Most college-aged students today were probably first introduced to the story of “Oliver Twist” not in the form of Charles Dickens, but rather a Disney movie called “Oliver and Company.” The Disney film uses cute animals as characters who steal in order to survive, but end up living happily ever after.

Disney, however, forgot to mention the domestic abuse, extreme poverty and filthy living conditions present in Dickens’ original story. Dickens’ tale isn’t nearly as rosy, nor does everyone achieve a fairy tale ending. In fact, compared to most of his other stories, in which a majority of the characters find happiness or at least accomplish something noble, “Oliver Twist” is a tragedy.

The movie follows the title character, an orphan played by young Barney Clark, as he escapes the workhouse and apprentice life to make his own way in the streets of London.

Twist is taken in by a band of boys, including the Artful Dodger, who work as pickpockets for the seedy but kind-hearted Fagin, played by Ben Kingsley. As good to the boys as he is, however, Fagin is in cahoots with the beastly Bill Sykes, a criminal who behaves as fiercely as his pet bulldog.

When Twist is accused of pickpocketing, he is taken to trial, but is ultimately spared punishment by the victim, Mr. Brownlow. Instead, Brownlow becomes Twist’s mentor and trains him to become a gentleman. Sykes, however, believes Twist knows too much about their crimes to be left to wander free, so he kidnaps him and returns him to Fagin.

As unkind as his circumstances are, Twist does meet some good characters. Nancy, the “hooker with a heart of gold,” befriends him. Fagin himself, although lacking respectable motivations, is the first person to treat him kindly. This kindness is something Twist never forgets, even as Fagin is about to be executed.

Director Roman Polanski focuses on this pain of character as Twist struggles to understand how he could have fallen into such situations at his young age. He is unsure of his past and his future, and considering the people he meets, it’s no wonder. Polanski adeptly shows how good people are not always good, but that they are also not as bad as they could be.

At times, the film does come down heavy-handed on the violence and tragedy, stripping away all comfort. Polanski doesn’t make the violence explicit, though. Instead, he leaves it to the audience’s imagination, which is always more gruesome than what can be shown. He gives an honest portrait of that time period, depicting the extreme differences between the rich and the poor who lived in disease, filth and crime.

His use of visuals makes the scenes seem like book illustrations, picturesque but not picture-perfect.

Coupled with daring performances by the actors and actresses, “Oliver Twist” reaches the audience – even fans of the book – on an emotional level that transcends its literary roots.