Oliver! Summary
MPAA Rating: G
Director: Carol Reed
Genres: Musical
Rating:
Inspired by Charles_Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, Lionel_Bart's 1961 London and Broadway musical hit glossed over some of Dickens' more graphic passages but managed to retain a strong subtext to what was essentially light entertainment. For its first half-hour or so, Carol_Reed's Oscar-winning 1968 film version does a masterful job of telling its story almost exclusively through song and dance. Once nine-year-old orphan Oliver Twist (Mark_Lester) falls in with such underworld types as pickpocket Fagin (Ron_Moody) and murderous thief Bill Sykes (Oliver_Reed), it becomes necessary to inject more and more dialogue, and the film loses some of its momentum. But not to worry; despite such brutal moments as Sikes' murder of Nancy (Shani_Wallis), the film gets back on the right musical track, thanks in great part to Onna_White's exuberant choreography and the faultless performances by Moody and by Jack_Wild as the Artful Dodger. The supporting cast includes Harry_Secombe as the self-righteous Mr. Bumble and Joseph O'Conor as Mr. Brownlow, the man who (through a series of typically Dickensian coincidences) rescues Oliver from the streets. Oliver! won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and a special award to choreographer Onna_White. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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