Oliver! (DVD)

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Oliver! is the film musical based on the book Oliver Twist written by Charles Dickens. The story follows the fortunes of Oliver as his mother dies in childbirth; he lives in the workhouse, and then has a spell picking pockets in London finally ending up finding his real family.

This film version won two Oscars - Best director for Carol Reed and Best Music for John Green.

The film begins in the ...
...and the sad death of his mother. Incidentally when I first saw this film at the cinema in 1968 I fell in love with Mark Lester! Having seen him interviewed on the Alan Titchmarsh show recently he is just as gorgeous as an adult too! Sorry I am digressing aren't I?

We then jump to Oliver aged about 10 in the workhouse with all the other boys being beaten, overworked, unloved and very poorly fed. The boys, after singing Food, Glorious ... more

If you like musicals you will love this one - I promise! It will make you laugh and make you cry and even make you sing a long to Lionel Bart's great songs.

This review will give you a feel for the music and a synopsis of the plot but I feel that this is OK as there can't be anyone who doesn't already know the story can there?

Oliver! is the film musical based on the book Oliver Twist written by Charles Dickens. The story follows the fortunes of Oliver as his mother dies in childbirth; he lives in the workhouse, and then has a spell picking pockets in London finally ending up finding his real family.

This film version won two Oscars - Best director for Carol Reed and Best Music for John Green.

The film begins in the workhouse with the birth of Oliver (played by Mark Lester) and the sad death of his mother. Incidentally when I first saw this film at the cinema in 1968 I fell in love with Mark Lester! Having seen him interviewed on the Alan Titchmarsh show recently he is just as gorgeous as an adult too! Sorry I am digressing aren't I?

We then jump to Oliver aged about 10 in the workhouse with all the other boys being beaten, overworked, unloved and very poorly fed. The boys, after singing Food, Glorious Food, draw straws for who will ask Mr. Bumble (the guardian of the workhouse) for more gruel. Having seen what it looked like they must have been hungry to want more of that!

Oliver draws the short straw and slowly walks up to Mr. Bumble played by Harry Secombe so the size difference between the two is very obvious and shows the viewer Oliver's fragility in this situation.

'Please sir, can I have some more?' is greeted by a huge roar of 'MORE?' and the subsequent chaos as Oliver runs away from Mr. Bumble and his wife, played by Peggy Mount also a larger than life character.

After much running and dodging Oliver is eventually caught and Mr. Bumble has to answer to the board of governors, where the decision is made to sell Oliver as he is such a trouble maker.

After the singing Boy for Sale by Harry Secombe Oliver is sold to the local undertaker where he is just as badly treated as he was in the workhouse so he runs away. The sight of little Oliver looking out from his cellar singing Where is Love? would melt the hardest heart.

In London Oliver pals up with street boy Jack also know as the Artful Dodger played by the late Jack Wild and is introduced to their 'guardian' Fagin played brilliantly by Ron Moody. I think any subsequent versions of Oliver have a little of Ron Moody in them.

His singing of You Gotta Pick a Pocket or Two to explain Oliver's new life to him is great.

Life is generally good for Oliver here compared to his life so far at least! He is fed, he has friends and he has fun. Fagin's boys are all pickpockets and the ill gotten gains are fenced by the terrifying Bill Sykes played by Oliver Reed - another brilliant bit of casting!

Bill's girlfriend Nancy (Shani Wallis) is the go between and the boys all love her and often have fun singing and dancing when she visits. Well, you would expect anything less would you? The classic I'd do Anything appears during one of these interludes. Even though this life is far from ideal for the youngster the love and companionship made me feel good at this point in the film.

Oliver eventually gets arrested as a pickpocket because he doesn't get away quickly enough after Dodger has picked a gentleman's pocket. Luckily the gentleman realised that it wasn't Oliver who did the deed and speaks up for him in court, taking him home to give him a proper life. The resemblance between Oliver and the picture of the gentleman's niece hanging on the wall is noticed and it is discovered that Oliver was her son.

As Oliver stands on the balcony of his bedroom watching the local flower sellers, bakers, etc. going about their business and singing Who Will Buy? (as they do). This one is a really uplifting number and makes the viewer feel that life really is good!

Oliver's happy ever after is complete - or is it?

Bill Sykes is worried that Oliver will pass on details of their set up and that the 'old Bill' will be paying them a call so he forces Nancy to trick Oliver into going back to them and he has to start housebreaking with Bill.

Nancy is such a lovely girl it makes you wonder why she is so influenced by a rouge like Bill so she sings As Long As he Needs Me to let us know how she feels about him.

Nancy is so unhappy and guilty with what she has done to Oliver she decides to kidnap Oliver from Bill and take him back to where he belongs. They are in the rough bar where all the ne'er-do-wells hang out and Nancy spots Oliver being guarded by Bulls Eye, Bill's dog. She gets everyone singing Oompah-pah, which gradually builds into a huge song and dance number giving Nancy the chance to snatch Oliver.

The singing of this song is very cleverly orchestrated. It begins very slowly with few people interested in joining in and gradually builds taking the viewer with it as it b uilds into a crescendo of song and dance.

She takes him a prearranged meeting point in order to hand him over but Bill gets to them and beats Nancy to death. (Funnily enough they don't all burst into song at that point!) Bill runs from the law with Oliver in tow but all works out for the best and Oliver is reunited with his family.

I had a few tears when Oliver was singing Where is Love? But controlled myself at that point, but when Nancy got killed I was in folds of tears and cried until he end of the film!
I had gone to the cinema with my friends from school and was told afterwards that I was making the seats shake as I was crying so hard!

Well, now I have my own DVD so I can have a good cry whenever I want to!

The film lasts for 2 hours and 24 minutes and is one of the best musicals of it's genre in my opinion. 

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