Oliver! (1968)

Musical adaptation about an orphan who runs away from an orphanage and hooks up with a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor.

Director:

Carol Reed

Writers:

Lionel Bart (book), Vernon Harris (screenplay),

Stars:

Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed

Won 5 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ron Moody	...	Fagin
Shani Wallis	...	Nancy
Oliver Reed	...	Bill Sikes
Harry Secombe	...	Bumble
Mark Lester	...	Oliver
Jack Wild	...	The Artful Dodger
Hugh Griffith	...	Magistrate
Joseph O'Conor	...	Mr. Brownlow
Peggy Mount	...	Mrs. Bumble
Leonard Rossiter	...	Sowerberry
Hylda Baker	...	Mrs. Sowerberry
Kenneth Cranham	...	Noah Claypole
Megs Jenkins	...	Mrs. Bedwin
Sheila White	...	Bet
Wensley Pithey	...	Dr. Grimwig

Storyline

Musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic tale of an orphan who runs away from the orphanage and hooks up with a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor.

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Plot Keywords:

orphanage | pickpocket | orphan | theft | undertaker | 

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Taglines:

"OLIVER!" is the Best Picture of the Year! [post-Oscar]

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 1968 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Oliver

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$16,800,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Romulus Films, Warwick Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

153 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) (35 mm magnetic prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ron Moody credited popular magician Tommy Cooper as an inspiration for his interpretation of Fagin.

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Goofs

Just after Oliver asks for more gruel and is taken by Mr. Bumble to the governor of the workhouse, they are standing at the door - Oliver mouths Mr. Bumble's lines, and then to cover it up, starts wiggling his tongue.

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Quotes

Nancy: [to Oliver] Charmed!
Dodger: Oh yes! We're all ladies and gentlemen around here. We're all quality.
Nancy: Now don't you take no notice of them, just because you got manners and they ain't!

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Connections

Referenced in Anyone for Pennis? (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Oom-Pah Pah"
(1960) (uncredited)
Words and Music by Lionel Bart
Sung by Shani Wallis and Chorus

User Reviews

This is proof that British film studios of the 1960's could provide high quality productions

I was lucky to see "Oliver!" in 1968 on a big cinema screen in Boston when I was a young teenager. Later, during the summer of 1969, I was pleased to see this film was still playing at a prominent cinema in Leicester Square, London, after it had won the Academy Award for Best Picture of the previous year.

Th success of "Oliver!" on both the stage and screen reminded me that not all talent begins on Broadway and ends in Hollywood. This legendary story by Charles Dickens, which is part of the literary heritage of all English-speaking people, was admirably brought to the London stage by Lionel Bart of Great Britain. His charming musical then became a hit in New York and throughout the world. The film adaptation was made in England during the summer of 1967 and then released in 1968. The sets and musical numbers are mind boggling. The song "Who Will Buy?" required hundreds of actors and the British film director truly deserved his Oscar for putting it all together in a seamless manner. Some Canadian and American talent is also part of this wonderful production, but mostly it is a tribute to the fine craftsmanship of the British film studios, such as Shepperton. Good show! Other film studios at Elstree, Boreham Wood, Bray, Denham, and Ealing have also given the world many films to treasure over the years.