In many ways, Roman Polanski had to make an adaptation of Oliver Twist. Beginning life in the Polish Ghettos during World War II and Adolf Hitler's genocide on the Jewish people of Europe, the parallels between Dickens' character and Polanski are more than contrived. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski). Interestingly, the similarities do not end at Oliver, as Polanski is still considered a fugitive from American law, taking up residence in France after being convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1978. All of this aside, Polanski is one of the greatest living directors, and his version of Oliver Twist remains true enough to the novel to appease the less than cinematically astute viewer who judges adaptations on their fidelity, and, at the same time, is a virtual tour de force of solid, artistic filmmaking. This is not to say that this is Polanski's best film; Chinatown is still better, but it is also better than any nineteenth century literary adaptation on film, and probably will always remain as such. Oliver Twist, however, is psychologically pleasing, emotionally intense, and aesthtically glorious.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski#Filmography).
From the beginning of the film, the viewer knows that Oliver Twist will be an artistic and enjoyable film. With opening credits in the style of art from within nineteenth century British novels, Polanski reminds the reader of what they are watching. As a veritable master of montage, the light music and beautiful landscapes are juxtaposed against the enrollment of Oliver in a workhouse, as he emerges from the golden landscape and into the city.
Oliver, as a character, is, necessarily, a young, naive boy. to accomplish the feeling of his smallness of stature, education, and ego, he is both placed alongside taller characters, and often shot from a top down perspective, giving the feeling that he is small. It is apparent that he is small to any viewer, but the use of the high angle shot accentuates his social, mental, and physical lowness within the film.
Likewise, size is used to accentuate characteristics of other characters throughout. The baseness of the chimney sweep is apparent from his status as a short adult, covered in soot and bald. There may be a coded sign about nationality in the character of the chimney sweep as well; his hat and facial expressions seem typically Russian. While this may be an instance of reading too much into the film, the point that foreigners are both present and looked down upon in 1830s Britain is clear throughout the film, most pointedly in Polanski's portrayal of Fagin.
Due to Dickens' seemingly overtly racist portrayal of Fagin within his work, any modern adaptation faces the issue of his Judaism and how to portray it both accurately and without prejudice. Polanski, as someone of Jewish descent, handled the issue well, and in doing so, presented his strength as a director. Instead of making a point that Fagin's Judaism made him less of a person, placing Fagin under Sikes but over and loved by the boys, and, emphasizing this dichotomy, successfully adapted the language Dickens used. Presenting this dichotomy through clever montage and strong scripting, such as when the police are looking for Sikes and Fagin's ability to protect the boys yet inability to disobey Sikes are juxtaposed, captures the essence of Dickens' racist language in the novel. It is clear that while society looks down upon Fagin, as Sikes belittles him, but, at the same time, the level of respect the boys have for Fagin presents him as an ultimately sympathetic character caught in a bad situation, much like many of the Jews in nineteenth century Britain.
Perhaps the most common trope within the film is that of shots up, down, or at staircases. From the time that Sikes descends the stairs to his house, to the burglary at Mr. Brownlow's estate taking place about a staircase, or the ascent up the stairs to Fagin's rookery. Not having probed Polanski's mind, I cannot make a perfect guess as to the reason behind the prevalence of stairs within this film, however, being a film about social climbing, it seems apparent that the importance of stairs is directly tied to Oliver's climb within the social ranks of Great Britain. There does not seem to be a progressive reason to whether someone is going up or down the stairs throughout the film, but, the fact that they are a constant setpiece within the film keeps them present in the mind of the viewer. Without a clear symbolism for the staircase, Polanski proves that he understands the psychological subtleties of his art. While many directors make it mind-numbingly apparent what their symbolism is behind their shots (such as the water in Mira Nair's Vanity Fair), Polanski allows his symbolism to surround the plot, and allows the viewer to ponder as he or she wishes.
While Polanski does not always create blockbusters, or movies that critics often rank within the top ten of the greatest films of all time, his skill is unflagging and apparent. With a body of work including over 25 films and many of them considered classics, and, as with Oliver Twist, all of them a work of art in their own way, Polanksi has spanned 50 years of culture with his films, and has done so as deftly as any other director who could claim the same. Many directors are more lauded critically; Tarantino, Fellini, Renoir, to name a few, and many directors certainly more financially sucessful, Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg, at the very least, none of these directors have the same sense of measured greatness present within a film by Polanski. There is a guarantee in the phrase "A Roman Polanski Film" that does not ring true with any other name. Sure, the Godfather may be better than Chinatown, but Polanski's worst film is heads and tails better than Dracula or the Godfather part III. Likewise, 8 1/2 is quite possibly the greatest film ever created, but it will never know the popularity of The Pianist or Chinatown. This quiet, enjoyable quality about Polanski, even when his films are far from quiet or calm, saturates every shot of Oliver Twist. Not Polanski's best film, but brilliant, as if anything else was to be expected.
-Zachary R. Belcher
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