1. Synopsis
     Act 1    Act 2  

2. Cast

3. Musical numbers

4. Production
     Casting    Writing    Music    Additional notes  

5. Reception

6. Preservation

7. Awards

8. Home media

9. References

10. External links

Oliver! is a 1968 British musical drama film directed by Carol Reed, written by Vernon Harris, and based on the stage musical of the same name. Both the film and play are based on Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist. The film includes such musical numbers as "Food, Glorious Food", "Consider Yourself", "As Long as He Needs Me", "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two", and "Where Is Love?". Filmed at Shepperton Film Studio in Surrey, it was a Romulus Films production and was distributed internationally by Columbia Pictures.

At the 41st Academy Awards for 1968, Oliver! was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture, Best Director for Reed, and an Honorary Award for choreographer Onna White. At the 26th Golden Globe Awards, the film won two Golden Globes: for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for Ron Moody.

The British Film Institute ranked Oliver! the 77th greatest British film of the 20th century. In 2017, a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine ranked it the 69th best British film ever.^[1]

Synopsis

Act 1

At a workhouse in Dunstable, England, the governors hold a sumptuous banquet while the orphans are served their daily gruel and dream of enjoying "Food, Glorious Food". Forced by some of the other boys, Oliver approaches Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Bumble and asks for more to eat. Enraged, Bumble takes Oliver to the governors for punishment ("Oliver!"). Paraded in the street to be sold to the highest bidder ("Boy for Sale"), Oliver is purchased by an undertaker. When his apprentice insults Oliver's mother, Oliver attacks him and is thrown in the cellar. Alone in the dark, surrounded by empty coffins, Oliver wonders "Where Is Love?" before escaping through a window grate.

After a week on the road, Oliver reaches London. He meets the Artful Dodger, who takes him under his wing ("Consider Yourself"). Dodger brings Oliver to a hideout for young pickpockets led by Fagin, who instructs the gang in the art of stealing, declaring that "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two" to get by. Fagin later meets with Bill Sikes, a burglar. Sikes's girlfriend, Nancy, ponders her life ("It's a Fine Life").

In the morning, Nancy and her sister Bet arrive at the hideout to collect Sikes's money. The boys mock Oliver for his manners, which Nancy finds charming. Dodger attempts to be just as gentlemanly ("I'd Do Anything"). Fagin sends the boys out for the day, entrusting Oliver to Dodger ("Be Back Soon"). Dodger steals a wallet from Mr. Brownlow, but Oliver is apprehended instead. Fearing Oliver will lead the police to the gang, Fagin and Sikes send Nancy to court. Oliver is too terrified to speak, but before the verdict is finalized, a witness arrives and proclaims Oliver's innocence. Brownlow takes Oliver in, while Sikes and Fagin send Dodger to follow them, to Nancy's displeasure.

Act 2

Oliver wakes up in Mr. Brownlow's house, and happily watches from his balcony the merchants and inhabitants of Bloomsbury Square singing about this particular morning being so beautiful ("Who Will Buy"). Meanwhile, Fagin and Bill decide to abduct Oliver and bring him back to the den with Nancy's help. Nancy, who has come to care for Oliver, at first refuses to help, but Bill physically abuses her, forcing her into obedience. In spite of this, Nancy still loves Bill, and believes he loves her too ("As Long as He Needs Me").

The next morning at Mr. Brownlow's house in Bloomsbury, Mr. Brownlow sends Oliver to return some books to the library. As Oliver stops to enjoy a puppet show with other children, Nancy and Bill appear and grab Oliver. They bring him back to Fagin's den, where Nancy saves Oliver from a beating from Sikes after the boy tries to flee. Nancy remorsefully reviews their life, but Bill maintains that any living is better than none. Fagin tries to act as an intermediary. Left alone, Fagin wonders what his life might be like if became an honest man ("Reviewing the Situation"); however, after thinking of various excuses, he elects to remain a thief.

Later, in response to a letter from Mr. Brownlow, Mr. and Mrs. Bumble visit Mr. Brownlow with a necklace that was found on Oliver's mother. Mr. Brownlow realises they are not interested in Oliver's parentage, only money, gives them some money and throws them out, but recognizes the necklace as his niece's, and realizes that Oliver is his great-nephew.

Nancy visits Mr. Brownlow, explains how she abducted Oliver, and promises to deliver Oliver to him safely that night on London Bridge. Bill takes Oliver to rob a house, but Oliver accidentally wakes up the owner after entering the house. Bill escapes and brings Oliver to the pub. Bill sets his dog Bullseye to watch Oliver so he can't run away. Wanting to sneak Oliver out of there, Nancy starts singing a pub song so everyone can join in and create a distraction ("Oom Pah Pah"). When Bullseye starts barking, Bill sees Nancy taking Oliver away and follows her. At London Bridge, he catches up with them and clubs Nancy to death. He then grabs Oliver and runs off.

Mr. Brownlow descends from the bridge and discovers Nancy's body. A large crowd forms. Bullseye, who had turned on his master, returns to the scene and the crowd follows him to the hideout. Fagin and his boys leave their hideout the back way in panic. The crowd finds Bill at the entrance to the hideout, but the stairway collapses, and Bill escapes with Oliver to the Thames Embankment. He appears at the top of the bridge, holding Oliver as hostage and threatening to kill him. Bill is shot to death by a policeman.

Fagin, who has lost all the jewels he has hidden over the years, is walking alone in the street. He again talks to himself about becoming an honest man. Dodger appears with a stolen wallet, and the two dance off into the sunset and to their renewed life of crime together ("Reviewing the Situation [Reprise]"). The next day, Mr. Brownlow brings Oliver back to his house, and Oliver hugs Mrs. Bedwin, the housekeeper, who was waiting for them.

Cast

• Mark Lester as Oliver
• Ron Moody as Fagin
• Shani Wallis as Nancy
• Oliver Reed as Bill Sikes
• Harry Secombe as Mr. Bumble
• Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger
• Hugh Griffith as the Magistrate
• Joseph O'Conor as Mr. Brownlow
• Peggy Mount as Widow Corney/Mrs. Bumble
• Leonard Rossiter as Mr. Sowerberry
• Hylda Baker as Mrs. Sowerberry
• Kenneth Cranham as Noah Claypole
• Megs Jenkins as Mrs. Bedwin
• Sheila White as Bet
• Wensley Pithey as Dr. Grimwigg
• James Hayter as Mr. Jessop
• Elizabeth Knight as Charlotte
• Fred Emney as Workhouse Chairman

Musical numbers

• 1 "Overture"
• 2 "Main Title"
• 3 "Food, Glorious Food"/"Oliver!" – Orphans/Mr. Bumble/Widow Corney
• 4 "Oliver, Oliver!" – Mr. Bumble/Orphans
• 5 "Boy for Sale" – Mr. Bumble
• 6 "Where Is Love?" – Oliver
• 7 "Consider Yourself" – Dodger/City of London
• 8 "Pick a Pocket or Two" – Fagin/Pickpockets
• 9 "It's a Fine Life" – Nancy/The Crippled Crowd
• 10 "I'd Do Anything" – Dodger/Pickpockets
• 11 "Be Back Soon" – Fagin/Pickpockets
• 12 "Entr'acte"
• 13 "Who Will Buy?" – City of London/Oliver
• 14 "As Long as He Needs Me" – Nancy
• 15 "Reviewing the Situation" – Fagin
• 16 "Oom-Pah-Pah" – Nancy/The Three Cripples Crowd
• 17 "Reviewing the Situation" (reprise) – Fagin/Dodger
• 18 "Finale" ("Where Is Love?"/"Consider Yourself") – Ensemble

Production

Casting

The film used mostly young unknowns, among them Mark Lester (Oliver), Shani Wallis (Nancy) and Jack Wild as The Artful Dodger, but also featured Hugh Griffith, an Oscar winner for Ben-Hur, in a role as the Magistrate. Harry Secombe, who played Mr. Bumble, was well known in Britain but not in the United States, and Oliver Reed, who played Bill Sikes, had just begun to make a name for himself. Producer John Woolf suggested Oliver Reed for the role to the director Reed, without knowing that the two were in fact related. Ron Moody, who was also well known in Britain but not the US, recreated his London stage performance, after Peter Sellers, Dick Van Dyke and Peter O'Toole reportedly turned down the role. Elizabeth Taylor turned down the role of Nancy as well. Julie Andrews was also considered. Director Reed also had Shirley Bassey in mind, but his choice was rejected by Hollywood studio bosses who felt that the public was not ready for a Black Nancy.^[2] Classical actor Joseph O'Conor, not well known in the U.S., played Mr. Brownlow.

Shooting at Shepperton Studios, England, began on 23 June 1967.^[3]

Writing

The screenplay was adapted from both Lionel Bart's musical and Dickens's novel. The screenplay was written by Vernon Harris, and the film was directed by Sir Carol Reed, who was also Oliver Reed's uncle. A few of the songs from the stage production were not used in the movie, although they often make appearances in the incidental music. For example, the music of Sikes' song "My Name" can be heard when the character first appears, and several other times whenever he is about to commit some nefarious deed.

Music

The film omits "I Shall Scream", one of the songs sung by Mr. Bumble and the widow Corney (whose roles are larger in the stage version than in the film) and "That's Your Funeral", which is sung by the Sowerberrys at their funeral parlour. It also omits nearly all of the reprises of the show's other songs, with the exception of the songs "Who Will Buy?" and the comical "Reviewing the Situation", giving the second half of the film a more serious, gloomy quality than Act II of the stage production. Bill Sykes’ song "My Name" was also omitted, however, the recurrence of the instrumental for this song in the soundtrack suggests that it may have been filmed.

There is also an extension of the song "Boy for Sale" where there is an extra verse, plus a faster middle section, followed by a slower section, where Mr. Bumble attempts to auction off Oliver at Three Pounds Ten, with no takers. The song "Where Is Love" uses a different last half the second time.

In the film, "Food, Glorious Food" and "Consider Yourself" were sung by the choristers of the Temple Choir in London, conducted by Sir George Thalben-Ball.

Additional notes

The beginning section of Dickens's novel, in which Oliver is born in the workhouse, was never filmed, although there is evidence that it was supposed to have been. Still photos of this section exist in an Oliver! novelisation for children, published in 1968.

In this same Oliver! storybook, Nancy has a final moment in which, after being fatally bludgeoned by Bill Sikes, she gasps out her dying words to Mr. Brownlow, but there is nothing to indicate that this was actually filmed, so it may have been dramatic license on the part of the authors of the storybook. However, when Brownlow runs down the steps of London Bridge toward Nancy, she is clearly still alive – her feet are seen to be moving. The film, rather than following through on this, then cuts away to a scene showing Sikes trying to kill his bull terrier for fear that the dog may lead the police to him, and when the film returns again to Brownlow, Nancy has already died.

Reception

The film earned $10.5 million in rentals at the North American box office (US/ Canada rentals)^[4] and took $77,402,877 worldwide,^[5][6] making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 1968.

Preservation

The Academy Film Archive preserved Oliver! in 1998.^[12]

Awards

Oliver! was the last G-rated film to receive an Academy Award for Best Picture. It was the last movie musical to win the award until Chicago thirty-four years later, though others have been nominated such as Hello, Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, All That Jazz, Beauty and the Beast, and Moulin Rouge!. Oliver! also had the distinction of being the last British film to win Best Picture until Chariots of Fire 13 years later.

Home media

Oliver! was released on DVD for the first time by Columbia Pictures in 2005 with only two special features; a photo gallery and a behind the scenes featurette. The motion picture soundtrack (housed in a DVD case) was also released with the DVD. It was an exclusive and contained only fourteen songs from the movie. Oliver! was then released in 2013 on a Region B Blu-ray containing all the special features as the DVD release excluding the film's extra disc soundtrack. That same year, Twilight Time released a Blu-ray edition of the film available on their website, but limited to 3,000 copies, which has since sold out. Sony Pictures re-released a Blu-ray edition of the film on 11 December 2018.

References

External links

• {{IMDb title|0063385|Oliver!}}
• {{allrovi movie|36175|Oliver!}}
• {{tcmdb title|85532|Oliver!}}
• {{rotten-tomatoes|oliver|Oliver!}}

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