Review of Oliver! (1968) by Darren B — 13 Apr 2013
What's immersive about this musical version of the Charles Dickins novel is the use of color and camera work. In one scene, 'As Long As he Needs Me,' Director Carol Reed shows his amazing capability at showing emotion through movement and setting.
As Nancy sings this beautiful song about how much her abusive lover Bill Sykes needs her, she starts at the top of a bridge, wearing a deep passion red dress and walking along the railing. As the song progresses, she slowly starts working her way down the stairs as the camera pans down with her.
She makes her way into a building where we see her through a series of moldy, broken windows, and finally, when she emerges from the building, the rest of the song is sung with her back to us, and the camera hiding behind the stair railing.
In this one scene, we are shown the enormous effect that motion pictures have on us as people and how they can stir our emotions. It is probably the greatest scene ever filmed for any movie.
This review of Oliver! (1968) was written by Darren B on 13 Apr 2013.
Oliver! has generally received positive reviews.
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