It seems strange to me that despite the many classic kids’ films out there, only one G-rated film has ever won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was also the last musical to win the grand Oscar prize until Chicago claimed it over three decades later. I’m referring, of course, to Oliver!
From the outset, it’s clear why this film took “Best in Show” all those years ago: It is superlatively crafted. The set design is outstanding from start to finish, and everyone in the cast down to the last background extra is equipped with marvelous costuming and makeup. The musical numbers are spectacular throughout, with rock-solid choreography as seen through some gorgeous camerawork.
I admit it did seem a little peculiar at first that an entire city should be dancing and bursting into a song they have no reason to be singing (why are all these strangers telling Oliver to “consider himself at home?”). Still, 1) that’s just what people do in musicals, and 2) the singing and dancing is used in such a way that it very effectively brings London to life. It does wonders to show just how amazing or how dangerous this city must be from the perspective of Oliver, a runaway who just came into the city. Easily my favorite example of this is in “Who Will Buy.” Just listen to how all the various parts of the song interweave with each other, illustrating the hustle and bustle of a city slowly waking up to this particular morning. Look at the characters (the schoolteachers, for example) and think about how much we know about them, just from how they prance around. The care that’s been taken into this film’s presentation is simply remarkable.
Unfortunately, this film does fall prey to some of my cinematic pet peeves. For starters, there’s the fact that most of this cast is presented entirely without nuance. With some exceptions — Fagin and Dodger, namely — everybody in this film is portrayed as either completely pure or transparently evil. Far more importantly, our namesake character is weak and passive to a fault. Aside from taking provocation to start a fight early in the film and running away immediately after, Oliver doesn’t do a single independent thing. Everything — and I do mean everything — is either done for Oliver or forced upon him and our protagonist never even bothers to try doing anything about it. Oliver is nothing more than a MacGuffin through most of the film, affecting the plot solely because of who he is and what he knows. I cannot stand a protagonist who does nothing to earn his happy ending or his development as a character.
In fairness, however, I should point out that I haven’t read the original novel. A glance at Wikipedia’s plot synopsis, however, shows that both of these faults rest with the source material, rather than the film. The plot of the movie seems to have unfolded pretty much exactly as it did in the book, and as for nuance, God knows that Charles Dickens was hardly subtle about his compassion for the downtrodden poor.
Still, the fact remains that despite a very nice performance from Mark Lester, Oliver himself is easily the least interesting character in this film. Jack Wild is an energetic and smart-aleck Artful Dodger. Shani Wallis is fiery and sweet in equal measure as the gorgeous Nancy. As for Oliver Reed in the role of Sikes… wow. It’s absolutely sublime just how menacing Reed can make this character without uttering a single word. This is a villain who’s genuinely scary — a true bastard who’s always compelling to watch because there’s no telling how his murderous rage will break loose or when. But probably my favorite member of the cast is Ron Moody, who is truly remarkable as Fagin. He makes the character sympathetic and funny by way of his elastic face and a gift for physical humor. Seriously, just watch this. Get a good look at the acting range and comedic talent on display in that clip.
The protagonist of Oliver! is easily upstaged by the supporting cast, but it’s hard to complain when the supporting cast is this damn good. The film also has such outstanding production value with such staggering musical numbers that I can easily recommend this film in spite of its flaws.