The classic Charles Dickens tale of an orphan boy who escapes the horrors of the orphanage only to be taken in by a band of thieves and pickpockets.The classic Charles Dickens tale of an orphan boy who escapes the horrors of the orphanage only to be taken in by a band of thieves and pickpockets.The classic Charles Dickens tale of an orphan boy who escapes the horrors of the orphanage only to be taken in by a band of thieves and pickpockets.
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
- 1 nomination total
Phil Davis
- Noah Claypole
- (as Philip Davis)
Ann Tirard
- Mrs. Corney
- (as Anne Tirard)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis movie was made for and premiered on U.S. television, but it was released theatrically in some overseas territories.
- Quotes
Noah Claypole: [Sowerberry has handed Claypoole mourning clothes, instructing him to give them to Oliver] But these are funeral clothes! You promised me the job of silent mourner!
Mr. Sowerberry: I never did. Besides, he has a much better face for it than you. He looks so sad.
- Alternate versionsOn the original VHS release, for unspecified reasons, the pivotal scene in which Oliver asks for more gruel (in this case for a starving friend) was completely cut, as were the scenes that immediately followed, with the workhouse selling Oliver to Mr. Sowerberry and Oliver's first day as Sowerberry's apprentice. This added up to ten minutes (almost to the exact second) of footage eliminated.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Visible: Out on Television: The New Guard (2020)
Featured review
Gets at the Dirty Side
Because I like George C. Scott, I am fond of this film. He is a very worthy Fagin, one with a hard edge, and a sense of evil. Too often, we forget he is an opportunist and a user of young boys. He is not the sweet old man that we see in the musical. I also thought that Tim Curry had that look of evil that he is quite good at. There are scenes, such as the death of Nancy, that are almost too cruel for the audience. Fagin betrays her because of self interest and sets the psychopathic Sykes after her. The boys are pretty good because they get at the baser sides of life. The back streets of London are well presented. The workhouse scenes are acceptable. The one really weak characterization is that of Oliver. The child who plays him is really weak and seems to be coached. When he cries he's not convincing. The rest of the people are so much more interesting. Then again, I don't know if I like Oliver all that much anyway. What Clive Donner does capture is the spirit of the times, much as he does in the later Scott version of A Christmas Carol. This is entertaining enough, though it suffers a bit from the made-for-television syndrome of parceling out commercials.
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Twist Olivér
- Filming locations
- Stage 4, Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK(street scenes; exterior and interior of Fagin's parlor; exterior and interior of Sikes' lodgings; narrow alleyway; streets and sidewalks with stalls; Brownlow's study; exterior and interior of tenement warehouse hideout; roof of warehouse hideout, demolished in 1989)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content