University of Virginia Library

Film Review

Screen Catches Brilliance Of 'Oliver!'

By Steve Wells
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

When a hit Broadway musical
becomes a film, one of three results
occurs. In rare cases - very rare -
the cellulose product is better than
the original ("The Sound of Music"
for example). The most we can
realistically hope for, however, is a
strong, loyal translation that despite
its cinematic excellence is just
a little less than the stage-version
("My Fair Lady," "How to Succeed
in Business..."). What we are afraid
of is a Hollywood hatchet job.
They took the charm out of "Half a
Sixpence" and replaced it with
tedium. They took the verve out of
"Hello, Dolly!" and replaced it
with a damaging and grossly miscast
Barbra Streisand.

"Oliver!" was one of the finer
stage musicals of the recently
departed decade. Happily and fortunately,
it is also one of the finer
screen adaptations, fitting neatly
into the second category.

Winning Formula

Director Carol Reed, producer
John Woolf, and screen writer
Vernon Harris have wisely not
tampered with a proven winning
formula by altering any of the
material. Except for a change in
positioning of one song ("Oom Pah
Pah") to ingeniously mesh it into
the plot, Lionel Bart's music and
story, based on Dickens' classic
"Oliver Twist," remain the same.

"Oliver!" is one of those rare
musicals which can boast having a
score that never misses. This is not
to say that each number is a smash
hit, but rather that each song has a
purpose which, in every case, is
realized. The opening "Food, Glorious
Food" tunefully defines the
orphans' state of being in the
workhouse, putting their visions
and the realities into perspective.
The beautiful "Where Is Love?" is a
young boy's plea for someone to
care about him. "Consider Yourself"
is an exceptional production
number in which the Artful Dodger
welcomes the lost and lonely Oliver
into Fagin's crime school. "As Long
As He Needs Me" is a powerful
ballad in which Nancy, the tavern
wench, shows that her devotion to
the villainous Bill Sikes is deeper
than her fear of him.

Great Detail

There is great detail evident in
Mr. Reed's direction, not to mention
Onna White's exuberant choreography
and John Box's scenery. It
is this last item, however, that is
open to criticism. The sets do not
at all times evoke the proper mood.
Some of them seem artificial, most
especially the Bloomsbury Square
design. This hurts the film inasmuch
as a note of incongruity is
created between story and scenery.
We may be thankful that the
problem relatively minor when

one considers the high caliber of
the material is not prevalent
throughout.

The character of Fagin is complex
and challenging. The actor
playing him has to achieve a
balance between monetary miserliness
and human generosity (where
his boys are concerned), between a
frightening exterior and a gentle
interior - with, perhaps, a dash of
senility thrown in. Although he
favors the warm side of Fagin, Ron
Moody does find and maintain a
balance that allows him to succeed
in the part.

Mark Lester makes an angelic
Oliver, Jack Wild is a knowledgeable
and cocky Dodger, Harry Secombe
does extremely well as Mr. Bumble,
and Oliver Reed has all the
meanness required of Bill Sikes.
Shani Wallis's singing voice is
superior to her acting ability, but
her interpretation of Nancy is
acceptable.

In fact, there is very little to
criticize in "Oliver!" without being
petty. It is a large, colorful,
expansive, and faithful film adaptation
of a memorable musical - and
that's plenty good enough for me.