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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.

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Sep 23, 2005 Limited

Box Office: $1,987,287

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

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Release:

Jan 24, 2006

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Reviews for Oliver Twist

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41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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Polanski presents a good but not great rendering of Dickens' oft-filmed second novel.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
10/02/05
Boo Allen
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: MovieWeb | comment Comment
10/02/05
Julian Roman
Julian Roman
MovieWeb

While the picture is not quite a masterpiece it does carry the stamp of a master filmmaker working at the height of his abilities.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
10/01/05
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

'Oliver Twist' proves what 'The Pianist' only hinted at—that Roman Polanski is the world’s most talented paint-by-numbers artist.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
10/01/05
Jesse Paddock
Jesse Paddock
culturevulture.net
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
10/01/05
AV Club
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/01/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Is it worth renting the video sometime in the spring so the little darlings can cheat on their book report? Perhaps, as it's unusually faithful to the original source.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
10/01/05
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

It's noble, high-minded and safe, and I can't help thinking that I would have preferred an audacious but honest failure.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/30/05
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

Great expectations are unavoidable when Roman Polanski takes on a Charles Dickens classic. Alas, his version of Oliver Twist fails to live up to them.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
09/30/05
John Hartl
John Hartl
Seattle Times

A grounded and unusually matter-of-fact adaptation.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
09/30/05
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Oliver Twist has been done repeatedly on film and TV, but never better than in Roman Polanski's beautiful and tough-minded movie.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
09/30/05
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Engaging, handsomely photographed and beautifully acted, Polanski's Oliver Twist, adapted by Pianist screenwriter Ronald Harwood, distinguishes itself from most versions in its decidedly dark tone.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
09/30/05
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
Sacramento Bee

Poignant and primal, Roman Polanski's splendid adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic pricks the heart and the conscience.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
09/30/05
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As family fare goes, this makes The Corpse Bride look like Chicken Little.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
09/30/05
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

In Oliver Twist, it's the viewer who is punished.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
09/30/05
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

A movie that's beautifully acted, with an eye for drab period detail.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
09/30/05
Oregonian

Beauty and hateful ugliness meet in extraordinary harmony in Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist, fitting for a story that is a study in obvious contrasts.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
09/30/05
Mary-Liz Shaw
Mary-Liz Shaw
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Oliver Twist is a lovely, tony picture, but it isn't exactly essential.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
09/30/05
Rene Rodriguez
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald

Nitpickers may squawk over missing elements, but the film doggedly hits on the book's big themes: the power of innocence, the cruelty of class.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
09/30/05
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

The question of why anyone would bother to make another film version of `Oliver Twist' is not answered by director Roman Polanski.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
09/30/05
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Oliver Twist

October 27, 2006: Polanski's Role in "Rush Hour 3"
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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
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