A Christmas Carol the book by Charles Dickens was first published in 1843. Film versions of the tale, mostly entitled Scrooge or A Christmas Carol have been around practically as long as there have been movies. The earliest version I know of is entitled Marley's Ghost (aka Scrooge), a silent movie from 1901. The most recent is Christmas Carol: the Movie, an animated tale from 2001. Counting non-traditional versions like Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol, or Bill Murray's retelling, Scrooged, and including movies with unusual casting such as The Muppet Christmas Carol, there have been about 70 English Language versions, and uncountable (at least for me) versions in other languages. With the advent of the made-for-TV market, the number of remakes exploded, with three versions made in 1997, and four in 2000. But, long before TV movies became common, new versions occurred almost annually. There were 8 versions made, for example, from 1947 to 1954. It is one of these versions, the Alastair Sim version from 1951 that has become the definitive version for many people, and it is of that version that I write today.

Now, as I am sure regular readers know, I normally provide little or no content of a movie beyond the first five minutes. However, for a story of which virtually every person in the English speaking world has seen at least one version, that restraint seems rather pointless. While I still have no intention of providing a detailed plot synopsis, I will discuss a bit more of the story arc than usual. If you are the one person in each million that does not already know this tale, you might regard this as spoilers.

Dickens, who was well known in his time as a social reformer and champion of the common man, addressed the pressing social needs of his times in virtually every work. However, it was in The Christmas Carol, one of his shortest novels, that he struck the most fateful chord, and it is this tale of need and greed set against a traditional British Christmas celebration, that has become his best known and most popular story. Though the entire tale is set in a single day, from Christmas Eve afternoon to the afternoon of the following day, the story tells by means of flashbacks, the biography of one man, Ebenezer Scrooge.

The tale begins with a series of short vignettes that illustrate what a mean, shallow, spiteful, lonely man Scrooge has become. It is not until he finds himself at home alone that the tale proper begins. Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Jacob Marley, his best, indeed his only friend, on the seventh anniversary of Marley's death. Marley, rightfully fearing for his friend's immortal soul, has arranged for Scrooge to be visited by three spirits. Naturally, being Christmas Eve, one might think that whisky, brandy and rum would be appropriate since they always work for me, but unfortunately for Scrooge, Marley does not mean those sorts of spirits.

The first visitor is the Ghost of Christmas Past, who, by means of flashbacks, shows Scrooge the pivotal moments of his past, and we see how a few simple decisions led to the cold hearted miser he has become. According to the storyline, each spirit spends but an hour with Scrooge, but his time with this spirit is the longest part of the story.   

The second visitor, the Ghost of Christmas Present, shows Scrooge the world that is happening all around him, a world that he has shut out and ignored. He becomes aware of the suffering of the poor, and learns how his own actions have caused so much misery for others.

However, it is the third visitor, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come that scares Scrooge (and everyone else) the most. He shows the old skinflint what is going to happen if he does not change his ways.

The conclusion of the story concerns Scrooge's awakening on Christmas morn, and shows how the ghostly visitors have changed him, by following him through the first part of Christmas day. And God bless us, every one.

Writers always talk about story arc, and how much a character is changed during a story, as a means of measuring its impact on others. The story of Scrooge is one of the most powerful of all tales, since its lead character changes from a lonely but decent boy to one of the most heartless and bitter men in London and then back to being a good soul and philanthropist during the course of this short tale.

The 1951 version of Scrooge (as it was originally titled) was first made in black and white, and that very much suits this story of ghosts and haunting. However, it is widely available now in a colorized version, which is quite acceptable, and does not detract too badly from the tale. Some DVDs contain the story both ways.

The screenwriter, Noel Langley, made an excellent job of adapting Dickens novel to a movie. He kept virtually every single important scene from the book. In addition they added several key scenes that, although they were not in the novel, serve admirable to illustrate and advance the story. In fact, the absence of one of these scenes (Fan's deathbed) ruins virtually every other version for me. It was not until I reread the story as an adult, that I realized that it was not part of Dickens original vision.

The director, Brian Desmond-Hurst, puts the whole tale together with a gentle hand, allowing the story to flow naturally rather then forcing it.

Now, while virtually every actor in this version of the tale puts in an excellent performance, two are worthy of special mention. Michael Hordern as the elder Jacob Marley and, of course, as Marley's Ghost absolutely owns that role. His performance as the ghost is a perfect blend of pathos and OTT dramatics.

The other outstanding performance is, of course, Alastair Sim himself, who is in almost every scene. For many, he will always be the definitive Scrooge. His smug meanness at the movies start, his terror at the nightly visitations, his slow transformation into miser-hood, and his reluctant faltering steps back to true humanity when he is forced to re-evaluate his life, are all fully present and clearly presented in a seamless virtuoso performance. Even his joy and rehabilitation are realistically portrayed and sold. This is Sim at his finest hour, and it shows.

In our household, no Christmas would be complete without watching this version of the tale. We may well watch other versions too, but if we see only one, this is the one we watch. I give five fabulous stars for a highly-recommended, 60-year-old retelling, of a 150-year-old tale about a sad soul that lost his way, and how the joy of Christmas aided in his redemption.


Now others may tell you that the 1984 Twentieth Century Fox version of A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott is the definitive one, but I do not agree. For me, the 1984 version, although very good, falls short in three areas. First, it fails to establish Scrooge as being the complete bounder that he really is at the beginning. Secondly, Scrooge's transformation is much too gradual, his persona showing hardly any remorse, until confronted with the final hellish consequences. This makes it all seem like he is simply scared into being good, as opposed to a true change of heart. Third, his Christmas morning response is far, far too OTT to be appropriate. Instead of celebrating Christmas, he simply tries to buy everyone's favor, further confirming that his actions are out of fear not remorse. The ending is virtually an anthem for the Me generation, and conspicuous consumerism. This version, in my opinion, totally misses the point.

None of my reservations are Scott's fault as an actor, I think, but more a product of the screenplay and direction. Nevertheless, this is still a good version and a good portrayal, and perhaps personal preference depends on which version you saw first. I saw the 1951 version almost thirty years before the 1984 version was made, so the die was already cast for me.

Since we are discussing other versions, I should also mention Scrooge (1970), a musical version starring Albert Finney. While it has some memorable moments, the storytelling is trimmed to make room for a number of long song and dance routines. However, the songs are appropriate, and very memorable. This version is also a welcome visitor to my home almost every year.

So today, as I sit over a hot computer in the sweltering heat of a NJ July afternoon, I hope the thought of Christmas has made everyone (at least all those in the northern hemisphere) feel a little bit cooler. This review was written as part of John's (Bruguru) Third Annual Christmas in July Write-Off!



Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8