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93 out of 111 people found the following comment useful :- I thought it was great!, 5 October 2005 Author: pupiluv72 from United States
I completely disagree with the comment I just read. I thought Roman Polanski did great respects to the story and to Dickens. I thought all of the performances were well done and Ben Kingsley was just amazing. I have been in the production of Oliver! the musical three times and have read the book about a million times. It is one of my all time favorite stories and plays and I have been disappointed with the past Oliver Twist films. I remember a few years ago I saw a very poorly done Oliver Twist with Elijah Wood as the Artful Dodger. This one did not disappoint me as a huge fan in the least. I feel Roman Polanski really understood what Dickens was trying to express in his books. And by the way, the character Oliver is supposed to faint, it is a sign of his weakness. I know I am repeating myself but I really did love the performances. The Artful Dodger was great and Mr.Salsbury was done so justly. Even the smallest characters were performed amazingly. I think the only way someone would foolishly call this off as a poorly written, poorly acted, or poorly done film was if they were blind and deaf! No offense to anyone who is of course, but I was very taken aback, as I said, by the comment I just read about this film. The only thing it has against it is that it's a bit long. I knew where the story was going at every moment but for someone just being introduced to Oliver Twist, it might seem to go on for a while. But if you look back at the history of movies, many of the best films are long. If you are a fan of Charles Dickens, please see this film - you will love it. If you are a fan of Roman Polanski it is one of his best! If you wish to be entertained in a very classic and non-offensive way, please see this film. I just loved it and could go on and on. This is a story and film for all ages!
79 out of 101 people found the following comment useful :- A BEAUTIFUL Piece of Construction, 23 September 2005 Author: cliffcarson-1 from United States
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Without a doubt the Roman Polanski version of OLIVER TWIST is the greatest "straight" telling version of this story ever filmed. Yes, you will see glimpses of the David Lean version and the Carol Reed musical, but this film stands on it's own as a deeply moving interpretation of the Charles Dickens novel. While I was watching this film I couldn't help thinking how proud Dickens would have been if he were alive. Somewhere beyond he is smiling because Polanski captures the grand scope of the film and maintains its intimacy throughout. OLIVER TWIST moved me to tears.What a master filmmaker Polanski is and how clever he was to choose OLIVER TWIST as a follow up film to THE PIANIST. You can feel his compassion for this story and its characters. It's hard to match the performance of Fagin given by Alec Guiness in the Lean version and especially Ron Moody in the Reed musical but Ben Kingsley is incredibly dimensional and moving in the role. He puts his own signature onto the part.Jamie Foreman is the scariest Bill Sykes ever. Barney Clark as Oliver carries the picture on his instinctual little shoulders and is as moving in the role as Ben Kingsley is in his.The art direction and cinematography are oil paintings in motion. Highly atmospheric and gorgeous to look at.My only quibble with this version is that the Nancy isn't as compassionate as the the Nancy played by Shani Wallis in the film musical. Although never mentioned in the story there is no doubt about the profession of Nancy and Bet in this picture. Leanne Rowe is a very sexy Nancy and was a fine choice for the part. However, there isn't a scene in this film where Nancy comes into her own and wins the audience over in the way there is for the characters of Fagin, Oliver and the Artful Dodger. This is where Polanski needed to reach deep and establish but didn't . It's unfortunate too because Rowe is really good in the part. There just needed to be a definitive moment in the film where we as an audience fall in love with the character so as to make her death all the more disturbing.The death of Nancy in the Carol Reed '68 version was a shocking and disturbing scene. The death scene in the Polanski version is handled similarly off camera so as to leave the image in the imagination of the viewer. But the murder doesn't have the shock value it should. I couldn't help thinking that the the image of the blood at the bottom of the door strangely symbolized the blood at the front door of the house where the murder of his wife Sharon Tate occurred. I also got the feeling that Polanski for this reason didn't want to have a graphic death for Nancy. It's as if he's had enough of murders (fictional or otherwise) for one lifetime. One can hardly blame him.
78 out of 100 people found the following comment useful :- Polanski the great, 14 September 2005 Author: ashyendel from Canada
Roman Polanski never ceases to amaze me at all the things he can do. He can make so many different kinds of films well. His range is truly extraordinary. The man who gave us Chinatown, Pianist, Rosemary's Baby has now directed Oliver Twist. I've seen most of the versions of Twist but this is by far the best. David Leans version is often talked about but it is overpraised. It tends to be overly sentimental an very slow in certain places. I'm not for fast moving movies but his version can be quite dull at times. Polanski's film has updated a great story with lush photography of pastoral settings and the narrative moves briskly. He manages to develop the characters quite well despite the pace. The acting from all is superb especially Ben Kingsley who is barely recognizable. I've never been a fan of great books that have been adapted to film but Polanski seems to have a real knack for this sort of thing. He filmed Tess (also an adaptation) 25 years back with an Academy award nominated direction. That film is one of my all time favorites but Oliver Twist is even better. Polanski seems to get better with age. I can't wait to see what he does next.
40 out of 46 people found the following comment useful :- Well made, a great version of a much loved tale, 11 October 2005 Author: tresdodge from London
I was somewhat ambivalent about the thought of one of my favourite directors making a version of the much loved classic tale Oliver Twist. On the one had Roman Polanski crafts wonderful and moving films extremely well so I was intrigued to see how he would weave this one together. From his early 'Knife in the water' through to 'The Pianist' each has his trademark directorial stamp on it whilst still being truly incredible and individual films. On the other hand, the Oliver Twist tale has been screened to death both in two highly regarded films as well as multifarious TV versions over the years. In my opinion David Lean's version is fantastic, Alec Guiness superb as Fagin and the whole film experience has kept me going back from childhood through to adulthood.So it was with great trepidation that I went to see this spanking brand new version and thankfully I was not disappointed. The character of Fagin, so crucial to the story, is performed with outstanding ability by Ben Kingsley. He really portrays this grotesque but somehow lovable character well from his slight mannerisms and movements to his vocal abilities. Also, finely performed were the parts of the artful dodger (Harry Eden), Mr Brownlowe (Edward Hardwicke) and of course Oliver Twist (Barney Clarke). There was such sadness and despair in his eyes throughout that he really captured the part well. Less convincing was Bill Sykes (Jamie Foreman) who was not right for the part nor performed well enough to stand up against the masterful Oliver Reed in a previous version. Foreman is a regular in gangster type films and for me did not really fit into the cast or film well here.The recreation of mid 19th century London is done well with Polanski drawing on the visual inspiration of Dore prints of the period for authenticity. The cinematography is as accomplished as always in a Polanski film and the lighting helped to create dramatic moods well.All in all a very competent and entertaining version with great acting, a fine pace and an outstanding final scene of Fagin finished and soon to face death gripping hold of Oliver tightly. I would highly recommend to adults, children and die hard fans of other versions. All great directors have different visions and Polanski has used his vision and experienced craftmanship in successfully remaking this much loved tale.
55 out of 76 people found the following comment useful :- Absolutely Perfect, 2 October 2005 Author: Envinyatar2 from United States
Perfect, there is no better way to describe this wonderful production by Roman Polanski. This time honoured story by one of the world's greatest writers has been given excellent treatment by a fantastic director.First, the acting is quite good, not just as one would expect from Ben Kingsley (who out does himself as the scheming cantankerous Fagin), but from the child actors as well, most notably Barney Clark and Harry Eden (who play Twist and Dodger, respectively). Another notable aspect of the cast is they all speak with a thick 19th century British accent, and yet manage to be perfectly intelligible to the audience.As for the story, well, what can I say, it's Dickens! Some characters are of course cut from the book, and some plot points and elements are missing, but that is to be expected when a book is translated into a film. Despite the cuts, the movie is very faithful to the book, and one could hardly ask for a better translation of written medium to the visual.Despite wonderful acting and excellent story, my favourite part of this movie is definitely the visuals. The set and costume crew has done an amazing job of recreating the London in which Oliver lived. Every nuance of London, from the slums to the well to do areas has been very faithfully realized on screen. The squalor of the back alleys is almost palpable as the characters trod through the mud, and one is almost tempted to doff their hat when the scenery moves to the middle class homes.Overall, I can find very little to not praise about this movie, the only thing I can find some flaw with is the soundtrack, as it seems a bit sparse in some areas, and perhaps a bit too repetitive. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of any genre.
34 out of 40 people found the following comment useful :- Excellent adaptation, 11 November 2005 Author: George Mpoukatsas from Europe
Roman Polanski's film is an authoritative take on Dickens' classic. It is expertly paced, slowly immersing the viewer into the plight of the young orphan and its predicament in Victorian England. Through a meticulous period reconstruction, superb acting, and effective characterization (all the secondary characters are memorable), the typically Dickensian theme of the survival of Innocence against all odds is dramatized with utter conviction. The omission of the excessively melodramatic elements from the original story (Oliver's family back-story for instance) contributes greatly to the story's strength by minimizing any trace of implausibility or mawkishness, thus providing a wide-ranging portrait of the Victorian society with its intrinsic inequalities and its rather warped sense of justice. The visuals are splendid and the prevalent detached and non-judgmental approach to an easily emotive story is simply the signature of master director Roman Polanski, who is functioning here on top form.
32 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :- Though Polanski's Oliver Twist is a superficially conventional retelling of the story, this is Polanski, and the truth about pain is here if you are paying attention., 5 November 2005 Author: buznuz from United Kingdom
There was little that Charles Dickens didn't know about human nature. Who better to interpret his work for the screen than the similarly gifted Roman Polanski.Polanski's film allows everyone their humanity. Even the extras who people the immaculately designed sets, seem to have a life outside of this film. Ben Kingsley's performance as Fagin is not held in aspic in old age, but is full of hints about his earlier life. Oliver's sufferings seem to mirror that of children in many places and in all times. When it is alleviated it is not by those worldly motivations of charity or civil duty. While a carriage full of prosperous people studiously ignore his plight, a poor old woman who has little herself cares for him. While the wealthy city is content for him to die on the street, a criminal feeds him. When Oliver finally takes his place in the middle class, a priggish religiosity reminds us of Victorian society's cure for criminality. In the end Polanski knows and Dickens asserts that individual decency and humanity alone provide hope.
27 out of 40 people found the following comment useful :- Superb, 9 October 2005 Author: artzau from Sacramento, CA
Polanski is the kid of guy who likes to dance on the edge. A mixture of clown, genius and artist who has suffered personal tragedy and humiliation but one who keeps cranking amazing films. This Oliver Twist is no exception. Polanski has reworked the story and taken out the 19th century coincidences, e.g., the highly improbable fact that Oliver is Brownlow's grandson and the business with the portrait of Oliver's mother, given the old tale a fresh coat of paint with new amazing character actors such as Leanne Rowe, a young and thoroughly charming Nancy, Henry Eden, a scamp of a Dodger, Jamie Forman, a repulsive Bill Sykes with no redeeming features whatsoever and the veteran Edward Hardwicke as Brownlow. But, it's young Barney Clark who steals the show. In past versions, Oliver is merely a device upon which the other array of characters are hung. We'll all remember Sir Alec Guinness, Richard Dreyfus and Ron Moody's Fagin, Oliver Reed and Robert Newton's Bill Syke, Elijah Wood, Anthony Newley and Jack Wild's Dodger but who were the Olivers? We will remember young Master Barney Clark in this marvelous, intriguing and eye-pleasing Oliver.
19 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :- An excellent movie, 24 January 2006 Author: rmanory from Melbourne, Australia
Oliver Twist in Roman Polanski's version has many similarities with the earlier Oliver! version, despite to fact that more than 20 years have passed between these versions. Even the actors who play Fagin and Skyse look the same. I think however that this movie is even better, because, since it's not a musical, the plot does not stop for songs and it flows more smoothly. Moreover, this movie of course also follows the book more closely.Why did I find it to be excellent? Because the acting, the settings, the costumes and everything else were excellent. Oliver and all the children play amazingly well, Fagin (an unrecognizable Ben Kinglsey_ and Sykes play their wickedness perfectly and their characters are very convincing. Even the dog is very convincing! Add to the acting the coherent script and the three dimensional characters, the romantic goodbye scene in jail between Oliver and Fagin, and one could definitely say that the film contains all the elements of a sensitive and well made movie.
13 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :- Another Great Adaptation of the Classic Charles Dickens Novel, 20 November 2006 Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In the Nineteenth Century, the orphan Oliver Twist (Barney Clark) is sent to a workhouse, where the children are barely fed and mistreated. He moves to the house of an undertaker, but after an unfair severe spank, he starts a seven day runaway to London. He arrives exhausted and starving, and is welcomed by a gang of pickpockets leaded by the old crook Fagin (Ben Kingsley). When he is mistakenly taken as a thief, the wealthy victim Mr. Brownlow (Edward Hardwick) brings Oliver to his home and shelters him. But Fagin and the dangerous Bill Sykes (Jamie Foreman) decide to kidnap Oliver to burglarize Mr. Brownlow's fancy house. Oliver is wounded, while Mr. Brownlow tries to save Oliver.Roman Polanski's version of Oliver Twist is another great adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel. The careful production tells the beautiful story using an excellent cast (I did not recognize Ben Kingsley) and the landscapes, scenarios and costumes are amazing. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Oliver Twist"
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