At first I thought making a musical out of OLIVER TWIST cheapened the point that Dickens was trying to make about the exploitation of orphans. The “bad guys” in the film are watered down because at any moment a cheery song could break out and brighten up the day.
To some degree this idea is true with OLIVER! because never once did I really feel like Oliver (Mark Lester, BLACK BEAUTY) was in any true danger. Oliver gets kicked out of the orphanage, sold to a mortician, runs away to London and then gets caught up in a pickpocket gang, led by the shifty, but kind of lovable, Fagin (Ron Moody, A KID IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT). However, throughout all of that, Oliver lands on his feet and smiles to a nice song. The film also includes follow pickpocket The Artful Dodger (Jack Wild, TV’s H.R. PUFNSTUF), elder and mean thief Bill Sikes (Oliver Reed, GLADIATOR) and his barmaid girlfriend Nancy (Shani Wallis, THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE).
But despite all of that, the film works wonderfully. It’s zest and characters just win you over. Lester is perfectly cast as Oliver. The entire cast seems to have been born to play these specific roles. If the music weren’t so good, I’d say turn off the sound and just watch the visuals, because that’s the real star of the film. The sets are amazing and the choreography is grand and stylish. Making the film more upbeat is the songs, which makes the film more accessible to children, but it’s not dumbed down. The film is a fun, grand spectacle worth watching when you just want to be entertained.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
