Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Develiker terrible... so disappointed.

Ploydsge just watch it!

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

raulbarros Her most outstanding merit is what we may call the perfect balance of evil in the film. Fagin is evil in his greed and mischief of goyim world Sykes is evil in his resentment which find its roots in his biography The judge is evil in his prejudices and arrogance. Mr. Brownlow is evil is his socially inherited ignorance of poverty and the very harsh conditions of the poor.All characters are credible in our present day perspective. Coky Giederoyc is sensible, cultured, pityfull, and fair in the treatment of all characters and considers the context, the time, the beliefs of the era. True that she sacrifices some features of the original novel but this is done in benefit of the better understanding of this social novel. A 10 for this extraordinary director!!

LCShackley I feel sorry for anyone who makes his first acquaintance with Dickens' classic through this ill-conceived version that tampers irreparably with the original story.The first mistake was hiring a screenwriter best-known for work on a British soap to write the script. She felt obligated to make it more "hip" by inserting words and dialog that aren't appropriate to the time period, and by completely twisting parts of the plot and some of its main characters. For instance, the comic subplot of Bumble and Corny leaves out some of the best scenes, and instead "sexes up" the Widow Corny. And Oliver himself is changed from a lost innocent into a smart-mouthed punk. (PS - I know that Corny is spelled with an "e" but IMDb's spell- checker keeps changing it.)The casting doesn't help. Timothy Spall, who is wonderful in almost everything he does, never seems to settle in to the character of Fagin, and the make-up and hair artists make him look like an ugly fat woman most of the time. Nancy has changed color, Bill Sykes is nothing more than a yobbo, not the looming villain so well-portrayed by Oliver Reed in the musical version. Even the reliable Edward Fox turns in a two-dimensional performance as Brownlow.The music score is also horrendous, jumping from style to style but never anything remotely Victorian. (Electric guitar? Banjo? Steel drums?)I don't have a problem with making new versions of classics. I also don't have a problem with updating classics, as in WEST SIDE STORY or even Baz Luhrman's ROMEO + JULIET. But what we have in OLIVER TWIST is a warped classic, a hack's idea of making a great plot more palatable for the 21st-century audience. You can change the ambiance or the costumes, but don't give us a new story and claim it's a classic. This type of bilge is running rampant in current British productions (Wuthering Heights, Marple, etc.). Seek out an older version for something that resembles the original, or at least holds the original in high regard. The director and screenwriter for this production obviously see Dickens as raw material to be improved upon. The joke is on them.

Graham Lewis-James I liked this series a lot and would watch it again if repeated. The subtle update in characterisation was particularly effective.There were also many impressive performances from some equally well-known and new faces. A particular highlight was the brilliant performance by Connor Catchpole, who played Pearly, one of Fagin's boys. From the moment he appeared on screen in episode three he captured the essence of the character perfectly and projected a confidence befitting an actor of more senior years.I would confidently conclude that Connor is a star in the making and is currently perfecting his talent at the Performing Arts Department of Bower Park School, Romford, Essex.

wristwatchraver-1 This isn't one of BBC's greatest moments. I wouldn't go as far to call this rubbish But though a great production it falls down on many levels. For the authenticity the BBC has made a little effort and all due credit, but I did think that have a coloured Nancy did detract from the realism for me Sophie Okowendo is a great actress but I feel the part of Nancy was not for her. Fagin was a bit of a let down he was just so passive. Even when he was hanged (which as far as I know, this is the only production to show that, if only in sound!) The real problem with this production for me. is Sikes' death. If you are being true to the book, he does not exactly hang himself. In the book he attempts to escape over the rooftops. he makes a noose and slips it over his head. He is getting ready to slip it under his armpits when He sees Nancy's eyes in the darkness! He screams in terror and loses his footing and so hangs himself by accident! I always expected Sikes to be macho and tough (like Oliver Reed and Robert Newton) and an utter psycho this Sykes was, like Fagin, too passive. It's worth a watch but if you want a good production watch David Lean's version!