| Oliver Twist | |
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| Directed by | David Lean |
| Produced by | Ronald Neame Anthony Havelock-Allan |
| Written by | David Lean Stanley Haynes Charles Dickens (novel) |
| Starring | Alec Guinness Robert Newton Kay Walsh John Howard Davies Anthony Newley |
| Music by | Arnold Bax |
| Cinematography | Guy Green |
| Editing by | Jack Harris |
| Distributed by | Rank |
| Release date(s) |  30 June, 1948 30 July, 1951 |
| Running time | 115 min. (GB) / 105 min. (USA) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Oliver Twist (1948) is the second of David Lean's two film adaptations of Charles Dickens novels. Following the success of his 1946 version of Great Expectations, Lean re-assembled much of the same team for his next film, including producers Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan, cinematographer Guy Green, designer John Bryan and editor Jack Harris. Lean's wife, Kay Walsh, who had collaborated on the screenplay for Great Expectations, played the role of Nancy.
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Differences from the novel
While in general faithful to the Dickens' storyline, Lean's film omits the Rose Maylie sub-plot altogether. Nancy goes directly to Mr. Brownlow to warn him of the plot against Oliver, and Fagin dispatches the Artful Dodger instead of Noah Claypole (who appears only in the early scenes) to spy on her. Nancy's best friend, Bet, is also omitted from this film. It is the Artful Dodger, and not Bet, who discovers the murder, and who betrays the murderer to the police.
Controversy
Alec Guinness's portrayal of Fagin was considered anti-semitic by some. Guinness wore heavy make-up, including a large prosthetic nose, to make him look like the character as he appeared in George Cruikshank's illustrations in the first edition of the novel. The film was not released in the United States until 1951, with seven minutes of Guinness's performance cut. It was banned in Israel for anti-semitism, and in Egypt for portraying Fagin too sympathetically. Beginning in the 1970's, the full-length version of Lean's film began to be shown in the United States. It is that version which is out on DVD.
Cast
- John Howard Davies - Oliver Twist
- Robert Newton - Bill Sikes
- Alec Guinness - Fagin
- Kay Walsh - Nancy
- Francis L. Sullivan - Mr. Bumble
- Anthony Newley - The Artful Dodger
- Henry Stephenson - Mr. Brownlow
- Michael Dear - Noah Claypole
- Diana Dors - Charlotte
- Frederick Lloyd - Mr. Grimwig
- Mary Clare - Mrs. Corney
Production notes
- Robert Donat auditioned for the role of Sikes.
- Hattie Jacques from the Carry On films appears momentarily as a pub singer.
- Kay Walsh was married to David Lean at the time of the filming, but the stresses of filmmaking caused Lean to enter psychoanalysis. This played a large part in their ultimate divorce.
External links
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| Characters | Oliver Twist | Fagin | Bill Sikes | The Artful Dodger | Nancy | Rose Maylie |
| Film adaptions | Oliver Twist (1948) | Oliver! | Oliver & Company | Oliver Twist (1997) | Twist | Boy called Twist | Oliver Twist (2005) |
| Other adaptions | Oliver! | Fagin the Jew | Oliver Twist (TV miniseries) | Oliver Twist (2007 TV serial) |
| Songs | As Long as He Needs Me | Consider Yourself | Food Glorious Food | I'd Do Anything (song) | Oliver! (song) | Where is Love? |
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| 1940s | In Which We Serve (with Noel Coward) | This Happy Breed | Blithe Spirit | Brief Encounter | Great Expectations | Oliver Twist | The Passionate Friends |
| 1950s | Madeleine | The Sound Barrier | Hobson's Choice | Summertime | The Bridge on the River Kwai |
| 1960s | Lawrence of Arabia | Doctor Zhivago |
| 1970s | Ryan's Daughter |
| 1980s | A Passage to India |
| Television | Lost and Found: The Story of Cook's Anchor (1979) |
