Search - Oliver Twist [Criterion Collection] on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Suitable for Children, Children in Peril Movie Release: 1948 DVD Release: 01/12/1999 Format: DVD - Black and White Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 56 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 12 Genres: Drama, Period Film, Melodrama, Childhood Drama See Also: Oliver Twist

The second of director David Lean's adaptations of a Charles Dickens novel (Great Expectations (1946) was the first), Oliver Twist expertly boils down an enormous novel to a little less than two hours' screen time. The film begins with baby Oliver left on the doorstep of an orphanage/workhouse by his unwed mother. Proving a difficult charge to the wicked orphanage official, Oliver (John Howard Davies) is sold into a job as an undertaker's apprentice. He runs away and joins a gang of larcenous street urchins, led by master pickpocket Fagin (Alec Guinness). Oliver is rescued from this life by the kindly Mr. Brownlow (Henry Stephenson); but, with the complicity of evil Bill Sikes (Robert Newton), Fagin abducts Oliver. Sikes' girl friend Nancy (Kay Walsh) restores Oliver to Brownlow, leading to tragic consequences before an ultimately happy ending. Oliver Twist was filmed in England in 1948, but its American release was held up for three years due to the allegedly anti-Semitic portrayal of the duplicitous Fagin. Even in its currently censored form, Oliver Twist is one the best-ever film versions of a Dickens novel. It served as a blueprint for Oliver! (1968), the Oscar-winning musical version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robert Newton - Bill Sikes
Alec Guinness - Fagin
Kay Walsh - Nancy Sikes
Francis L. Sullivan - Mr. Bumble
John Howard Davies - Oliver Twist

David Lean's adaptation of -Oliver Twist is given the deluxe treatment from The Criterion Collection on this DVD. The disc offers a standard full-frame image that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. Subtitles specifically designed for the deaf and hearing-impaired are available. Supplemental materials include a theatrical trailer. This classic film gets the home video release it deserves with this disc, which is recommended for anyone interested in classic movies. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide