Oliver!

It's not uncommon for a literary classic to arrive on the screen muddled, mangled, or altered beyond recognition—and the Internet Movie Database lists nearly 25 film versions of Charles Dickens' 1838 classic Oliver Twist—yet, one can't help but imagine that the author would savor Oliver!, the flamboyant 1968 musical adaptation, right down to its titular exclamation point. Director Carol Reed, skillfully opening up Lionel Bart's 1960 stage adaptation, wrests once-in-a-lifetime performances from his cast. Mark Lester stars as the workhouse waif who escapes the confines of his orphanage and falls in with a larcenous band of street urchins, with Jack Wild as his best pal the Artful Dodger, an impudent, cunning little rascal who is the right-hand man, so to speak, of wily old Fagin (Ron Moody in an Oscar-nominated performance). Lester is simultaneously mischievous and angelic as Oliver; Wild invests the Dodger with a self-assuredness far beyond his years; Moody portrays Fagin without the usual malignance; and Oliver Reed plays Bill Sykes with a menacing ferocity. The songs—including "Food, Glorious Food," "Consider Yourself," "I'd Do Anything," and "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two"—remain fresh and lively (the soundtrack is also included on a separately packaged CD bundled with the DVD—a great deal for $19.95). It's hard to imagine how Oliver! could have turned out any better: the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences had the same opinion, awarding the film six Oscars, including Best Picture. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)