Rent Oliver Twist (1948)

Classic British Film From A Master Director - Oliver Twist review by GI

Another marvellous Dickens adaptation from director David Lean after Great Expectations (1946). The use of dark shadows creating a dingy vision of the 'dark satanic mills' of Victorian London, the film deviates from the novel only in so much as to avoid story complications and too much exposition but for the most part it's an accurate adaptation. The film is probably remembered most for the fantastic performance by Alec Guinness as Fagin, a role from which he was later accused of anti-Semitism forgetting of course that the almost comic book character is a direct lift from Dickens. It is a great portrayal and aided by Robert Newton as Sikes who always could play baddies so well despite his acute alcoholism. It's story of young Oliver who is raised in the draconian world of the workhouse, who runs away to London where he gets mixed up with a gang of thieves led by Fagin and Sikes. But his past holds a secret which leads him to danger and ultimately salvation. It's actually a dark tale of repression, murder and death and like the novel is a study of class and poverty. This version by a master director is a must see film, a classic British picture from a time when British cinema was at it's height. A film that is simply excellent.