Masterpiece Theater: Oliver Twist (2000) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The poor reviews this movie has received (in both the DVD and VHS formats) I feel are totally unwarranted. This is my favorite put-to-film Dickens novel (except for the various "A Christmas Carol's" out there), and I am ecstatic that this version is finally available on DVD.
Now, in this adaption, I believe the prequel works very well. I think it makes this a much more comprehensive movie and gives the characters involved (especially Monks) much more depth. And, because of the length of this version that I am reviewing, it allows the viewer to get to know each character much deeper than the other filmed versions available. We get to know Oliver's parents and Aunt Rose up close, although it is done through liberties taken by the producer and not necessarily Dickens himself. I do feel, however, the great novelist would not particularly mind in this case.
The acting is as good, if not better, than pretty much most period epics I have seen. The actors play off of each other well - they match their roles perfectly. The costumes and sets are excellent. They have captured the early Victorian period so well - both the good and the bad - it's almost as if the viewer is peering through a looking glass into the past.
As for the story following Dickens' original novel...well, I have yet to see any movie follow a novel to a "T." It just doesn't happen, unfortunately, with virtually any put-to-film novel. But this follows the original, as a whole, much much closer than the other versions I have seen - definitely more than "Oliver," and infinitely more than the Disney version with Richard Dreyfuss, which was made into a totally different story than what Dickens had intended.
Don't let the nearly 6 hour length scare you off - there is no time during this whole version where one is bored (unless they are a child - definitely not a children's movie!). Being a fan of epic period movies, I found this to be as enticing as any other epic novels put to the screen.
Bravo to all involved!

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Oliver Twist (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This version of Oliver twist was not a bad film, in fact it was quite good. It should not be compared to Polanski's film or the 1968 film. It should be compared to David Lean's excellent film with Sir Alec Guinness. Many previous films including the 1968 film and polanski's omit an important character in Oliver's half brother "Monks" or Edward as he is called here. Yes in the book Monks was a major villain who employed Fagin to corrupt Oliver, And in this film Monks is a well portrayed villain who threatens everyone he meets and tried to seduce his cousin. True, in the book he does not seduce his cousin but he does everything else. Timothy Spall's Fagin is quite good and shows that poverty has corrupted his soul. To show him as a proper jew honors the true nature of a very complex character of which Dickens only shows one side to Fagan. No this production is not a word for word literal telling of Oliver Twist but it opens up old characters and shows that evil has many faces. It is not a perfect film and sometimes the soundtrack was annoying but it was overall a good production and worth watching.

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This gripping tale of Charles Dickens's classic remains faithful to the spirit of the novel while delivering a modern, thrilling, tragic and occasionally comic edge. Oliver is born into poverty and misfortune - the son of an unmarried mother, who dies shortly after his birth. He is soon delivered to the workhouse, where the cruel Mr. Bumble oversees children tormented by starvation and suffering. When Oliver dares to ask for more gruel, he finds himself cast out and forced to make his own way in the world. Running away to London, Oliver meets the Artful Dodger and his gang, as well as the beautiful Nancy, and gets the first warm welcome of his life - but he is soon to discover that this kindness requires its own type of payment. As Oliver is drawn deeper into the dark and murky underworld, he remains unaware that the kind Mr. Brownlow is searching for him, while others - the brutal criminal Bill Sykes, the manipulative Fagin and the mysterious Mr. Monks - are vying to ruin and destroy his life.

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