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Few literary masterpieces have been adapted to the screen as frequently as this Charles Dickens classic; Roman Polanski’s recent version is the 26th we know of -- and one of the very best, to boot. We suspect the Polish-born director identifies very strongly with this tale of a young orphan cast adrift on the ramshackle streets of London’s shabbiest neighborhood: In 1943, at the age of ten, Polanski saw his parents carted off by Nazis and was left to fend for himself in the Warsaw Ghetto. Unlike earlier versions of Oliver Twist that romanticized the protagonist’s situation and surroundings, Polanski’s adaptation depicts an even filthier, less hospitable city. The story’s essential details remain the same: young Oliver (Barney Clark), having left the orphanage, falls in with the Artful Dodger (Harry Eden) and other street urchins working as pickpockets under the guidance of the shifty Fagin (Ben Kingsley). The lad becomes part of this seedy little fraternity and runs afoul of the cruel Bill Sykes (Jamie Foreman), whose kindhearted lover, Nancy (Leanne Rowe), ultimately falls victim to his murderous impulses. Dickens made Fagin a Jew and presented him as an anti-Semitic caricature. More than any other filmmaker who’s tackled the story, Polanski softens the character and makes him almost sympathetic. That’s an interesting innovation, and one that enables Kingsley to contribute a more fully rounded portrayal -- it is, in fact, one of his best. For that matter, Oliver Twist is one of Polanski’s best as well. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Director Roman Polanski gives one of Charles Dickens' best-loved stories a new and dynamic interpretation in this period drama. Oliver Twist (Barney Clark) is a young orphan in Victorian England who has been sent to a dank workhouse run by the miserly Mr. Bumble (Jeremy Swift) when it is learned there is no one to care for him. When Oliver dares to ask for more gruel, he is sent away to live with an undertaker, who treats him poorly. Preferring life on the streets to the treatment he's been receiving, Oliver runs away to London, where he falls in with the Artful Dodger (Harry Eden), a youthful pickpocket. The Artful Dodger is one of a gang of young thieves overseen by Fagin (Ben Kingsley), a paternal but sinister criminal mastermind. While Oliver finds a home of sorts with Fagin and his young cohorts, he also falls into a dangerous life made all the more threatening by the presence of Fagin's menacing overlord, Bill Sykes (Jamie Foreman). Oliver Twist was Polanski's first feature film after enjoying a major career resurgence following the international success of his Oscar-winning World War II drama The Pianist. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 043396130654
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 2:10:00
• Sales Rank: 4,888

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