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List Price: $19.99Amazon.com's Price: $17.99 You Save: $2.00 (10%)Prices subject to change.
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9786305944560
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, NTSC
ISBN: 6305944563
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: August 29, 2000
Running Time: 107 minutes
Sales Rank: 67144
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: October 30, 1922
Editorial Review:
Description:
Lon Chaney portrays the frightful, despicable Fagin in this richly atmospheric screen adaptation of Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist' (74 min.). Jackie Coogan (The Kid) stars as the titular irrepressible waif in 19th-century England, whose adventures lead him from undernourished orphan to undertaker's apprentice, from novice pickpocket to pampered youth. Faithful in spirit and letter to Dickens' immortal story, 'Oliver Twist' is an exquisitely designed film, recreating with painterly care the firelit chambers, sepulchral basements and sordid slums that confine its menagerie of eccentric and pathetic personages. As an added bonus, this DVD includes the Lon Chaney short film, 'The Light of Faith' (30 min.). Typical of the era's moral regeneration dramas, director Clarence Brown's visually stunning 'The Light of Faith' features Chaney as a thief who finds himself in possession of the Holy Grail. Chaney's genuine interest in the plight of the lawless endowed his performances in these films with remarkable conviction and vibrancy.
Amazon.com:
Jackie Coogan had made his name as the spunky waif in Chaplin's The Kid when he took on the role of Charles Dickens's plucky orphan hero in Oliver Twist. It's dream casting: wide-eyed Coogan is an innocent with a heart of gold dropped into a den of thieves, notably Lon Chaney's Fagin, a heartless conniver with long whiskers, a hook nose, rotten teeth and skeletal fingers. The entire production is peopled with perfect types--a rotund bulldog of a Mr. Brumble, a barrel-chested bully of a Bill Sykes, a ragged dandy of an Artful Dodger--but it rather misses the point of Dickens. 'I know of two kinds of boys: good and bad,' sniffs one high-society gentleman, and sure enough, director Frank Lloyd gives us heroes and villains without the energetic, colorful portrayals of the Dodger (who has little dramatic presence) and Fagin that enrich later versions of the novel. The entire novel is packed into 74 breakneck minutes, but the lavish production is richly atmospheric and beautiful to look at, and Coogan's cute, sprightly performance keeps the story bouncing along. The print is well worn and in places quite damaged, but it's presentable, nicely tinted, and accompanied by an organ score by John Muri.
This disc also includes Lon Chaney in The Light of Faith (an abridged version of Clarence Brown's The Light in the Dark). Chaney plays a thief who, inspired by the story of the Holy Grail, risks his life to rob a rich man of his ancient goblet in the hopes that it may save a sick girl. There's little room for dramatic resonance in such a digest-sized version, but Chaney shines as a reformed roughneck, and the lavish production is well preserved in this excellent restoration, which has been tinted and set to an organ score by Hank Troy. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - An interesting double-feature
The main feature on this disc, 'Oliver Twist' (1922), is a pretty decent adaptation of the well-known Charles Dickens novel, though, as just about all movies based on books are wont to do, it naturally can't cover everything from the book. The sets bring Victorian England to life pretty well, particularly the settings in the orphanage and in Fagin's house. Life was no picnic for the poor in Victorian England, with no system of social welfare as yet set up, and many poor people were forced to either ... Read More
Rating: - Oliver Twist
They sure get some adorable kids to play Oliver Twist. "Despised by all and pitied by none." Hooey. In 1922 Jackie Coogan owned Hollywood, and the hearts of Americans all over the world.
Well, the Kid could act, and don't let the cover art or p.r. department fool you. This is Coogan's movie, and Lon Chaney is definitely a secondary character. This 1922 silent movie is well done, and doesn't feel much more dated than the story it tells. Lon Chaney, who must have been wearing some (probably ... Read More
Rating:  - Lon Chaney is on the cover but this is Jackie Coogan's film
It is certainly interesting to consider that this 1920 version of "Oliver Twist," the classic novel by Charles Dickens, was intended as a vehicle for Jackie Coogan. Of course, today they put Lon Chaney on the box to pique our interest, but while his Fagin is a commanding presence in the film, he does not pop up until halfway through. Coogan later told the story of how he was first introduced to Chaney in full make-up on the set and was immediately terrified. We have heard about the magic Chaney could ... Read More
Rating: - Great silent adaptation of Dickens' classic
This version of "Oliver Twist" is a scant 74 minutes long, but contains much more of the book (including a portion of the Rose Maylie sequence) and retains a highly Dickensian flavor when viewed alongside other adaptations.
If you are new to silent films, this could be a good one to whet your appetite. If you are already a fan, give this one a try. The film is primarily a vehicle for Jackie Coogan, which proves to be just fine, as he is delightful in the title role. His expressive face and ... Read More
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