Classic British Cinema: 1968
As far as British entertainment goes, I’ve always been much more of a telly watcher than a film buff. My Twitter handle is @brittellyaddict after all. But recently while stuck at home on medical leave, I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to increase my knowledge of classic British cinema. Perusing a couple of Best British Films lists, I noticed many familiar titles that I had never watched. Indeed, there some which I’d never heard of period. Ready to set off on this new project, I figured if I’m going to watch these movies, I might as well take you all along with me. So here we go, starting with three very different films that were released in the UK fifty years ago.
Oliver! – Directed by Carol Reed
Oliver! is certainly the most famous in this trio of films I’m highlighting. Based on the classic Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, the adventures of the eponymous orphan boy were brought to the silver screen in 1948 before being turned into a successful West End musical by Lionel Bart in 1960. The screen adaptation of the musical arrived in cinemas eight years later to great acclaim, as well as eleven Oscar nominations and five statuettes including the one for Best Picture of 1968. Oliver! also found its way onto the British Film Institute’s list of greatest British films of the 20th century and was ranked as Time Out magazine’s 69th best British film ever.
