Oliver Revisited!

One of the great things about Netflix is how I can watch movies I never intended to see (in a theater or even rent). Since Netflix takes all the hassle out of renting movies, all I have to do is add it to my queue and poof! It’s in the mail.

Such is the case with Roman Polanski’s remake of Oliver Twist.

Now, I must admit that I’m greatly prejudiced in favor of the 1968 musical version of Oliver. Ever since I watched it as a rerun on TNT as a teenager, I’ve been a fan. It was one of the first DVD’s I bought after we got married. Occasionally, Mom and I have been known to break out in song for “Wheeeeeere is Love?” And I was never so heartbroken as when I learned (on the DVD commentary track) that the exquisite soprano singing voice of the young actor actually belonged to the director’s daughter. And all these years, I had been amazed by the young boy’s range. I still kinda wish I hadn’t heard that little fact.

So, I was intrigued to watch Roman Polanski’s non-musical re-make. And disappointed. The characters were flat – with the noticeable exception of Ben Kingsley whose Fagin rivaled Ron Moody's fantastic 1968 portrayal – and hardly menacing. The musical version was a great deal lighter, but also dark and foreboding at all the right points.

Several comparisons:

The young actor playing Oliver in the re-make is a great deal older and seemingly far less vulnerable than the very young and shy kid in the original.

The Artful Dodger is written as boring and serious as opposed to Jack Wild’s whimsical and crudely thoughtful interpretation of the character.

I wasn’t scared of Bill Sikes in the recent version. He was portrayed as a run-of-the-mill hoodlum. When Oliver Reed played Mr. Sikes in the musical, I was actually shaken. His abuse of Nancy, Fagin, and the boys was so believable. At times his fist seemed to be heading out of the screen, towards me. It still gives me shivers.

The grit and oppression on the streets of London were much more real in the musical version. Polanski’s London seemed very, very clean.

Perhaps, worst of all, Polanski’s version lacked even a slight sense of humor. The characters led each other around blandly with no sense of urgency or excitement in the story.

So, stick to the musical. And enjoy two of my favorite songs:

Consider Yourself
Reviewing the Situation
(I often sing this when I am, indeed, reviewing a situation. And, yes, people do look at me strangely; I do the same thing with Food, Glorious Food.)