Oliver!: Carol Reed

I'm not sure if Carol Reed's Oliver! will ever get the fair shake it deserves from the critical establishment because it beat out Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) for Best Picture. And yes, that's complete nonsense. But if you go into Oliver! with an open mind, you will find a delightful (if somewhat bloated) musical. I need to use this film in the future as a litmus test to see if I am medically capable of still feeling joy. The film departs from the stark drama of David Lean's 1948 adaptation for something more akin to Mary Poppins (1964) of all things: this is a grinning London where even the chimney sweeps sing, dance, and smile with impossible white teeth. But the best part of the film is the opening of the second act entitled "Who Will Buy?" It has nothing to do with the story, but it's one of the film's best songs and helps re-energize the proceedings after the intermission. One of the main reasons why it's so brilliant is that it temporarily smashes the illusion of storybook cheerfulness to reveal that the lower classes are beaten down and weary; their cheerful demeanor is a facade that helps protect themselves from the vagaries and cruelties of the world.

7/10