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Oliver Twist (1948) |
Charles Dickens' orphan encounters 18th century British guineas and shillings
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The 1948 film "Oliver Twist" is based on Charles Dickens' 1838 novel of the same title.
The film is set in the early 19th century at a British orphanage and then the city of London.
Oliver Twist is an orphan who, after escaping from an apprenticeship, arrives in London and is recruited
by a gang of young pickpockets headed by a middle-aged criminal named Fagin.
Several British coins are shown, including late 18th century gold guineas and a silver shilling.
Also, Mr. Brownlow, a wealthy man, appears to be a coin collector.
1. Title
A young unmarried pregnant woman appears at a country workhouse, gives birth to a boy, and then dies.
The woman is wearing an expensive necklace which an employee steals.
Oliver Twist cried lustily. If he had known that he was to grow up under the tender mercies
of the Beadle and the Matron, he would have cried even louder.
The boy is given the name "Oliver Twist" by the manager Mr. Bumble, and is raised there.
At the age of nine, he is apprenticed to a coffin maker, but gets into a fight with another employee,
and escapes to London.
A local thief, the Artful Dodger, spots Oliver and takes him to a gang of young thieves and pickpockets.
Dodger takes Oliver to the gang headquarters in an old building and introduces him to Fagin,
a middle-aged criminal "fence" and leader of the group.
2. Oliver meets Fagin
Fagan teaches Twist how to steal wallets and hankerchiefs (valuable items then), and sends him
out with Dodger and another boy. Their target is a Mr. Brownlow, but they are spotted with the
two older boys escaping and Oliver arrested. At the police station Brownlow tells the police that
Oliver is innocent and takes him home.
A man named Monks approaches Fagan and pays him for information on the woman and the necklace.
3. Monks pays Fagin
Meanwhile Oliver is resting at the Brownlow house.
4. Oliver at Brownlow's house
Mr. Brownlow and his friend Mr. Grimwig are looking at him, and Grimwig later claims that
Oliver can not be trusted and will soon run away. Brownlow is more optimistic about the boy.
Fagin introduces Monks to Mr. Bumble, the orphanage manager.
5. Mr. Bumble talks to Monks
Monks shows Bumble the money on the table in the form of British gold guineas.
6. Guineas on the table
The coins are imitations of George III gold spade guineas, minted from 1787 to 1799.
The name "spade" comes from the spade-shaped shield on the coin's reverse.
The prop coins appear to be fairly good imitations or more likely, real British brass tokens
manufactured in Victorian times whose designs imitated spade guineas but with alternate inscriptions.
A British King George III spade guinea coin:
7. Great Britain George III gold spade guinea 1794
Gold, 25 mm, 8.37 gm
A British King George III spade guinea token:
8. Britain George III Spade Guinea Token
Brass, 25mm, 3.17gm, Manufactured by Rollason and Wood, Tenby Street, Birmingham
Back to the film:
Mr. Brownlow decides that Oliver can be trusted.
9. Mr. Brownlow gives Oliver an assignment
Mr. Brownlow's desk has a tray with some coins on it and a box with some coins in holders
showing, indicating that he is, among other things, a coin collector.
Brownlow asks Oliver to take some books and a five pound note to a book store.
On the way to the store, Oliver is captured by Bill Sykes and Nancy, two adult members of
Fagin's gang. Sykes is a violent burglar and Nancy is his girlfriend. They take Oliver to Fagin's
headquarters.
Fagin spots a reward poster for Oliver.
10. Five guineas reward
The poster reads:
FIVE GUINEAS REWARD
Whereas a young boy named Oliver TWIST Absconded, or was enticed, from his home at
Pentonville; and has not since been heard of:- The above reward will be paid to any person
who will give such information as will lead to the discovery of said Oliver Twist
ROBERT BROWNLOW No. 6. Pentonville Hill, Clerkenwell.
Fagin isn't interested in the reward but is worried that Oliver will inform on the gang's activities.
11. Fagin gives Dodger a shilling
Fagin pays Dodger to follow Nancy.
12. Dodger's shilling
The shilling appears to be a one-year King George III type minted in 1787.
Dodger reports that Nancy talked to Mr. Brownlow, Fagin tells Sykes that she is disloyal,
and the violent Sykes strangles her.
13. Bill Sykes sees what he has done
He then has hallucinations and goes off to see Fagin.
Nancy's body is discovered and Brownlow points the police to Sykes and Fagin.
Sykes' dog leads the mob to Sykes and then Fagin.
14. The mob chases the crooks
The police break into Fagin's headquarters and find him.
15. Fagin busted
Sykes grabs Oliver and takes him to the top of a building.
16. Sykes ready for his fall
A police sharpshooter wounds Sykes, who falls from the building.
Monks is later arrested for fraud.
Brownlow informs Oliver that his daughter was Oliver's mother and thus Oliver is his grandson.
Brownlow and his housekeeper watch Oliver enter his house.
17. Oliver rewarded
Cast, Directors, Writers:
John Howard Davies as Oliver Twist
Alec Guinness as Fagin
Robert Newton as Bill Sykes
Kay Walsh as Nancy
Anthony Newley as Artful Dodger
Ralph Truman as Monks
Director: David Lean
Writers: David Lean, Stanley Haynes, Charles Dickens (novel)
Alec Guinness as Fagin
Robert Newton as Bill Sykes
Kay Walsh as Nancy
Anthony Newley as Artful Dodger
Ralph Truman as Monks
Writers: David Lean, Stanley Haynes, Charles Dickens (novel)
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