Post by Vits on Jun 1, 2020 12:53:41 GMT
OLIVER TWIST 1948 suffers from an unfocused plot (the first 20 minutes could've easily been cut) and performances that range from bland to hilariously exaggerated. Why are title cards used?! This isn't a silent movie! And why are they only used a few times?! It's inconsistent! After the title character (an orphan) meets a pickpocket named The Artful Dodger, there's a shot of them walking through a bridge(?). Why does Arnold Bax's score become epic all of the sudden? Because it's a wide shot of the city? Even if the background didn't look fake, the context wouldn't justify this music.
3/10
The plot in OLIVER! is more focused, but some of the musical numbers are longer than necessary and they make the story drag. Speaking of, musical numbers performed by all the residents of an area only work if all those characters are thinking about and/or feeling whatever the lyrics are about. CONSIDER YOURSELF is about The Dodger telling Oliver that he's now part of the "family." It makes no sense to see the whole neighborhood join them. While this and some of the other songs are catchy, none are truly memorable, and the actors aren't great singers. The Dodger and Fagin (the man who taught him how to steal) get a grand ending (they sing while dancing towards the sunset). Why doesn't the protagonist get one too?
5/10
OLIVER AND COMPANY clearly should've been longer than 75 minutes. The development of the story, of all the characters and of the relationships (of every kind) is too rushed for me to get invested. The book OLIVER TWIST was a critique of London during the 1800s, but that's because that's the time and place Charles Dickens was living in. Those issues didn't just happen in that century and location. Therefore, a movie version that changes the setting (in this case, New York in the 1980s) isn't automatically a bad idea. No, this fails as an adaptation because Fagin was written as a buffoon (who luckily manages to be likable) and his larger-than-life presence was transferred to The Dodger. In the previous installments, Oliver was upstaged by other characters, because they were colorful people and he was mostly an observer. However, now it's gotten out of control. He has around 3 lines every 10 minutes! The only scene he's by himself is the beginning. It was a good opportunity to have him sing a solo. Instead, a non-diegetic song plays, making him the only character in this musical who doesn't sing. Can he even be classified as a protagonist then? They actually add a new character named Jenny who honestly feels like she's filling out Oliver's role. I love ONCE UPON A TIME IN NEW YORK CITY. I also love STREETS OF GOLD and I like WHY SHOULD I WORRY?, even though the lyrics in these 2 songs are essentially about the same thing.
3/10
OLIVER TWIST 2005 is a pointless adaptation that doesn't bring anything new to the table. Ben Kingsley doesn't project his voice and doesn't use his body language as much as Alec Guinness or Ron Moody and, yet, his performance feels more cartoony. However, it's not his fault. It seems like that's what Roman Polanski and screenwriter Ronald Harwood were going for, so any other actor would've done the same thing.
3/10
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You can read comments of other movies in my blog.
3/10
The plot in OLIVER! is more focused, but some of the musical numbers are longer than necessary and they make the story drag. Speaking of, musical numbers performed by all the residents of an area only work if all those characters are thinking about and/or feeling whatever the lyrics are about. CONSIDER YOURSELF is about The Dodger telling Oliver that he's now part of the "family." It makes no sense to see the whole neighborhood join them. While this and some of the other songs are catchy, none are truly memorable, and the actors aren't great singers. The Dodger and Fagin (the man who taught him how to steal) get a grand ending (they sing while dancing towards the sunset). Why doesn't the protagonist get one too?
5/10
OLIVER AND COMPANY clearly should've been longer than 75 minutes. The development of the story, of all the characters and of the relationships (of every kind) is too rushed for me to get invested. The book OLIVER TWIST was a critique of London during the 1800s, but that's because that's the time and place Charles Dickens was living in. Those issues didn't just happen in that century and location. Therefore, a movie version that changes the setting (in this case, New York in the 1980s) isn't automatically a bad idea. No, this fails as an adaptation because Fagin was written as a buffoon (who luckily manages to be likable) and his larger-than-life presence was transferred to The Dodger. In the previous installments, Oliver was upstaged by other characters, because they were colorful people and he was mostly an observer. However, now it's gotten out of control. He has around 3 lines every 10 minutes! The only scene he's by himself is the beginning. It was a good opportunity to have him sing a solo. Instead, a non-diegetic song plays, making him the only character in this musical who doesn't sing. Can he even be classified as a protagonist then? They actually add a new character named Jenny who honestly feels like she's filling out Oliver's role. I love ONCE UPON A TIME IN NEW YORK CITY. I also love STREETS OF GOLD and I like WHY SHOULD I WORRY?, even though the lyrics in these 2 songs are essentially about the same thing.
There are some very dark moments (2 dogs are electrocuted by train tracks!) that feel out of place, because everything else is overly cute.
3/10
OLIVER TWIST 2005 is a pointless adaptation that doesn't bring anything new to the table. Ben Kingsley doesn't project his voice and doesn't use his body language as much as Alec Guinness or Ron Moody and, yet, his performance feels more cartoony. However, it's not his fault. It seems like that's what Roman Polanski and screenwriter Ronald Harwood were going for, so any other actor would've done the same thing.
3/10
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You can read comments of other movies in my blog.