2/14/2009

in

Except with a game show.

Christine Le

You read that correctly. The 10 Oscar-nominated film is basically a modern version of the classic Charles Dickens's novel, reported San Jose Mercury News.  
  
According to Imdb.com, the movie tells of a teen from Mumbai, India, who competes on India's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" To everyone's surprise, he correctly answers the tough questions.  
  
Suspicious that he may be cheating, the police arrest him. The teen, Jamal, tells his life story in order to prove how he knows the answers. This is where we see the similarity to "Oliver Twist."  
  
Jamal tells his story of growing up in the slum, which led him and his brother to encounter street gangs, among their other adventures. Similarly, Oliver Twist runs away from the orphanage after being chastised for requesting more gruel. On the streets of London he meets a thief known as the Artful Dodger, who introduces him to Fagin, a child thief pimp.  
  
According to NY Daily News, Fagin makes Twist a thief in exchange for housing and feeding him. Eventually, Twist is kidnapped, sold, and even lashed. This depiction of child abuse parallels to that in "Slumdog Millionaire."  
  
A more contemporary version of "Oliver Twist" will air Sunday, Feb. 15 on PBS as part of the Masterpiece Classic series. You can see it at 9 p.m., Pacific time. Timothy Spall, the man who played Peter Pettigrew in the third "Harry Potter" film takes on the role of the flamboyant villain Fagin, according to The Chicago Tribune. The movie's modern feeling is due to the emphasis on the underworld and Twist as a bold, tougher orphan, reported San Jose Mercury News.As for *Slumdog Millionaire*, see how many of the ten Oscar nominations it will snatch. The Oscars will air on Feb. 22 on ABC at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, 8 p.m. Eastern.