Oliver Twist 1948

In Mudfog, a young pregnant woman makes her way to a Workhouse where she gives birth to a baby boy and dies. The Beadle, Mr. Bumble Francis L. Sullivan names the boy Oliver Twist. Years later, Oliver is brought back to the workhouse, where he and the other boys endure harsh treatment at the hands of Mr. Bumble and matron Widow Corney Mary Clare. When a drawing of straws leaves Oliver with the shortest one, he is told to ask for more gruel, and his protest triggers a punishment that marks the beginning of his hunger-driven journey.

As a consequence, Bumble sends Oliver to live and work as an apprentice for undertaker Mr. Sowerberry Gibb McLaughlin. The tension peaks when Sowerberry’s older apprentice, Noah Claypole Michael Dear, insults Oliver’s late mother, prompting Oliver to lash out, attack Noah, and earn lashes from Sowerberry himself. To escape the cruelty of this arrangement, Oliver undertakes a seven-day voyage to London, where he befriends the clever and fearless Artful Dodger Anthony Newley, a young pickpocket who introduces him to the aging criminal Fagin Alec Guinness.

Fagin runs a loose network of boys who learn the craft of stealing, all while a shadowy figure named Monks Ralph Truman schemes behind the scenes. Monks is Oliver’s half-brother, and his goal is to steer Oliver toward a life of crime in order to secure an inheritance that he himself would forfeit. As part of Monks’ plan, Fagin dispatches Oliver with Dodger to practice picking pockets. When Dodger and his ally Charlie Bates pilfer a handkerchief from Mr. Brownlow Henry Stephenson, Oliver is wrongly identified as the thief and arrested.

Learning of Oliver’s arrest, Fagin and Bill Sykes Robert Newton worry that Oliver might “peach” and compromise their operation, so they send Nancy Kay Walsh to the courthouse to watch over him. Oliver is later found innocent and taken to live with Mr. Brownlow, a kind guardian who believes in Oliver’s goodness rather than his misfortunes. Meanwhile, Monks visits Bumble and Widow Corney (now Bumble’s wife) and acquires a locket that once belonged to Oliver’s mother—the key clue to Oliver’s true identity. The locket becomes the thread that could unravel Monks’ plot, should it ever be revealed to the right people.

When Mr. Brownlow asks Oliver to return some books, Sykes and Nancy bring the boy back to Fagin’s lair. Nancy, who grows conflicted about the path laid out for Oliver, regrets helping Sykes and Fagin when they mistreat Oliver. Later, at the Three Cripples pub, Nancy overhears a confrontation between Fagin and Monks and learns more about the true danger to Oliver. Sykes then takes Oliver out on a robbery, and Fagin hires Dodger to keep watch on Nancy, who quietly informs Mr. Brownlow of Monks’ conspiracy while sparing Fagin and Sykes from direct mention.

The situation comes to a head when Dodger reports back, and the group—believing Nancy to be a traitor—murder Nancy in a burst of rage. Nancy’s death sparks public outcry and scrutiny aimed at Fagin, Monks, and Sykes. Fagin is arrested, and Monks is interrogated by Brownlow, who uncovers the plan to discredit Oliver and steal his rightful inheritance. Monks finally confesses, and the police move to arrest him. Bumble and Widow Corney are dismissed from the workhouse for their complicity in Monks’ scheme. Sykes is cornered by a mob, uses Oliver as a hostage, is shot, loses his footing, and hangs himself, bringing his violent influence to a close.

Oliver, rescued from the chaos, is brought back to live with Mr. Brownlow, where he begins to find the family and belonging he has always sought, completing a journey that moves from hardship and misjudgment to safety, care, and a sense of home.