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Movies / On DVD / Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist

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Oliver Twist (2005)

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Reviews Counted:133

Fresh:78

Rotten:55

Average Rating:6.3/10

Consensus: Polanski's version of Dickens' classic won't have audiences asking for more because while polished and directed with skill, the movie's a very impersonal experience.

Rated: PG

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:07-10-2005

Synopsis: Acclaimed director Roman Polanski turns a dark eye toward the classic Charles Dickens novel OLIVER TWIST, about a charming orphan boy (Barney Clark) whose life seems to depend solely on the whims... Acclaimed director Roman Polanski turns a dark eye toward the classic Charles Dickens novel OLIVER TWIST, about a charming orphan boy (Barney Clark) whose life seems to depend solely on the whims of fate. Abandoned early in life, Oliver first seems doomed to life in a workhouse, where he is farmed out to a local undertaker where he regularly is underfed and mistreated. Hoping to improve his lot in life, Oliver runs away to London, where he falls in with a gang of petty criminals led by the fence Fagin (Ben Kingsley) and the young pickpocket the Artful Dodger (Harry Eden). His new situation seems like relief, until he meets Mr. Brownlow (Edward Hardwicke), who sees Oliver's true character and potential and seems determined to sway destiny. Despite his innocent performance, eleven-year old Barney Clark was already a seasoned professional when Polanski recruited him to play Oliver, including studies at the Anna Scher Theatre and performances in the film THE LAWLESS HEART and British television dramas FOYLE'S WAR and THE BRIEF. Also of note is the moving score by award-winning composer Rachel Portman, which brings to life the gritty life of Victorian London. Polanski can now add OLIVER TWIST to his array of classic films, including THE PIANIST and CHINATOWN, which forever will shape cinematic vision. [More]

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jamie Foreman, Harry Eden, Leanne Rowe

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jamie Foreman, Harry Eden, Leanne Rowe, Barney Clark, Edward Hardwicke, Mark Strong, Ian McNeice

Director: Roman Polanski

Director: Roman Polanski
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Producer: Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde
Composer: Rachel Portman
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Oliver Twist

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Please sir, can we have some less?

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
10/08/05
Andy Jacobs
Andy Jacobs
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's also strong support from Harry Eden, as well as Leanne Rowe as the archetypal tart-with-a-heart Nancy, whilst Jamie Foreman (nasty pieces of work a specialty) adds another great performance to his rogue's gallery of Cockney villains.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/08/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
10/07/05
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/06/05
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Involving, captivating and nearly note perfect--in other words, a proper classic.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
08/26/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

This version of Twist is a flawless adaptation; finding the right balance between story and screen. Simply enthralling.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
08/18/05
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

The horrors are comfily buttressed by storybook polish

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
09/01/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

Polanski has crafted something that already feels like a classic film, beautiful to look at, combining accurate period detail with a certain gothic expressionism and brimming with earthy characters and high drama.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
08/02/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

The unspoken sense of youthful post-traumatic holocaust syndrome shock and awe in Polanski's Twist is as palpable as the murky stench and appalling human misery of Dickens' chaotic London streets.

Full Review Source: WBAI Web Radio | comment Comment
02/08/07
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
WBAI Web Radio

Polanski's film is not a bad adaptation, and it may be a fine way to introduce children to the classic story. But it is not exactly a definitive version of that story.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/27/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
06/24/06
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Probably the thing that Polanski's Oliver Twist does best, is deliver the mood of the day

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
06/15/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/12/06
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

With intelligence and style (inspired by the art of Gustave Doré and Francisco Solé), Polanski makes a rewarding contribution to Dickens' legacy on screen.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
02/26/06
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

The movie understands what Polanski himself knew upon surviving the Holocaust--you take your kindness where you can find it, weighing its price along the way.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
02/03/06
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

It just might supplant David Lean's 1948 version as the one that students turn to for a 2-hour study guide.

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
01/15/06
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
DVDTalk.com

A severely overlooked, exceedingly well-done version of an oft-told tale...One of the best films of 2005.

Full Review Source: Fantastica Daily | comment Comment
12/28/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

[T]he maddening thing is not just that we hardly need another movie adaptation of [Oliver Twist] ... but that there are other Dickens books that haven't been given the major movie treatment that would better suit Polanski's temperament.

Full Review Source: Blogcritics.org | comment Comment
12/26/05
Alan Dale
Alan Dale
Blogcritics.org

...respectful without being slavish, nice to look at without ever being breathtaking, well cast and acted without ever deeply engaging our emotions.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
12/15/05
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
12/06/05
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Oliver Twist

October 27, 2006: Polanski's Role in "Rush Hour 3"
Wondering how/why filmmaker Roman Polanski would be appearing in next summer's "Rush Hour 3"? I'll admit I was a little curious, so here's a little scoop: He's playing... More...

February 17, 2006: Newell & Bardem Come Down with "Cholera"
International acting stud Javier Bardem and well-rounded movie director Mike Newell are about to bring the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Love in the Time of Cholera" to the... More...

September 29, 2005: Critical Consensus: "Blue" Sinks, "Violence" Kills, "Serenity" Soars
This week at the movies, we have sexy divers ("Into the Blue"), secretive family men ("A History of Violence"), space renegades ("Serenity"),... More...

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