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Oliver!
1968 153 min United Kingdom G 0+
★8.0
Drama, Family
Director: Carol Reed
🎭 Based on
«Oliver Twist»
byCharles Dickens
Trailers
Description
Musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, a classic tale of an orphan who runs away from the workhouse and joins up with a group of boys headed by the Artful Dodger and trained to be pickpockets by master thief Fagin.
Budget:
$10M
Worldwide:
$37.4M
Starring
Mark Lester
Actor
Ron Moody
Actor
Shani Wallis
Actor
Awards
Golden Globe 1969
— Best Actor (Comedy or Musical)
Moscow International Film Festival 1969
— Golden Prize – Best Actor
Golden Globe 1969
— Best Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Academy Awards 1969
— Best Actor
Academy Awards 1969
— Best Adapted Screenplay
Academy Awards 1969
— Best Film Editing
Golden Globe 1969
— Best Actor (Comedy or Musical)
Moscow International Film Festival 1969
— Golden Prize – Best Actor
BAFTA 1969
— Best Film Editing
BAFTA 1969
— Best Breakthrough
Golden Globe 1969
— Best Director
Golden Globe 1969
— Best Supporting Actor
BAFTA 1969
— Best Actor
BAFTA 1969
— Best Original Score
Academy Awards 1969
— Best Supporting Actor
Academy Awards 1969
— Best Cinematography
Golden Globe 1969
— Best Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Moscow International Film Festival 1969
— Special Award
Moscow International Film Festival 1969
— Golden Prize
Academy Awards 1969
— Best Picture
Academy Awards 1969
— Best Production Design
Academy Awards 1969
— Best Director
BAFTA 1969
— Best Costume Design
Academy Awards 1969
— Best Sound
Academy Awards 1969
— Best Score for a Musical Film
BAFTA 1969
— Best Picture
BAFTA 1969
— Best Production Design
Key opinion
Oliver! is widely regarded as a masterful, high-energy musical adaptation that successfully translates the grittiness of Dickensian London into a grand cinematic spectacle. While some critics note that it prioritizes theatrical entertainment over strict narrative fidelity to the source material, the film remains a classic due to its superb casting and vibrant production design.
| Acting | Ron Moody’s performance as Fagin is a standout achievement, blending physicality, humor, and depth into a memorable characterization. | |
| Score | Lionel Bart’s musical score provides a timeless and emotionally resonant foundation, featuring choreography that effectively advances the plot. | |
| Production | The production design masterfully captures the contrast between 19th-century London squalor and more luxurious settings, creating a cohesive, immersive world. | |
| Direction | Carol Reed’s clear and intentional direction elevates the material, grounding the musical numbers in character-driven storytelling rather than hollow spectacle. | |
| Adaptation | The screenplay is viewed as either a successful, spirited theatrical simplification of Dickens or a loose adaptation that prioritizes musical structure over the original novel's tone. |