Oliver! (1968)

Written by Vernon Harris

Directed by Carol Reed

In my review last year for Oliver & Company, I shared the story of being cast in a community theater production of Oliver! at the ripe old age of 6. I mentioned that I had to watch the film version, this version, over and over again, and that I hated it.

Guess what? I still do!

This movie is awful. Well, not 100% awful. There’s a couple of redeeming qualities. None of them, however, are enough to absolve this movie of being garbage.

Oliver (Mark Lester) on his way to ask for more food and to start the plot

I suppose I’ll start at the beginning. We start at an English workhouse for orphans, where the kids are underfed and overworked. One unlucky young boy, Oliver Twist, is chosen, at random, to go ask for more food. He is, of course, denied, and leads the workers on a chase over and under the tables, where the kids kick and sneer at the little boy who was RANDOMLY CHOSEN, and he is, of course caught.

This sequence sounds exciting, but it is the complete opposite. The kids all act like idiots and there is zero excitement in the chase sequence (it’s literally staged in a single room, with three long tables. It’s as if they were just running in circles around a kitchen island). The workers are also incompetent, as the chase is super slow, and they still can’t catch him. It would be a heroic moment, but literally no one in the room is hoping for Oliver to succeed. It’s as if we missed a scene beforehand of Oliver being a jerk to each and every one of them to justify their behavior.

Oliver being sold

Anyway, Oliver ends up being walked through town, being sold (yes, BEING SOLD, AGAINST HIS WILL) for whatever price can be fetched. He ends up at an Undertaker, shenanigans happen, and Oliver runs away to London. During the time at the Undertaker, however, Oliver has his first number, “Where is Love”, and I need to pause here and talk about Mark Lester’s performance as Oliver.

It’s bad.

Mark Lester’s dead eyes…

Dear Reader, do you remember the reviews for 2004’s The Polar Express? Do you remember the bulk of the reviews being about the animation of the characters falling into the “uncanny valley”, whereby a figure looks ALMOST lifelike, but something (usually the eyes) has a creepy dead-ness to it? Well, ladies and gentlemen, I present the human version of that: Mark Lester. Ignoring the fact that he only sings in a high tenor (ALL THE TIME), or that he only has a couple of expressions, there’s a deadness behind his eyes that borders on unsettling by the film’s end. It’s as if his body is there, but his mind is elsewhere. I’m willing to forgive child actors to a point (hell, my early acting experiences are god-awful), but there’s a limit, and Lester springs across it.

Moving on. Oliver makes it to London and instantly meets the Artful Dodger (in the most awkward way possible, by staring at him in this weird I-have-a-crush-on-you vibe that I 100% never noticed before), and Dodger leads us into the first truly upbeat number of the film (a good 30 minutes into the film). It’s an exciting number, but the production design is so realistically drab that it sucks a lot of the energy out of the scene.

Ron Moody as Fagin, one of the film’s few bright spots

Dodger takes Oliver to his boss, Fagin, and finally the movie starts getting more life in it, bolstered by Ron Moody’s excellent portrayal of Fagin. It doesn’t hurt that Fagin gets 3 out of 4 of the score’s best numbers, but Moody gives the role, which could be considered the secondary antagonist, some emotional weight, and actually makes the viewer root for him to continue his life of crime. Additionally, I’ve always loved the set design of the area surrounding Fagin’s place, so that made me smile.

The other bright spot of the film is Shani Wallis as Nancy, the (implied) thief with a heart of gold. She has a few numbers, but her introductory number, “It’s a Fine Life”, is the brightest of the three. She exudes a natural warmth and love that it almost makes the viewer not facepalm at her bad choices. Her other songs, like the rest of the score, are either dreary or forgettable. She does great at her role, however, and she and Moody make the film sizzle.

When they aren’t on screen, however, the film looks (and feels) blah. There isn’t much excitement, and it’s honestly so strange to me that this is the film that won Best Picture that year. Granted, the other nominees don’t look spectacular either, so maybe it’s the best of a bad situation, but I think it’s rather telling that this is the last musical to win Best Picture until 2002’s Chicago, a span of 34 years.

Or, maybe after a decade of four musical Best Pictures, everyone’s just over it. Oliver! leaves such a bad taste in my mouth, I can’t blame them.

FINAL GRADE: D