Oliver Twist
Visual virtuosity and avoidance of sentimentality characterise this masterful adaptation.
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Wed 25 Jun 14:30 NFT2
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Sat 28 Jun 18:10 NFT3
Controversial, dark and brooding, Lean's version none the less provides the essential blueprint for the later musical, and in hindsight seems the greater of his two Dickens adaptations.
The screening on Fri 6 Jun will be introduced by Professor Ian Christie.
Alec Guinness's transformation from gentle Herbert Pocket into grotesque Fagin provided an early example of his chameleon genius. But in its very fidelity to Dickensian caricature, the portrayal provoked accusations of anti-Semitism. The controversy, which delayed the US release, marred the success of a film that with hindsight - in its visual virtuosity and avoidance of sentimentality - seems the greater of Lean's two Dickens adaptations.
- Directed by:
- David Lean
- Cast:
- John Howard Davies, Robert Newton
- Country:
- UK
- Year:
- 1948
- Running time:
- 115min
- Certificate:
- U
