Oliver Twist (2005) - Synopsis

In 2002, Roman Polanski released his award-winning film The Pianist, an amazing story of suffering, pain and survival in the Warsaw ghetto of World War II. When Polanski completed The Pianist, he was determined to next turn to a totally different type of movie. He wanted to make a family film aimed, in particular, at a young audience, so he and his producing partners, Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde, began to read scores of children's books looking for the right story.

Eventually, Polanski's wife suggested that he make a new version of Oliver Twist. Polanski quickly discovered that the authentic Dickens story hadn't been told on film since David Lean's version in 1948 and Carol Reed's musical, Oliver, 20 years later—nearly 40 years and two generations ago. The time was right. Charles Dickens' classic story of a young orphan boy who gets involved with a gang of boy pickpockets in 19th-century London seems, on the surface, a long way from being children's entertainment. But this can be deceiving.

Roman Polanski is convinced that kids will love the fantasy elements contained within the story. He says, "We are not going to strive for realism; quite the opposite. The characters in this story are larger-than-life with the emphasis on their glorious humor and eccentricities. This is a Dickensian tale in the truest sense, which means it is exuberant, intriguing and timeless. And it is full of incident that is constantly surprising.

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Above all, it is a tale for a young audience. My ambition is to make the film for my own children. I read bedtime stories to them every night and I know what enchants them and how they identify with the characters. In making Oliver Twist, it is important that I don't disappoint them."

TriStar Pictures will release Oliver Twist in September 2005.