Oliver Twist (1999)

Directed by: Renny Rye | 300 minutes | drama | Actors: Sam Smith, Julie Waters, David Ross, Andy Serkis, Robert Lindsay, Lindsay Duncan, Marc Warren, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Ger Ryan, Michael Kitchen, Annette Crosbie, Keira Knightley, Tim Dutton, Alex Crowley, Emily Woof, Sophia Myles, Sebastian Abineri, Alun Armstrong, Luke Atherton, Annette Badland, David Bark-Jones, Desmond Barrit, Michael Bertenshaw

“Oliver Twist” is one of Charles Dickens’ most famous books. This story has been adapted several times for a film adaptation for both television and film. This 1999 version of ‘Oliver Twist’ is the twentieth in a row. Director Renny Rye chooses to divide this literature classic into six episodes.

The unknown Sam Smith plays Oliver Twist. Smith moves with his playing. He is the orphaned boy Oliver Twist. In terms of doing and letting Smith know exactly how to strike the right chord. The scenes in which Oliver has a hard time commanding respect for Smith’s acting performance. Such as when Oliver has to bow before the parish council or when he is apprenticed to the undertaker and encounters death for the first time. This is only a small part of the difficulties Smith finds himself in as Oliver. The worse and more despondent the situation looks for the orphaned boy Twist, the more wonderful Smith’s play becomes. The young actor really does deliver a remarkable performance considering his very young age.

Anyone who knows the ‘Moonlight’ series will recognize the young face of actress Sophia Myles in the first images of ‘Oliver Twist’, who plays the role of Beth Turner. However, in ‘Oliver Twist’ Myles shows a completely different side. Sophia Myles plays Agnes Fleming, Oliver Twist’s mother. It’s nice to see how Myles has grown physically and also in terms of acting in recent years. Myles may have a modest role in ‘Oliver Twist’, but the rendition is of such quality that you can’t ignore her. Myles portrays Agnes’ tragic fate very serenely.

In addition to Sophia Myles and Sam Smith, this miniseries about ‘Oliver Twist’ features many other good actors. The well-known Julie Waters (‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Educating Rita’) plays the part of the surly Mrs. Mann who takes care of Oliver Twist in the early days of his life. The moments when Waters as Mrs. Mann bickers with parishioner Mr. Bumble (a role by David Ross) are precious. The real bad guys of ‘Oliver Twist’ are embodied by the actors Marc Warren, Lindsay Duncan, Andy Serkis and Robert Lindsay.

Marc Warren is quite terrifying as the character Monks. The appearance of this character and his physical condition are very repulsive. Actor Warren plays Monks in such a way that you feel both pity and disgust for this strange character. Monks’ mother Elizabeth Leeford eagerly takes advantage of her son’s shortcomings. Through much manipulation she gets her son to carry out nasty assignments. Actress Lindsay Duncan knows how to transform herself into the mean Elizabeth with her voice and facial expression.

Actor Andy Serkis has gained worldwide fame for his role as Gollum in the well-known Tolkien film trilogy ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Just as the role of Gollum was literally and figuratively written for Serkis, this also seems to be the case with his portrayal of Bill Sikes in ‘Oliver Twist’. Serkis portrays the character with boundless energy and passion. Serkis rages and rages and overflows with aggression like Bill Sikes. In comparison to Bill, downtrodden ex-magician Fagin is gentle. The character is played comically by Robert Lindsay. Lindsay performs the magic tricks with flair and also generates reasonable sympathy as a leader for the stray children.

Finally, ‘Oliver Twist’ also features a young Keira Knightley. Knightley takes on a bigger and more important supporting role than Myles as the gentle girl Rose, who joins Mr. Bronlow (Michael Kitchen) lives. It is clear that with ‘Oliver Twist’ Knightley is already taking her first steps in the genre where we will see her again later, such as in the miniseries ‘Doctor Zhivago’ or in the film ‘Pride and Prejudice’.

‘Oliver Twist’ lasts a total of 300 minutes, the duration does not work in the least if you choose to watch it in one go. The story is captivating from start to finish. The cast is perfectly attuned to the characters they each play. In addition to the players, the locations and instrumental accompaniment to the images are also of a high quality. As a result, this twentieth adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist is a must-have. Renny Rye has breathed new life into the story in a dignified and loving way.