When I was 13 years old my entire
grammar school was called to the gymnasium for an assembly - like
most everyone else, I had no idea what it was about. Unbeknownst to
virtually all of us, some of the grade 7 and 8 students were putting
on a play – the musical “Oliver!” and this was their dry-run
before performing for the parents that night. And much to much
absolute shock, I found myself loving every second of it.
If you'd asked me beforehand if I would
ever like a musical, given my experience with them (my mother
watching Doris Day and Julie Andrews movies on TV) I would have
responded with a resounding “Hell no!”. But “Oliver!" is one of
those nearly perfect pieces of art that you have to work awfully hard to
screw up, thanks to how well written it is. My school's play tried
to reproduce the 1969 Best Picture Oscar winner as closely as
possible, and who could blame them?
To my eye, this is the most perfect
musical ever laid on celluloid. A taut, exciting and heart-felt
story with catchy tunes that contribute mightily to the story, rather
than leaving you feeling that most songs were there for no reason.
Even the slowest numbers that are the only slight drag on the story
(“As Long as He Needs Me” and “Who Will Buy”) still add to
the plot to give you a clear idea of the mindset of the characters.
Happily, those slightly inert ones are offset by some of the most
delightfully fun songs in the history of musicals – my favorites
have always been “Consider Yourself”, “Pick a Pocket or Two”,
“I'd Do Anything”, “It's a Fine Life” and “Om Pa Pa”.
All fantastic, grin-inducing numbers.
But enough about the music – how
about the movie? Well, what else can you say other than it is one of
the greats? Oliver Twist is an orphan, grinding away at the
workhouse when he dares to ask for more of the disgusting gruel they
are served for dinner. He is removed from the workhouse and sold to
a local undertaker where it will be his job to lead funeral
processions. After a fight with the undertaker's son, Oliver escapes
to London to seek his fortune. This is where the story stops being
merely interesting and starts being great theatre.
Upon arriving in London Oliver crosses
paths with the Artful Dodger, a child pickpocket and thief par
excellence. Dodger hooks Oliver up with his benefactor Fagin, who
runs an entire ring of child criminals out of an abandoned industrial
building. While Oliver learns the tricks of the trade, we also meet
a former pupil of Fagin's named Bill Sykes, who is now one of the
most talented and feared criminals in London. We also meet his
girlfriend Nancy, who recognizes Oliver as something special and
tries to shield him from some of the uglier parts of their lives.
After Oliver is caught for a crime
committed by Dodger and sent to court, the kindly victim of the crime
decides to try to offer Oliver a better life and takes him in. Fagin
and Sykes however are afraid that Oliver will rat out their operation
and get them all caught, and scheme to steal him back. The songs
continue throughout and keep the feeling upbeat – which is good
because the basic storyline is very grim despite the fun. Sykes
reveals himself to be a true villain while Fagin is a bit of a “heart
of gold” type beneath it all, but the film doesn't cheap out by going
for unrealistic happy endings.
The real heart of the movie is Ron
Moody as Fagin. His performance is truly wonderful, both in his
half-hearted villainy, his lost father figure to the boys in the
crime ring and in his clear joy throughout the musical numbers. He
delivers lots of laughs but also a nicely played out “sad story”
which leaves you rooting for him despite his involvement in child
exploitation. Shani Wallis is also very enjoyable as Nancy, and
Oliver Reed is deliciously evil as Sykes. And the actor playing the
Artful Dodger, Jack Wild, is so darn good even as a very young teen
that I'm kind of amazed that I have never seen him in anything else.
His screen confidence is outstanding for a kid.
A can't miss, even for those who don't
generally like musicals. You may want to scan past the musical
number in the middle of the film (“Who Will Buy”) as it is very
long and doesn't contribute a great deal to the story (and isn't that
much fun to watch or listen to), but that is my only complaint about
the entire film.
And for those who may read this that I
went to grammar school with and were in that play, I owe you a long
overdue thank you for introducing me to the material. I loved seeing
friends do something so outstanding. Melanie W as Oliver Twist, Bill G
as Fagin, Steve B as Sykes.... though I'll be damned if I can recall
who played Dodger. Thanks one and all. It still means a lot to me,
30 years later.
No comments:
Post a Comment