Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist
#1
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Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist
Last edited by Geofferson; 06-13-05 at 10:25 AM.
#2
DVD Talk Hero
Nice. I hadn't been keeping up on my Polanski, and had no idea what he was up to!
I'm sure it'll be good.
How long do WE have to wait till it comes out? October is apparently a European date...
I'm sure it'll be good.
How long do WE have to wait till it comes out? October is apparently a European date...
#3
DVD Talk Legend
I wish i can get more excited by this film. I love Polanski, but seeing how there has already been 2 classic films based on Oliver Twist, i wish he had tried some other material.
I'm still interested in seeing it, but just not as excited as i usually am for a polanski film.
I'm still interested in seeing it, but just not as excited as i usually am for a polanski film.
#4
DVD Talk Hero
I hope they include the scene where Oliver gets 'tasteful' pictures taken of him by Fagan in a hot tub.
#6
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by troystiffler
Nice. I hadn't been keeping up on my Polanski, and had no idea what he was up to!
I'm sure it'll be good.
How long do WE have to wait till it comes out? October is apparently a European date...
I'm sure it'll be good.
How long do WE have to wait till it comes out? October is apparently a European date...
#8
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Looks good!
I'm surprised by the lack of stars, Ben Kingsley's about the only one... I respect Polanski's method of casting talent rather than stars, if that's the case.
I'm surprised by the lack of stars, Ben Kingsley's about the only one... I respect Polanski's method of casting talent rather than stars, if that's the case.
#13
DVD Talk Legend
Saw it. A solid movie, though it is quite dark and dreary. I have never read the book, and grew up with the 1960s musical version they played on HBO at Christmastime each year. That said, I think this might be closest to what Dickens intended.
While I was rather skeptical about the movie in the first few minutes, I came to realize that it was more than just a non-musical version, and that the musical, while entertaining, reallly creates some weaknesses within the story. By having characters such as Fagin, Artful Dodger, and Nancy introduce themselves with songs, it somewhat softens the reality of them. This version makes no bones about the fact that Nancy is a prostitute, and Fagin and Dodger are lowly crooks, and not very pleasant people to boot. One area where the movie failed though was with Bill Sykes, who while still an intimidating presence, doesn't come anywhere near the creepiness conveyed by Oliver Reed. Not to knock the actor's performance, it just didn't seem like they wrote the character to par.
The acting is very good on all counts, and Ben Kingsley is the only name actor the movie has, so it doesn't suffer from having overpowering stars. I felt the real star of the movie was Polanski and visual style, which really takes center stage for this version. I give it *** out ****. Good, not great, but worth checking out if you are a film buff.
While I was rather skeptical about the movie in the first few minutes, I came to realize that it was more than just a non-musical version, and that the musical, while entertaining, reallly creates some weaknesses within the story. By having characters such as Fagin, Artful Dodger, and Nancy introduce themselves with songs, it somewhat softens the reality of them. This version makes no bones about the fact that Nancy is a prostitute, and Fagin and Dodger are lowly crooks, and not very pleasant people to boot. One area where the movie failed though was with Bill Sykes, who while still an intimidating presence, doesn't come anywhere near the creepiness conveyed by Oliver Reed. Not to knock the actor's performance, it just didn't seem like they wrote the character to par.
The acting is very good on all counts, and Ben Kingsley is the only name actor the movie has, so it doesn't suffer from having overpowering stars. I felt the real star of the movie was Polanski and visual style, which really takes center stage for this version. I give it *** out ****. Good, not great, but worth checking out if you are a film buff.