Oliver (1968)

I recently got a chance to watch the 1968 musical version of Oliver. Your liking of this film will probably depend on your preference for musicals. I've never liked these sanitised versions of Charles Dickens' work. From what I've heard, Oliver is a pretty popular film, although having seen it, there are other versions of Charles Dicken's classic tale that I think I would prefer more.

The film follows Oliver after he is kicked out of a work house and forced to go to London. He runs into Fagin and his gang. He soon meets a man who turns out to be a distant relative.

The cast are all suited to the roles.  As if often the case with these productions, Oliver seems a little well nourished for a child who was supposedly growing up in a workhouse. Nevertheless, Mark Lester is adequate for this particular incarnation of the character. The best characters are the villains Ron Moody is good as Fagin and Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger. Harry Seacombe is perfectly cast as Mr Bumble.

Oliver is one of the reasons I'm not a big fan of the musicals. The songs go on for slightly too long and they tend to get boring very quickly. I found myself checking the time more than once. Still, although the songs are bit on the long side, they are least catchy and the lyrics will stick in your mind. John Green's should be congratulated for his good composition. Having said that, they were well performed. We get a real sense of scale with many performers on the same sets.

If you're a fan of musicals you should check Oliver out. It's a well made production even if it isn't my personal cup of tea. If you want something close to Dickens' source material then I would stick with the David Lean adaption. It may be in black and white but it treats the source material better. Of course this is only an opinion. Should this musical ever be on again, you might as well check it out for yourself.

6/10