Musical Week: Oliver!
Young orphan Oliver Twist is kicked out of the workhouse after he dares to ask for more gruel. he is sold to a cruel undertaker couple but soon escapes and joins Fagin's band of childhood pickpockets, led by the Artful Dodger. Oliver is eventually taken in by the kindly Mr. Brownlow, but violent thug Bill Sikes is paranoid that Oliver will blab about their criminal ways. Sikes's girlfriend Nancy is torn between her love for Bill and helping Oliver escape his life of crime.
Is there anybody that doesn't know the story of Oliver Twist? If they haven't seen this musical version, then they must have at least read the book or seen one of the other many adaptions. It is probably one of Charles Dickens's most famous works, apart from A Christmas Carol, of course.
The song are all very memorable. My particular favourites being Food, Glorious Food and Consider Yourself. I'm sure that everybody will disagree, but those are my favourites.
The character of Fagin has been accused of being little more than a Greedy Jew stereotype in other adaptions of the story, but this is rather downplayed in this film. Fagin only exaggerates the stereotype for comic affect during Pick a Pocket or Two, and Ron Moody is wonderfully hammy in the role. Fagin might be a criminal mastermind, but he is certainly more likable than the violent and abusive Bill Sikes (played by Oliver Reed, who has never been scarier).
You have to feel sorry for poor Nancy. She even gets a song about how she loves Bill, even though he is a violent bully. It all comes to a head when Sikes kills her after she helps Oliver escape. It's okay though, because Sikes gets his comeuppance in the end when he is shot dead by the police. You know that you must be a bad person if even your supposedly loving dog rats you out to the authorities.
Four pointy hats.
Next time: Singin' in the Rain
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