Oliver Twist (1982 TV film)
| Oliver Twist | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Crime Drama |
| Based on |
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens |
| Written by | James Goldman |
| Directed by | Clive Donner |
| Starring |
George C. Scott Tim Curry Michael Hordern Timothy West Eileen Atkins Cherie Lunghi Oliver Cotton Richard Charles Lysette Anthony John Barrard |
| Music by | Nick Bicât |
| Country of origin | United States United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | William F. Storke |
| Producer(s) |
Ted Childs Norton Romsey |
| Cinematography | Norman G. Langley |
| Editor(s) | Peter Tanner |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Claridge Productions Grafton Productions Norman Rosemont Productions Trident |
| Distributor | CBS |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release |
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Oliver Twist is a 1982 made-for-TV adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic of the same name, premiering on the CBS television network as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Stars include George C. Scott, Tim Curry, Cherie Lunghi, and introducing Richard Charles as Oliver, in his first major film role.
The film opens with a young, blonde-haired woman outdoors during a rainstorm. She is seen struggling on her knees, and she manages to stumble into a home. The occupants, learning that the pregnant woman is about to go into labour, make preparations for her birth.
With some difficulty, the unnamed woman gives birth to a baby boy (played by Joseph Shiner), with the assistance of a midwife, known as Mrs. Corney (Anne Tirard). The woman, barely able to speak, asks to see her son. When he is given to her, she smiles weakly at him and kisses the baby's forehead before she collapses and dies. Witnessing the woman's birth is Mr. Bumble (Timothy West), a hard-nosed man in charge of the local orphans workhouse. With no information on the mother's identity, he gives the boy the name Oliver Twist.
Like the other boys in the workhouse, Oliver lives a hard life of endless labour and schooling, with only a bowl of gruel for supper, while Bumble and Corney sits above them feasting on food such as leg of lamb. After seeing his half-starved friend Dick devour his bowl and still wanting more, Oliver, in a gesture of compassion, offers the lad his own, then goes up to Bumble and asks for more, unaware of the consequences. His request angers Bumble, who hires him out to work for Mr Sowerberry, a local undertaker.
Sowerberry exploits Oliver's pathetic features by using him as a silent mourner, present at burials for the dead who are without family or friends, many of them children. Oliver's situation is not much different than the workhouse, as he is given a workbench to sleep on and scraps that Sowerberry's dogs refuse to eat for food. Oliver also becomes the object of Noah Claypole's (Philip Davis) hatred.
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