Oliver Twist (1933)

An orphan boy in 1830's London is abused in a workhouse, then falls into the clutches of a gang of thieves.

Director:

William J. Cowen

Writers:

Charles Dickens (novel), Elizabeth Meehan (screenplay)

Stars:

Dickie Moore, Irving Pichel, William 'Stage' Boyd

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dickie Moore	...	Oliver Twist
Irving Pichel	...	Fagin
William 'Stage' Boyd	...	Bill Sikes (as Wm. Boyd)
Doris Lloyd	...	Nancy Sikes
Alec B. Francis	...	Mr. Brownlow
Barbara Kent	...	Rose Maylie
Sonny Ray	...	The Artful Dodger
George K. Arthur	...	Toby Crackit
George Nash	...	Charles Bates
Clyde Cook	...	Chitling
Lionel Belmore	...	Mr. Bumble
Tempe Pigott	...	Mrs. Corney
Nelson McDowell	...	Sowerberry
Virginia Sale	...	Mrs. Sowerberry
Harry Holman	...	Grimwig

Storyline

An orphan boy in 1830's London is abused in a workhouse, then falls into the clutches of a gang of thieves.

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Plot Keywords:

1830s | public domain | charles dickens | children | oliver twist | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 1933 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monogram Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Balsley & Phillips Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While this film is not especially well-remembered today, and has been eclipsed by practically all of the later film versions of the Charles Dickens novel, it did begin a Hollywood "fad" for Dickens that lasted for about five years. It was followed by Great Expectations (a poorly reviewed and now forgotten version with Jane Wyatt and Phillips Holmes), the classic MGM all-star David Copperfield, Universal's Mystery of Edwin Drood (with Claude Rains), the classic A Tale of Two Cities - another MGM Dickens blockbuster - and MGM's 1938 A Christmas Carol with Reginald Owen. There would be very few versions of Dickens from Hollywood after that; most films based on Dickens' books would be made by British studios. However, notable exceptions have been the many versions of "A Christmas Carol" produced for American television.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Oliver's Mother: My baby, my boy. I want to see him.

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Connections

Version of Olivia Twist (2002)

User Reviews

Please Sir, I Want Some More...

This was the second "Oliver Twist" movie version I got to see. The first one I saw was the 1948 version. In comparison, I think that this 1933 version is neither inferior neither superior to the 1948 version, just different. It's an interesting alternative to the 1948 version, though, although (admittedly) that one is more detailed and more loyal to the book. The 1933 version moves at a faster pace. As a result, it is considerably shorter. This version is also clearly made under a cheaper budget while the 1948 version looks more expensive, but this fact doesn't bother me.

The 1933 version isn't yet the first movie adaptation of this familiar story, however it had the merit of being the first sound version. In this version, Irving Pichel plays Fagin and frankly I prefer him over the 1948 version's Fagin who is just too ugly and creepy. At least Fagin here is nowhere near as creepy. The controversial William "Stage" Boyd stars as Bill Sikes in this version. Comparing to the 1948 version's Sikes, this Sikes looks much bigger and more intimidating although more delicate in his speeches.

I like Dickie Moore as Oliver Twist. Even though John Howard Davies plays Oliver Twist with more feeling and his acting seems more realistic, I don't think that Dickie Moore is any inferior. His performance is just different. Dickie Moore is perfectly cute although he is a quite young and tiny Oliver Twist. True, sometimes he makes hilarious faces which aren't appropriate for the scenes he is performing, but I find that rather amusing instead of something to criticize and I like him for that.