Oliver! (1968)

Directed by Carol Reed

Starring Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed, Jack Wild, Harry Secombe, Hugh Griffith, Joseph O'Conor, Peggy Mount, Leonard Rossiter, Hylda Baker, and Kenneth Cranham

The last musical to take the Academy Awards' top prize until 2002, Oliver! did not deserve the award it won. The honor should have gone to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was not even nominated. However, Oliver! is a fine entry into the film musical library in a decade where Broadway musicals were being adapted to the screen seemingly weekly. The music is fun and light, and the movie is well cast. Particularly fun are Ron Moody as the nefarious Fagin and Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger. Both were nominated for Oscars for their roles, but neither took home their prizes. It's not the best picture of 1968, but it sure is a heck of a lot of fun.

Other nominees: Funny Girl (William Wyler), The Lion in Winter (Anthony Harvey), Rachel, Rachel (Paul Newman), and Romeo and Juliet (Franco Zeffirelli)