Every year at this time I try and watch as many versions of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol as I can. This story has been adapted for film and television at least a few dozen times, but I believe there are eight that have generally stayed in the public consciousness. Here are my evaluations.
1935(Seymour Hicks) - Good performance by Hicks. His transformation is perhaps a little to quick although ironically it probably mirrors Dickens most closely. Very truncated version. No Scrooge as a boy and no Fezziwig. Also the ghosts of Christmases Past and Future are not shown as real figures, but as a shining light and a pointing finger only.
1938(Reginald Owen)- The worst of the lot. Typical 30's Hollywood. Much of the story is gutted to focus on hokey scenes of romance and silliness. The music is too light and Owen's performance reminds me of the flying monkey's in Wizard of Oz. Ann Rutherford as the GOCPast is quite the babe though.
1951(Alistair Sim)- Generally considered the best version and I agree. Sim goes through the greatest transformation from beginning to end and takes the right amount of time. He is bitter and spiteful in the beginning. By the end he is grateful for this new world that has opened up to him, but forlorn at the realization of what he missed out on in life. Dark in the right places, amusing and light in the right places.
1962(Mr. Magoo)- Still haven't seen this one.
1970(Albert Finney) - An odd movie. A musical version that I didn't like when I first began watching it, but it kind of grew on me. Finney's Scrooge is a little strange. He almost plays him in an inhuman way. And I didn't quite care for the controversial scene with Marley in hell. But the songs are kind of catchy and Finney's quirkiness grows more amusing and intriguing as the film goes on.
1984(George C. Scott)- My second favorite one although I didn't like it as much this time around. Ironically the reason why I originally liked it did not appeal to me so much this time. Scott plays a very cynical Scrooge. His transformation. He is surely and curmudgeonly almost throughout the film. No one can growl like Scott and he brings a huge gravitas to the rile. But it also felt like the message of the spirits weren't having that much of an impact on him right up to the time of his conversion. A very elaborate piece thought that touches on all the important elements and truly feels like a complete story.
1992(Michael Caine) - Saw this for the first time this year. What can I say, it's the Muppets. Like ACC itself the Muppets have a kind of timeless appeal that can be enjoyed on many levels. The humor and drama are mixed well. It is very difficult to pull off a scene where Scrooge threatens to fire everyone, then we cut to calypso singing rat puppets, but it works. Caine is excellent playing a straight Scrooge. Gonzo the Great and Rizzo the Rat should narrate all films.
1999(Patrick Stewart) - I have not watched this version yet this year. It will be interesting to see again because ironically I did not care for this version as much for precisely the opposite reason as Scott's version. Stewart's Scrooge is too sympathetic too early on. He regrets his life and his actions almost from the get go. Probably visually the best looking of all the films though with striking use of black and white as colors.
1935(Seymour Hicks) - Good performance by Hicks. His transformation is perhaps a little to quick although ironically it probably mirrors Dickens most closely. Very truncated version. No Scrooge as a boy and no Fezziwig. Also the ghosts of Christmases Past and Future are not shown as real figures, but as a shining light and a pointing finger only.
1938(Reginald Owen)- The worst of the lot. Typical 30's Hollywood. Much of the story is gutted to focus on hokey scenes of romance and silliness. The music is too light and Owen's performance reminds me of the flying monkey's in Wizard of Oz. Ann Rutherford as the GOCPast is quite the babe though.
1951(Alistair Sim)- Generally considered the best version and I agree. Sim goes through the greatest transformation from beginning to end and takes the right amount of time. He is bitter and spiteful in the beginning. By the end he is grateful for this new world that has opened up to him, but forlorn at the realization of what he missed out on in life. Dark in the right places, amusing and light in the right places.
1962(Mr. Magoo)- Still haven't seen this one.
1970(Albert Finney) - An odd movie. A musical version that I didn't like when I first began watching it, but it kind of grew on me. Finney's Scrooge is a little strange. He almost plays him in an inhuman way. And I didn't quite care for the controversial scene with Marley in hell. But the songs are kind of catchy and Finney's quirkiness grows more amusing and intriguing as the film goes on.
1984(George C. Scott)- My second favorite one although I didn't like it as much this time around. Ironically the reason why I originally liked it did not appeal to me so much this time. Scott plays a very cynical Scrooge. His transformation. He is surely and curmudgeonly almost throughout the film. No one can growl like Scott and he brings a huge gravitas to the rile. But it also felt like the message of the spirits weren't having that much of an impact on him right up to the time of his conversion. A very elaborate piece thought that touches on all the important elements and truly feels like a complete story.
1992(Michael Caine) - Saw this for the first time this year. What can I say, it's the Muppets. Like ACC itself the Muppets have a kind of timeless appeal that can be enjoyed on many levels. The humor and drama are mixed well. It is very difficult to pull off a scene where Scrooge threatens to fire everyone, then we cut to calypso singing rat puppets, but it works. Caine is excellent playing a straight Scrooge. Gonzo the Great and Rizzo the Rat should narrate all films.
1999(Patrick Stewart) - I have not watched this version yet this year. It will be interesting to see again because ironically I did not care for this version as much for precisely the opposite reason as Scott's version. Stewart's Scrooge is too sympathetic too early on. He regrets his life and his actions almost from the get go. Probably visually the best looking of all the films though with striking use of black and white as colors.
