same time I saw this movie and I noticed two parts in the movie that are in the book and did not make it into the other versions.
(1) The little boy at the workhouse who says "God bless you!" to Oliver.
(2) The means of Bill Sikes's death: that is, slipping and catching his neck in the rope. BBC has him actually fall off the roof, while Oliver! has him shot by police(boring!).
Elijah Wood is absolutely wonderful in this. I know his accent was not very accurate but his acting is perfect (as always). If you are a fan of his, you HAVE to watch this movie. Elijah Wood's version of this character is very different from BBC's evil-minded follower of Fagin, Oliver!'s ridiculous clown, or the book's sneering Artful. Here is a Dodger who really comes alive, who you can sympathize with, who breaks your heart when he's taken off to jail. I agree with "a viewer" that it is Elijah Wood as Dodger and Antoine Byrne as Nancy who really save this film. Antoine Byrne's performance is touching, and really shows the tragedy of what Nancy's life was. If it were not for these two, this movie would not be worth watching. I've read the reviews, and I know some people love this movie, while others are furious that they dared tamper with the storyline. Keep an open mind, and give this a try!

In this "updated" version of Oliver Twist, Oliver becomes a cunning, greedy little brat who's forever lying, cheating and stealing to get or recover possession of the gold locket his mother left him. Thus an ingenious but incidental plot device in Dicken's novel becomes the very unchildlike obsession around which all the action in the film revolves; in fact, my daughter suggested after viewing the film that it should be re-named "The Locket." Dickens' caricatures of figures like Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Corney become stock and cartoonish, as the script strains to present Industrial Revolution England in as bad a light as possible, and Richard Dreyfuss as Fagin betrays a complete lack of understanding of that character. Stick with David Lean's 1948 production of "Oliver Twist" with an all-British cast, including Obie Wan Kenobe/Alec Guinness, and let this version go into the incinerator!

The Movie Oliver Twist has been given a great new cast of actors. Elijah Wood playing the "Artful Dodger" has outdone himself once more. The story is based on a courageouse young boy named Oliver Twist, as he battles to find the family that he lost, but still dreamed of. About the friendship between Dodger and Oliver, and their adventures and discoverys. As the plot thickens you are taken through a thriller you won't forget! A courageous young boy, an artful thief, a legendary murderer, and a cast of characters that give the movie star quality. This movie is one that Charles Dickens himself would be proud of. A movie all can enjoy and I highly recommend it to any Elijah Wood fan or if you just want to have a good time. This is the movie for you. The put downs I have seen on this movie are a little crazy I think. If it is thought that things were made up to the point of ruining it then some have obviously never read the book.