I have seen virtually all of the version of Oliver Twist. This one is difficult to come by now in the UK, I had to buy a dutch DVD and use an old DVD player. However, I was not disappointed as this is by far the most complete and definitive version of Oliver Twist. This version adheres very closely to the novel. Usually in Oliver adaptations you have the workhouse stuff at the beginning, then as soon as Oliver gets to London it is virtually then a story about Fagin and Bill Sykes and it uses the gritty romance of these characters to carry the rest of the story home. But it is not a story of Fagin, it is called Oliver Twist. And more specifically, Oliver Twist, the Parish Boy's Progress. This version really keeps Oliver and his challenges and progress through his young life as central to the story. We learn in full depth about his scheming relative Monks and all of his family relations as they come to learn about each other, stuff that is sometimes left out entirely but which is absolutely essential for the story to make sense. Fagin was just as cruel a human being as Bill Sykes and spends the entire novel trying to exploit him for his own ends. Often this is lost in Oliver adaptations which romanticise the life of the thieves as if they were dodgy but well-meaning members of the underclass.
But it is not simply because it the most faithful that this version is in my opinion the definitive. The production and casting is just perfect too. There is no greater Bill Sykes than Michael Atwell (sorry oliver reed), Amanda Harris is fantastic as Nancy, and Eric Porter does a great Fagin too. Ben Rodska is perhaps not as easily lovable as Mark Lester but he is very sweet and does a great job.
This to my mind is the only version of Oliver worth watching now. Oliver! 1968 will have a fond place in many peoples hearts, and has great music and the perfect Mr Bumble (Harry Secombe). But at the end of the day it is not truly Oliver Twist. Alec Guinness perhaps does the perfect Fagin in David Lean's 1948 version. But make sure you see this for the complete Oliver experience. The story and characters will make so much more sense to you.
