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Actors: John Howard Davies, Anthony Newley, Alec Guinness, Henry Stephenson, Robert Newton
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Oliver Twist (1948) |
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Oliver Twist (John Howard Davies) is an orphan boy born and raised in a workhouse where the poor are given barely enough food to keep them alive and working. One day Oliver does the unspeakable: he asks for more food. For that, the ungrateful boy is sent away, being apprenticed to a coffin maker. When more abuse comes, Oliver runs away to London. There he meets another boy, Artful Dodger (Anthony Newley), who says he will help him.
Dodger takes the unsuspecting Oliver to the house of Fagin (Alec Guinness), a horrid old man who runs a crime ring of pickpockets, providing lodging, food, and “training” to homeless boys. Oliver unknowingly joins the gang. With his naïve, honest nature, he thinks that the pickpocket training is just a funny game, and the boys actually make the wallets, handkerchiefs, and other things they bring every night. When he is taken to “work,” Oliver at last understands what's going on, but it is too late: the attempted pickpocketing goes bad, and Oliver is the one who gets caught, although he was not the one doing it. Oliver is taken to court. The victim, Mr. Brownlow (Henry Stephenson), sees that the boy appears to be sick and takes pity on him. He drops the charges and takes Oliver to his house where the boy recovers. Things go well; Mr. Bronwlow grows to like Oliver, he believes that the boy is innocent and wants to give him a chance in life. However, Oliver's old “friends” want him back. The murderous Bill Sikes (Robert Newton), one of Fagin's grownup “students,” is searching for Oliver. Eventually the boy is kidnapped and taken back to Fagin's. Oliver hates being there more than ever and desperately tries to escape.
--Laura Southcombe, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Oliver Twist (1948) |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 19th century
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Kids:
- committing crimes
- poverty story
Parent(s) gone?
- Orphan story
Age group
- trouble in grade school
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- a kid
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
How much in movie?
- 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- accused criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
City:
- London
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- encouraged
Check here if B&W
Yes
Non-American film?
Yes
What language?
- English
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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