A Christmas Carol
by David Hugh Jones
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ian McNeice, Joel Grey, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Saskia ReevesDirector: David Hugh Jones
Brand: TURNER HM ENTERTAINM
Producer: Patrick Stewart
Producer: Chris Thompson
Producer: Dyson Lovell
Producer: Peter Barnes
Writer: Peter Barnes
Producer: Robert Halmi Sr.
Writer: Charles Dickens
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Unknown; English (Original Language), Unknown
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-11-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Turner Home Ent
Product features:
- Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek: The Next Generation) stars as Scrooge, the mean-spirited miser who gets his terrifying comeuppance when he imagines he's visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, and taken on a life-altering journey. Spellbinding special effects, a star-studded cast and a timeless holiday story make this brilliant presentation of Dickens'ic the most heartwarmi
Movie Reviews of A Christmas Carol
Movie Review: Without a doubt Closest to the original Dickens Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
It has been estimated that there have been over 1,000 versions (since the first 1910 silent one) of this timeless classic, and I know that a lot of people credit the Alistair Sim version as being most faithful to the original text--while factually it is far-and-away among the LEAST faithful to the Dickens' tale.
I don't say that to disparage Sim's version as I find it a thoroughly enjoyable and well done classic. That said, however, its divergence from the original text begins with the title "Scrooge" instead of the actual name "A Christmas Carol". It changes Belle's name to Alice, it has her ending up as a lonely spinster working in some poorhouse for sick elderly instead of happily married and mother to the children Scrooge might have called his own; Fan is anything but "little" and the abandoned boy at school is hardly a "boy"... the list of other deviations goes on and on for this alleged "truest to the original" version; but that is NOT what this critique is about--it's about Stewart's version; yet I felt it necessary to mention that to make my point.
I am a Dickens purist, and while I enjoy ALL of the versions of this classic (and the Sim, and Reginald Owen and George Scott versions are among my favorite --as is the Mr. Magoo version among the many animated ones), THIS one (with Patrick Stewart is far and away the very BEST if you want to see it as close to the way Dickens wrote it as possible.
That said, it DOES have its senseless deviations. For one inexplicable thing the producers saw fit to change the name of his sister Fan, to "Fran" (I really think that is the silliest thing they did and by far the most egregious infidelity with no justification beyond using a more common name). At least she IS a little girl... and Scrooge a little boy at the time. The book DOES begin with a brief snippet from Marley's funeral but only to get in the lines about Marley being "dead as a doornail" followed by a reference to it's not being the "deadest bit of ironmongery" (directly from the text)... then quickly changes to the scene in Scrooge's counting house, with Cratchit busily at work in his little tank while the mercenary Scrooge watches greedily.
From this point on the movie follows the actual story with remarkable accuracy. It even shows the ghost of Christmas Present as a MALE!!! as opposed to the Politically Correct penchant of so many producers to make one of the Spirits a female (despite the FACT that the Ghost of Christmas Present refers to his 1800 plus BROTHERS). Joel Grey is perfect as the diminutive Spirit who looks both old and young at the same time. The Spirit of Christmas Present also is great, and takes Scrooge to all those places, (the lighthouse, the ship at sea, down in the "bowels" of the Earth, to the almshouses and prisons), and later we actually see him AGE... something NO other version I've seen depicts. After his frightful trek with the Ghost of Christmas yet to Come (NOT the Ghost of Christmas Future--never mentioned in the book)... he more accurately reacts... we see him go to church (not shown in any other)... and his pacing in front of the nephew's house before dashing for the door. Little things like this make it just perfect among ALL versions. -- OH! And Cratchit actually DOES live in a hovel... truly a poor residence, and is skinny and looks the Cratchit we envision while reading the tale. And again unlike all other versions, depicts Bob going upstairs to say one last farewell to Tiny Tim who is obviously waked in his bed after his demise--another thing NO other version I know of shows.
Okay... I'm not going to go on any further and doubt many will have read this far; but I was only too happy to critique this version simply because I'm always excited when I see a movie that, unlike most, is truly faithful to the actual text. Beyond the irksome moniker of "Fran" and a few changing of words to a more modern lexicon hither and yon... this made for TV movie is without peer as a screen adaptation of the most filmed and most timeless Christmas Classic ever put to pen--or on screen. No doubt -- Five stars and a big thumbs UP! Loved it!
Summary of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol ? TNT Original Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek: The Next Generation) stars as Scrooge, the mean-spirited miser who gets his terrifying comeuppance when he imagines he?s visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, and taken on a life-altering journey. Spellbinding special effects, a star-studded cast and a timeless holiday story make this brilliant presentation of Dickens? classic the most heartwarming, compelling and powerful adaptation ever filmed.Year: 1999Director: David JonesStarring: Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Joel GreyStanding out in the crowded field of screen adaptations of the classic Dickens novel A Christmas Carol is hard to do, but this version pulls it off. When a transparent Jacob Marley walks through Ebenezer Scrooge's apartment door, you know you're seeing something both timeless and contemporary. Other strategically placed special effects--a funnel cloud that transports Scrooge and the ghost of Christmas present, the hollow specter of Christmas future--keep you riveted without slipping into anachronism.
But, as good as the technology is, the performances are what really power this 93-minute TNT interpretation. Patrick Stewart brings a depth to Scrooge that allows the character to go beyond the cartoonish qualities that have made him a Christmas mainstay. That doesn't mean he's any less heartless with his hapless employee Bob Cratchit (Richard E. Grant) or any less dismissive of his well-meaning nephew. A frail-looking Joel Grey makes an excellent ghost of Christmas past, and a superb British cast ably fill the remaining roles.
Director David Jones, shooting on location in England and at London's Ealing Studios, has achieved a balance of science and sentiment that will help this version hold up for many years to come. --Kimberly Heinrichs
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