Guest Author - Ewa Sapinska

Anyone who has seen the 1968 screen version of the film “Oliver Twist” can’t help but be curious to see how this “classic “film could be made any better. Indeed, not many directors would be happy to take on such a task and run the risk of inevitable criticism, especially from those born in the 70’s, whose childhood memories would surely include the film adaptation by Carol Reed. It is not easy to mess with such precious and deep rooted memories and not disappoint, but Polanski does this with relative ease.

He did not try to replicate the film and add in a few special effects, but instead considerably slows the pace and momentum and completely eradicates any singing, which would only serve to lighten the tone and subject matter. This is definitely not a poor copy, but rather an “adult version” more true to the original words of Charles Dickens.

Screenwriter Ronald Harwood helps to bring more depth to the story, and Polanski delivers vivid imagery and the use of light and shade to lift or depress the mood of the film. Colour is used to its optimum effect to show the times of hardship or hope. The set and costume design further add to the drama and realism of the period, and the vast social divide of Victorian times.

Having loved Ron Moody’s portrayal of Fagin, I was reluctant to accept that anyone could grasp the character quite as well, but Ben Kingsley really does produce the goods. Kingsley gives more texture to Fagin, both in the visual characterisation and in his artful deliverance of the script.

Barney Clark (Oliver) has just the right mix of vulnerability and wide eyed naivety. His delicate frame aids to the frailty of his character and his use of emotion really pulls at the heart strings.

It is without doubt that this film will have been a cathartic experience for the director, and maybe even a way of showing his children ( in an easier to digest format) some of the hardships that he endured as a child during the war, at the hands of the Nazis and his own Father.

In fact there are many similarities that cannot be ignored. Polanski also lost his mother at an early age and was witness and victim to many acts of brutality and inhumanity, which no child at such a tender age should have to endure. It surely is not a coincidence that the wooden beds in the workhouse bear an uncanny resemblance to the wooden ones that were used in Auschwitz concentration camp where Polanski’s mother tragically died.

I would recommend anyone to see this film, even those like myself that were faithful to the original. There is definitely a place for both versions, but Polanski’s has the edge.