Oliver Twist (2005)

Buy This Item Oliver Twist (2005) by Sony Pictures  Available from Amazon  $10.49  on 11-25-2008     Roman Polanski directs the classic Charles Dickens story of a young orphan boy who gets involved with a gang of pickpockets in 19th Century London. Abandoned at an early age, Oliver Twist (Barney Clark) is forced to live in a workhouse lorded over by the awful Mr. Bumble, who cheats the boys of their meager rations. Desperate yet determined, Oliver makes his escape to the streets of London. Penniless and alone, he is lured into a world of crime by the sinister Fagin (Academy-Award® winner Sir Ben Kingsley) -- the mastermind of a gang of pint-sized pickpockets. Oliver's rescue by the kindly Mr. Brownlow is only the beginning of a series of adventures that lead him to the promise of a better life. Reader Reviews Polanski's version of Dickens' classic is visually stirring (its use of computerized backgrounds sets a new standard) and has real heart and soul, particularly in the form of Ben Kingsley's sympathetic Fagin, and Leanne Rowe's endearingly charming Nancy, but this tale strayed too far from the novel to be either the definitive or even one of the top adaptations of this 150-year-old best seller. Well worth seeing, for sure, but not a replacement for the experience of reading the source material. And, hey, didn't the canine actor who played Bill Sykes' dog, Bullseye, look like he could be the many-times-great-grandfather of Petey from The Little Rascals? (BTW, this is my second, and censored, attempt at submitting this review. Apparently Amazon doesn't like comments on this filmmaker's past...)

Oliver Twist (2005) Available from Amazon Price: $10.49 Updated on 11-25-2008.

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