A young woman in labour makes her way to a parish workhouse and dies after giving birth to a boy, who is systematically named Oliver Twist (John Howard Davies) by the workhouse authorities. As the years go by, Oliver and t… See more

• John Howard Davies as Oliver Twist
• Alec Guinness as Fagin
• Robert Newton as Bill Sykes
• Kay Walsh as Nancy… See more

Although critically acclaimed, Alec Guinness's portrayal of Fagin and his make-up was considered antisemitic by some as it was felt to perpetuate Jewish racial stereotypes. Guinness wore heavy make-up, including … See more

The film was the fifth most popular film at the British box office in 1949. According to Kinematograph Weekly the 'biggest winner' at the box office in 1948 Britain was The Best Years of Our Lives with Spring in Park Lane bein… See more

Author Marc Napolitano noted that Lean's version of Oliver Twist had an impact on almost every subsequent adaptation of Dickens's novel. The film had two major additions that were not in the original novel. Of the open… See more