Producer David O. Selznick violently accosted Sir Alec Guinness at a Hollywood party over his portrayal of Fagin.
Banned on inital release in Israel and Egypt; in Israel for being anti-Semitic, and in Egypt for making Fagin too sympathetic.
This movie's release in the U.S. was delayed until 1951 because of protests from Zionist pressure groups, who judged Sir Alec Guinness' portrayal of Fagin to be anti-Semitic.
Even though Sir Alec Guinness had worked for Sir David Lean previously on Grandes ilusiones (1946), Lean couldn't picture him in the role until Guinness convinced him to conduct a screen test. "He came on looking not far removed from what he looks like in the film", Lean remarked. "Of course I was bowled over by it and he got the part without another word."
For the scene where Bill Sikes appears in a doorway just as a tossed mug of beer lands in his direction, the trick was to keep the beer mug in focus as it sails through the air.