MovieChat Forums > Oliver Twist (2007) Discussion > Timothy Spall

Timothy Spall

posted 16 years ago by am_buglet_82
14 replies | jump to latest

Normally I groan at remakes being done to death, but "Oliver Twist" is my favorite Dickens tale.
Like another poster, I welcome different versions.
The Richard Dreyfuss one was very disappointing, and I did like Polanski's version better than that one.

I do, however, have another reason for wanting to see this...Timothy Spall.

I saw "Enchanted" over the weekend and was surprised and pleased to see Spall as Nathanial :D.
When I first saw him in Harry Potter, I didn't like him very much, because of all the rat makeup (lol).
But he impressed me in "Enchanted".

I like him!

So if I don't see "Oliver Twist" for any other reason, it'll be to see him as Fagin.
Fagin always made me smile :).

-Amanda

"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"

[–] toxina90 16 years ago

Yes he is a good actor - I love the mostly British cast.

"When I light a candle at midnight I say to the darkness I beg to differ"-Sr. Helen Prejean

[–] eveplayer12 16 years ago

he is absoluty excellent in this oliver twist and is the best in the programe by far. he is excellent in making the viewer belive he is fagan and is first class

[–] toxina90 16 years ago

i agree - i don't see why some peole saw his performance as sort of fake or not very believable.

"When I light a candle at midnight I say to the darkness I beg to differ"-Sr. Helen Prejean

[–] Dhee-Locke 16 years ago

wow, do people actually say that? i thought he did a wonderful job making fagin his own character. his performance was eccentric, yes, but definately still believable IMO. i already knew tim spall was an amazing actor, and i think this role only supports that claim ;]

full moon is on the sky and he's not a man anymore

[–] toxina90 16 years ago

i agree - but others on here didn't like it for some reason :(

"When I light a candle at midnight I say to the darkness I beg to differ"-Sr. Helen Prejean

[–] frankjackdaw 16 years ago

I think some people were confused by the accent.

The trouble with Oliver Twist is that it's so established and its characters are so iconic that a lot of people can't handle variations (yet fail to grasp the need for different adaptations to be different from one another)... they have Fagin in their mind as a thin hook-nosed man with a traditionally London Jewish accent, and I think they're thrown by the idea of him being a round-faced European Jew. But why keep making the same version over and over?

[–] toxina90 16 years ago

exactly that would be boring

"When I light a candle at midnight I say to the darkness I beg to differ"-Sr. Helen Prejean

[–] sweetdreamslolz 16 years ago

After watching the first part i wasnt sure of the accent or the way in which Timothy Spall portrayed Fagin, but having been brought up on the Musical version it was to be expected i suppose.
But after wathing the final episode i can heartely say that it was a great and probably the best, portrayal of Fagin.

[–] toxina90 16 years ago

yes i was also brought up on the musical version - i agree about his performance

"When I light a candle at midnight I say to the darkness I beg to differ"-Sr. Helen Prejean

[–] dreamer_gurl 16 years ago

I agree that Spall's is a great portrayal. Subtle and believable. Although Fagin's really a scoundrel, I actually felt quite sorry for his character towards the end. The accent sets him apart. I was a bit surprised when his character first spoke, but it really did work. I think that if he had gone for a performance similar to that of Ron Moody's, it would have seemed out of place in this modern adaptation.

[–] logovend 16 years ago

Yeah check him in 'All Or Nothing' ... the Mike Leigh film.

He's breathtakingly, achingly good!

[–] Cojo-Gobar 16 years ago

I thought Spall was a good Fagin, I never really understood why all the other actors who played Fagin just decided to imitate Alec Guinness' performance.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] greenbudgie 10 years ago

I was fascinated by Timothy Spall's Fagin. It was a good inventive alternative to the way the character is usually played. I particularly like his relationship with his Raven, Ezekiel. I believe that Dickens kept a raven in real life. It's a pity that they killed Ezekiel. The bird didn't deserve that. But Fagin didn't deserve his fate either. Great acting from Timothy Spall.