"Oliver Twist" movie

Year: 2005

Genre: Drama

Region: USA

Production Company:

Language: English/Mandarin

Release Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2005

English Title: Oliver Twist

Alias: The Orphan's Tear

Director: Roman Polanski

Starring: Ben Kingsley / Mark Strong / Harry Eden

Subscribers: 425

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380599 (6.9/10 (17,034 votes))

Synopsis:

This film is adapted from Charles Dickens' famous 1838 novel "Oliver Twist."

Orphan Oliver (played by Barney Clark) was raised in a church and at the age of nine, he was sent to work in a child labor factory sorting cotton wadding, then sold as an apprentice to a coffin maker where he suffered repeated abuse. Oliver escapes from the coffin shop and walks seventy miles to reach London, where he meets a young thief named "The Artful Dodger" (Harry Eden). He is then taken into a gang of thieves led by the elderly Jewish man Fagin (Ben Kingsley). On his first outing with the gang, Oliver is falsely accused of stealing Mr. Brownlow's (Edward Hardwicke) silk handkerchief and is knocked unconscious. Later, he is kindly adopted by Mr. Brownlow but during an errand for him, he is captured by Fagin’s associate Bill Sikes (Jamie Foreman). Bill forces Oliver to assist him and his accomplice Toby Crackit (Mark Strong) in burglarizing Mr. Brownlow's house at night. However, young Oliver refuses to comply, and his life hangs in the balance...

◎ Behind the Scenes

◇ Renowned Director Roman Polanski

As a world-renowned cinematic master, every work by Polanski is filled with unique characteristics, much like his distinctively Jewish nose and tumultuous fate that draws attention. During his childhood, his parents were imprisoned in a Jewish concentration camp, and his pregnant mother tragically died in a Nazi gas chamber. Polanski wandered around, narrowly escaping death multiple times at the hands of the Germans. His childhood experiences shaped his introverted, melancholic, and unrestrained personality, also imbuing his later works with a uniquely different sense of coldness and cruelty.

After World War II, Polanski returned to his father and while studying at a trade school, nurtured his own dream of cinema. Starting from the 1950s, he wrote, directed, and acted in several short films, then entered the Lodz Film School in Poland. From the time he began showing promise, he continuously received praise and awards.

Polanski always has a peculiar concern for real life; he not only cares about the estrangement, indifference, and hypocrisy between people but also about humanity's future. His debut masterpiece "Knife in the Water" focuses on the inevitability of growth, while "Rosemary's Baby" highlights his concern for human destiny. However, this acclaimed "Rosemary's Baby," which brought him fame in America, also brought misfortune when his pregnant wife and several friends were murdered in their Hollywood home by cult members. The nightmare didn't stop there; four years after winning numerous honors in Hollywood with "Chinatown," he was expelled from the United States due to charges of statutory rape.

Despite all this, Polanski remained steadfast in his beliefs, and the ups and downs of fate could not hinder artistic achievement. Subsequently, he created a series of classic films such as "Tess," "Bitter Moon," and "The Pianist."

◇ A Beautiful Gift for Children

At the age of 72, Polanski mentioned that after "The Pianist," it was difficult to decide on the scope of his next work. After careful consideration, he felt he owed children a movie, although this seemed very different from the themes of his previous works. Perhaps because he had just become a father, with his children not yet finished elementary school, the usually obscure and dark perspective gradually added a touch of innocence. Thus, he finally chose Dickens' "Oliver Twist," which left a deep impression on him during his childhood.

Polanski invited Ronald Harwood, who won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for "The Pianist," to adapt "Oliver Twist" into a script with Polanski's style. Selecting the young actor to play Oliver was painstakingly done. In Prague, 11-year-old Barney Clark stood out among many candidates for his clever and unpretentious demeanor, combined with a touch of melancholy in his intelligence, perfectly fitting Polanski's character design for Oliver. Before this, Barney had appeared in the award-winning independent film "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things." Following the director's suggestion, Barney watched two films based on "Oliver Twist" to help shape a braver version of Oliver than previous portrayals.

To recreate the look of 1830s London, the production team studied numerous maps and engravings from that period, even meticulously replicating some slums according to historical records. The main part of the film was shot in Prague, using five streets, numerous markets, and alleys covering over 40,000 square meters. It took three months to construct the sets, and another three weeks for fine-tuning. Even the bricks and tiles on the buildings were modeled in London and replicated in Prague.

◇ An Upgraded Version of Oliver Twist

Undoubtedly, this remake of "Oliver Twist" attracted much attention due to Polanski's reputation. Previously, there have been over twenty adaptations of "Oliver Twist," including animated films and musicals, but few have garnered such significant attention. Even so, Polanski's absence at the American premiere was noticeable since the judge who tried him has passed away, but the charges still stand. Therefore, the U.S. remains a place Polanski cannot return to, leaving this renowned director unable to meet American audiences.

Perhaps his unfortunate fate indeed adds a unique style to Polanski's works. In this "Oliver Twist," the director captures the essence of Oliver's character quite accurately. This deep understanding and portrayal may stem from his own challenging childhood experiences, as his fans say, this Oliver is closest to the original character in the novel. The film's visuals resemble antique British paintings, and the actors' dialogues clearly carry the accents of 19th-century Britain. The costumes and props are exquisitely crafted. Although not all characters and plots from the original work are fully presented, the film can still be considered a recreation of Dickens' novel, an "upgraded" version of "Oliver Twist," and a successful presentation and interpretation of the original work. With commendable performances from the cast, a well-paced narrative, and meticulous historical reconstruction, this is undoubtedly a masterpiece not to be underestimated.