''Oliver Twist'' is a 1982 Australian 72-minute

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

animated film from Burbank Films Australia; a part of the studio's series of adaptations of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

' works made from 1982 through 1985.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p116 It was originally broadcast in 1982 through Nine Network Australia. The film is based on

' classic 1838

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

novel, '' Oliver Twist'', and was adapted by John Palmer. It was produced by George Stephenson and directed by Richard Slapczynski. A second

live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

title under the same name was produced in the same year. All copyright in this film is currently owned by HS Holding CorporationUS Copyright Office
Document No V3202P448 1996-01-31 who controls the licensing of this film. Different companies, including the American

GoodTimes Entertainment GoodTimes Entertainment, Ltd. was an American home video company that originated in 1984 under the name of GoodTimes Home Video. Though it produced its own titles, the company was well known due to its distribution of media from third parties and ...

and Digiview Entertainment, distribute the film for

home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...

around the globe.

Plot

Oliver Twist is born at the

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...

of Mr. Bumble, where he is left an

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

as his mother dies shortly after giving birth to him.

Mr. Bumble Mr. Bumble is a fictional character and minor antagonist in the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. Character When the story was first serialised in ''Bentley's Miscellany'' in 1837 Mr. Bumble is the cruel and self-important bead ...

, just as he does with all his other orphans, puts Oliver to daily work, giving him in exchange little more than a daily bowl of porridge. One day, outraged that Oliver would dare supplicate for more food, Mr. Bumble sells the boy to Mr. Sowerberry, an

undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as ...

, who makes him an apprentice at his

funeral home A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and funeral services for the dead and their families. These services may include a prepared wake and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for the funeral. Services ...

. There, Oliver is humiliated and insulted by Noah, Mr. Sowerberry's other apprentice. Tired of this life, Oliver runs away from the funeral home and heads for the city of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

where he meets the Artful Dodger. The Artful Dodger takes Oliver to the home of

Fagin Fagin is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a "receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dod ...

, a seemingly kind old man who turns homeless boys into shameless

pickpocket Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A th ...

s. There, Oliver is trained to wander the streets stealing from ladies and gentlemen. When Oliver witnesses the

Artful Dodger Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist''. The Dodger is a pickpocket, so called for his skill and cunning in that occupation. He is the leader of the gang of child criminal ...

and another boy named Charlie stealing the

handkerchief A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as wi ...

of Mr. Brownlow as he browses the books at a street bookshop, Oliver flees. The suspicious act on Oliver's part arouses the attention of Mr. Brownlow and accuses him of theft. When caught, Oliver is taken before a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

treated as a cold-blooded criminal and sentenced to transportation to Australia. Mr. Brownlow confronts the magistrate, telling him that his sentence is too harsh and that he never did see Oliver actually steal the piece of cloth. Mr. Brownlow takes a liking towards Oliver and invites him to live in his home. Mr. Monks, a sinister man, seeks information about Oliver from Mr. and Mrs. Bumble, when they present him with a locket that the old nurse Sally had taken from Oliver's mother. Mr. Monks wishes Oliver to be involved in a crime and imprisoned, so he may claim the inheritance that is rightfully Oliver's.

Characters

* Oliver Twist is a ten-year-old orphaned boy born at Mr. Bumble's workhouse. He experiences many hardships and cruelty from greedy villains before finding his rightful place in the world. * Mr. Brownlow is an old friend of Oliver Twist's mother, his path is crossed with Oliver's when he believes the boy had stolen his handkerchief. * Fagin is a seemingly kind and harmless old man who collects homeless boys from the streets and teaches them to steal from people, thus making his own fortune. * Artful Dodger is Oliver's first friend and Fagin's preferred boy. He is streetwise and the best among Fagin's band of pickpockets. * Nancy is the girlfriend of Bill Sykes. She takes pity towards Oliver and tries to help him into a new, better life, which ends up costing her her own. * Bill Sykes is determined to see Oliver commit a crime in order to receive compensation from Mr. Monks, no matter whose life may be at stake. * Mr. Monks is revealed to be Oliver Twist's own brother and wishes to take his inheritance from him by involving the young boy in a crime. He believes he's destroyed the last evidence of Oliver's parentage when he destroys the golden locket Sally gives to Mrs. Bumble. * Mr. Bumble is the owner of the workhouse where Oliver Twist is born. He is a cruel man and forces his boys to hard work from the day they're capable of standing on their feet. * Sally is an old nurse working for Mr. Bumble at his workhouse, where she is abused and ill-treated. She nurses Oliver Twist's mother as she gives birth to her son and is with her when she dies. She notices Agnes, Oliver's mother, dropping an old locket on the ground; she picks it up and holds on to it. Ten years later and shortly before dying, she apologetically gives the locket to Mrs. Bumble and supplicates her to give the piece of jewelry to Oliver, so that he may know who he is.

References

External links

* * *
Oliver Twist
' at the ''

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'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver Twist (1982 Film) Animated films about orphans Australian animated feature films Australian television films 1982 television films 1982 animated films 1982 films Television shows based on Oliver Twist Films based on Oliver Twist GoodTimes Entertainment Animated films based on novels 1980s children's animated films 1980s Australian animated films Films directed by Richard Slapczynski 1980s English-language films

Plot

Characters

See also

References

External links