DVD/VIDEO: Oliver Twist (2005)

OLIVER TWIST (2005)

My Rating: **** (out of *****)
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Barney Clark, Jamie Foreman, Harry Eden, Leanne Rowe
Director: Roman Polanski

My Review:
With over 25 film adaptations (or variations) of Dickens’ classic available, it’s hard to imagine how this latest one - helmed by Oscar winner Roman Polanski – could really have anything fresh to offer. Apparently, moviegoers didn’t find much, as this film made a dismal $2 million in its entire US theatrical release. This is most unfortunate, as Oliver Twist turns out to be one of the sturdiest and most engrossing versions yet of the timeless tale of opposites - poverty and riches, misfortune and fortuity, hate and love, despair and hope – intertwining around a poor orphan in the mid 1800s London. While truncated to be sure, this new edition is radiantly picturesque in its loveliness, with a solid all-British cast and a “surprise twist” that actually improves upon the conclusion of Dickens’ already masterful work.

Perfectly capable if not fantastic newcomer Barney Clark portrays Oliver, who is grossly mistreated by a host of supposedly generous and ‘Christian’ folk in various workhouses, orphanages, and the like. Things get so bad that he runs away, walking over 70 miles on foot to London, where he falls unwittingly into the seamy criminal underbelly of England’s great city. We all know the drama and its players: there’s the expert pickpocket, Artful Dodger (whose delightful role is unfortunately downplayed here); his slimy yet charismatic boss Fagin (Kingsley, in a performance he was born to give); maniacal, murderous thug Bill Sykes (well drawn by Jamie Foreman); Bill’s kind-hearted girlfriend Nancy (Leanne Rowe, superb); and Mr. Brownlow (Edward Hardwicke), the wealthy gentleman who attempts to rescue Oliver from all the madness in which he is caught. It all plays out in grand Dickensian fashion, with justice finally coming for our beleaguered young hero, though not without great cost (Nancy’s demise is – as always – horrendous, as she is the character we are most drawn to).

Finally, the film concludes with a small but brilliant postlude that Dickens failed to include in his original work. Here, we have young Oliver – somewhat recovered from his ordeal – willfully traveling to the jailhouse in which Fagin, now a mumbling, disoriented old man, sits rotting for his crimes. In an incredibly beautiful and poignant scene, Oliver shows genuine compassion for the man who only betrayed and endangered him while professing kindness and protection. This element lends a wonderful closure to the oft-told story, giving Oliver a greater sense of hope than he was afforded by his original creator.

As a work of art, Oliver Twist is positively exquisite. Cast in rich, golden hues, director of photography Pawel Edelman creates a stunning visual palette of deep, burnished brown and yellow tones. The result feels like a painting come to life, lending a slightly magical feel to the cold, hard, and very unmagical events that pervade this dark story. While several actors have been specifically praised in this review, the entire cast is strong. Not a false note among them. Rachel Portman’s score is fine, but not especially noteworthy.

For those who don’t know the story of Oliver Twist, this is an excellent introduction with a beautiful and welcome closing note of redemption. For those who’ve seen it time and again, Polanski makes the journey worth retaking, and then some.

PG-13, for abusive treatment of women and children, with some violence including an off-screen murder (bloody aftermath is shown), as well as mature thematic elements and brief mild language