Oliver!, as Reed’s cinematic version was titled, keeps close to the original tale of the orphan Oliver Twist who grew up under the abusive circumstances at a workhouse.  Workhouses were created to handle people with minor law violations, but also destitute and orphaned children.  Within these workhouses the conditions were often harsh and brutal while the inhabitants were forced into labor, as the managers ran the workhouses as they saw fit without consideration of humanity and compassion.  The film opens with a sketch that fades into motion where a small group of young orphans tread a crude machine into movement.  The first thought that strikes the audience is slavery, which is shortly followed by the dangers of the work environment.  Oliver is one of the kids that works on the wooden grinder that processes corn by striding the machine into movement.  To fully understand the situation of Oliver Twist, one must contemplate the historical, political and religious climate of the time, as the story presents a strong social criticism concealed under the fictitious tale of Oliver.

Born in the workhouse as an illegitimate child, Oliver was placed on the fringe of society due to Christian values imposed by the leaders of the Church. In the workhouse, as we already know, he was forced into labor as a youngster while the common uneducated notion was that Oliver and kids alike were a bunch of freeloaders. In addition, some decades before Oliver Twist was written, more precisely 1815, the Corn Laws were introduced into the British Commonwealth. The Corn Laws implied that until the cost of corn reached a specific amount, no foreign corn could be imported onto British soil. Consequently, the price of food went up and the people were forced to spend most of their money on food while other merchandise became unessential, as food is a requirement for survival. Thus, in the light of this information, the audience can get a more accurate view of the opening and the desperation in which many characters lived.

It is a rather grim historical and political perspective that Dickens presented to the public, and in the light of the governmental abuses of children, it might be rather distressing to hear that a musical was to be made of this tragic story.  Nonetheless, Reed approached the material with tactfulness while remaining true to the darker elements of the story.  For example, shortly after the scene of the kids treading on the machine, a group of wealthy and obese gentle men inspect the Workhouse.  However, instead of joining the orphans in their meal of gruel (made by the rest of the products that they cannot sell after having ground the corn) they enter a secluded area where a feast of meat, poultry, and other delicacies awaits.  This simple presentation of the socioeconomic levels offers a direct and transparent view of how the old British society oppressed most innocents – the children – for financial gain.

The story continues with Oliver meeting the Artful Dodger (Jack Wild), Fagin (Ron Moody), Bill Sikes (Oliver Reed), and many others when he escapes his socially accepted bully and owner.  Through these characters, Reed captures Dickens socioeconomic status of the environment where the children act like miniature adults, as they smoke, steal, and dress like adults.  In addition, Reed displays the darkness of the environment in an authentic manner, as everything seems to be covered by soot generated by an overpopulated London and the Industrial Revolution’s wonders.  The soot also presents a symbolic analogy to the political and economical situation, as the future seems oppressively bleak due to restrictive societal rights and an increasing poverty that no one can escape.  Thus, an emerging understanding for the desperation of many surfaces, as theft, exploitation of youth, and other illegal acts are committed.  Despite an increasing understanding for the desperate, both Dickens and Reed agree in their illustrations of Oliver Twist that certain behaviors are undesirable, which come to life through the character Bill Sikes.

The knighted film director Sir Carol Reed took on Charles Dickens’ majestic literary piece Oliver Twist and created a musical to which many might initially have had raised their objections.  However, Reed presents a tasteful adaptation that portrays the hopelessness, desperation, and a time of need for social change through the innocent child Oliver Twist. Song and music become an additional tool for Reed to display the miserable conditions of the people of the time.  Songs like "You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two” and "Food, Glorious Food" help enhance the visual experience, as the songs provide a new perspective on the socioeconomic setting.  Ultimately, the film offers an innovative viewpoint of a serious tale that will help others to open their minds and begin to contemplate the unjust world and its many transgressions against children and others less fortunate.

Oliver! was a hit when it arrived to the Oscars in 1969, as it was nominated for 11 Oscars and brought home six of them such as Best Picture and Best Director.  These Oscars by themselves should tell the audience that this film is worth seeing, but if the viewers still are hesitant about this film, I must say that Oliver! offers a terrific cinematic experience.  Ron Moody’s performance as Fagin is brilliant, he did not win the Oscar for this art, as it went to Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968), but it is a performance worth experiencing.  Personally, I thought Oliver Twist (1948) by David Lean was a straw better, but then again I am not partial to musicals.  Nonetheless, Oliver! is a worthy film that is a must for any film aficionado.

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