Continuity mistake: In the early-morning scene at Mr. Brownlow's house, Oliver is shown sleeping in his bed. He awakens and his hair is in complete disarray as he walks towards the open balcony doors. Standing on the balcony and gazing outside, however, his hair is combed neatly.
Oliver (1968)
Directed by: Carol Reed
Starring: Oliver Reed, Ron Moody, Harry Secombe, Mark Lester, Shani Wallis
Continuity mistake: When Nancy is singing "As Long As He Needs Me" her dress continually changes between shots from being over her shoulder to half way down her arm.
Other mistake: When Oliver is meeting Fagin and his boys, he says, "Is this a laundry then, sir?" You can see Jack Wild (Dodger) mouthing that line on the left side of the screen.
Trivia: The director, Carol Reed, is actually Oliver Reed's (portrays Bill Sikes) uncle.
Trivia: Mark Lester, who had the lead role as Oliver, was tone deaf and could not sing, so he was dubbed by the music supervisor's daughter.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: This isn't correct unfortunately. It was actually the voice of child singer Roger Bowman. For further details go to https://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question42755.html.
Boy: These sausages are mouldy.
Fagin: Shut up and drink your gin.
Fagin: Careful Bill, please, no violence.
Bill Sikes: You're a fine one for the boy to make a friend of.
Nancy: Yes, I am, Lord help me! But tonight he's a liar, and a thief, and all that's bad! Ain't that enough for you without beating him to death?
Question: Why was this movie rated G? It does contain some violence and a murder scene and some content that's inappropriate for children.
Chosen answer: You are correct that "Oliver" does have some material that might be intense for young children - including a murder, some minor violence, issues of adoption, child abuse, kidnapping, and even some sexual content (but only by innuendo). Drinking alcohol is also involved, and some of the characters with whom we are meant to sympathize are, in fact, thieves. But intense content does not necessarily preclude a movie from obtaining a "G" rating. There have been several G-rated movies which have content, including killing, that could be frightening for children, including "Bambi," "The Lion King," "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," and "The Wizard of Oz," to name a few. In "Oliver," most of the violence is alluded to, and the murder of Nancy is committed out of sight (only Sykes' hand is visible, and Nancy's screams are heard), though it is frightening and realistic. Violence can be permitted in G-rated films, as long as it is "minimal." Sexual innuendo is permitted, in small doses, as long as lewd acts aren't shown. Intense content is also permitted. Drug use is not permitted, but I suppose the tavern scenes are cartoonish enough as to not warrant a more harsh rating. The bottom line is that ratings are determined by the MPAA - Motion Picture Association of America, and that association is given wide latitude and discretion. Apparently, the "mature" content of "Oliver!" was not viewed as rising to a level which the MPAA felt would warrant a more stringent rating.
Question: When Oliver takes the handkerchief from Fagin's pocket, did he really not notice that Oliver took it or did he realise that he did and pretended not to know? If it was the latter, why?
Question: Fagin and the gang want Oliver back out of fear that he might tell about them. But there are some things I don't understand. 1. How long Oliver had been with Brownlow is unknown (Bill says it had been three days since he saw him during the "Who Will Buy" song), but since no police had arrived at the hideout during that time, surely they'd think Oliver hadn't said anything by now. 2. And even if they did think the above, why would they still think Oliver might say something later on? (01:34:50 - 01:37:00)
Chosen answer: They're probably concerned because he's a child. He might unintentionally say something without meaning to, or after some time has passed and more is learned about Oliver's past life at Fagin's hideout, it's conceivable he might be questioned more intensely. A child would likely give more information under pressure.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.