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Oliver! • The Next Reel
"You raised an artificial spirit in the lad unbecoming to his station in life. This would never have happened if you kept him on gruel."
Film adaptations of Charles Dickens’ works almost seem as common as Shakespeare’s works. It’s even quite possible that certain stories of his may have been adapted for the screen more frequently than some from the Bard. When Carol Reed brought Lionel Bart’s musical stage adaptation to the big screen in 1968, the time was ripe for it. Audiences and critics loved it. The film won a bunch of Oscars. It made a bunch of money. But how well does it hold up 50 years later? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our look at films nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars 50 years ago, this time with Reed’s 1968 film Oliver!.
We talk about our struggles with this film this go-around. We discuss the adaptations of “Oliver Twist” to the screen and where this fits… and discuss where it succeeds and fails in its translation. We chat about the actors that bring it to life and the technicians that create this world. And, of course, we talk about the music.
It’s a fun film but not one we think merits an Oscar for Best Picture. Still, it’s definitely worth talking about, so tune in to this week’s show to get in on the conversation! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!
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Film Sundries
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- Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon • YouTube
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original poster artwork
- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
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- Sitting in the Dark
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Chapters
- This Is The Next Reel: Oliver!
- So... THIS won Best Picture, huh?
- The Book v Musical Situation
- Aging Music
- Oliver Twist
- A few stand-out performances
- Oh look! It's Daddy Warbu... wait a minute...
- The ones who could have been...
- Oswald Morris
- Lionel Bart
- Ratings Messiness
- Remakes in Music
- Awards
- Andy runs the numbers
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
- Coming Attractions
- Amazon giveth: A Dramatic Reading