Director Roman Polanski, banned from the United States for sexual molestation allegations, may be banned from another nation for his mistreatment of yet another adolescent.
Oliver Twist, who has endured misfortunes in orphanages, back alleys and the London ghetto, now must endure misfortune again in theatres around the globe with Polanski's adaptation of the classic British novel.
Polanski, the French director of cinematic gems "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby," would be a shoo-in hall-of-famer if a Hollywood Hall of Fame existed. With "The Pianist," Polanski clinched his place in history as one of the best directors of the second half of the century.
Unfortunately, his most recent endeavor with "Oliver Twist" is a complete failure. While it's one thing to flee a country in order to escape a jail sentence, it's another to tarnish a nation's precious novel with a terrible film adaptation.
Say it ain't so, Roman.
The young actor playing Oliver, Barney Clark, appears as if the casting staff pulled him off the streets, not because of his tattered clothes, but because of his inability to act. The lead in an elementary school pageant could have shown more emotion and credibility.
Even Ben Kingsley's ("Gandhi") performance as Fagin-the patriarch of the young hooligans-is unable to save the day with one of his characteristically stellar performances.
Dickens intended Fagin's treacherous yet generous personality to undergo psychological conflict in regards to the fate of Oliver. Kingsley fails to accomplish this dual persona, and his role is merely that of a toothless old grump, with a hollow, unruffled temperament.
The movie appears to follow the book too closely as undeveloped and uninteresting characters appear, but do not appear long enough to be of any significance. They are mere cameos from the novel, which ultimately slow down the movie. Polanski seems unwilling to shape the novel for the screen or add any visionary elements that have encouraged other directors to take on classic stories.
Usually when a director gets his paws on an adaptation of a famous novel, he or she can spice the movie with their own personal zest, making it work on the big screen. Exemplary flicks like Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility," Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon" and Jackson's "Lord of the Ring" trilogy have met success because of the directors' imagination.
Even Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" deserves praise for giving the old play a new face.
Polanski has successfully adapted English books and novels like Shakespeare's "Macbeth" and Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles," creating cinematic masterpieces stamped with that darkly genuine Polanski trademark.
However, Polanski's effort to adapt "Oliver Twist" is one stinking with futility. The 1948 "Oliver Twist" is regarded as a timeless classic and the 1968 musical "Oliver!" similarly garnered acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
Polanski brings nothing new to the table. The story is dry, dull, slow and impotent in arousing any sentiment for the young lad. By the end of the film moviegoers will not be concerned if Oliver climbs out of the depths of the London ghetto or if he spends the rest of his days on the back of a milk carton.
The film is not suitable for young audiences with content violent enough to cause shrieks of terror and a week's worth of nightmares. Nor is this movie for any intelligent being that can decipher what is good from what is absolute crap.
It appears Polanski, like an over-aged athlete unwilling to retire, is cinematically worn out. There comes a time in an artist's life when pools of imagination and talent dry up. The time to has come to hang up the gloves.
Hopefully, Polanski will do so before he continues to tarnish his reputation as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
