A Christmas Carol
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Movie Reviews of A Christmas Carol
Movie Review: A Masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have seen about every version of this Charles Dickens classic and this one is without a doubt the best (although Scrooge from 1970 comes close). Despite the fact that this was made for TV in 1984 it is extremely well done. Then again, made-for-TV movies in the late 70s and early 80s often had excellent casts and good production. Apparently this version was filmed completely in Shrewsbury, England. Great care was taken to make each scene look authentic. Even though George C. Scott does not have much of an English accent he is quickly forgiven for his brilliant performance. This Christmas Carol is darker and more serious than other interpretations and George C. Scott's scrooge is very cruel and truly on his way to eternal damnation. Every person in this film is a real character with dialogue and not just some warm body on the set. The scenes at Tiny Tim's home with the family are especially moving to me. The ghost of Christmas-present uses Scrooge's own words against him quite trenchantly. I have watched this gem a couple times every year for the last two decades. It gives us all hope that people can change at any age in life and help make the world a better place. God bless us everyone and Merry Christmas to all!Movie Review: Truly the Best Christmas Carol!
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife could never bear to watch the entire Christmas Carol movie with Alistair Sim, and never really cared much for the story anyway, until she saw this version and was mesmerized by it! It's not hard to see why. There are the fantastic production values, the music, the costumes, and the setting that bring Victorian London to life in all its splendour and squalor. The editing is tight, so the movie flows well and would not be tedious even for younger children. There are terrific performances by the supporting cast, particularly Roger Rees, Edward Woodward, and David Warner. But most of all, there is George C. Scott. I have never found Sim's conversion from mean to manic convincing. Fun to watch, maybe, but certainly not realistic. But Scott's performance is masterful: powerful, moving, and authentic. His Scrooge is not an inexplicably nasty ogre who needs the bejeezus scared out of him to force a hysterical conversion. Rather, Scott portrays him as a sympathetic and tragic figure of intelligence and feeling, who had much potential for good but was damaged by ambition, disappointment, and loneliness. Wonderfully touching, and so real it may remind you of someone you know!Movie Review: The finest version
Summary: 5 Stars
Director Clive Donner and his talented crew transform the fairy tale village of Shrewsbury into 1800's Dickensian London. The late, great George C. Scott (in his Emmy-nominated performance) vibrantly brings to life the subtext and nuances of Ebeneezer Scrooge that other actors - fine as they are - neglected. The supporting cast is superb across the board; Frank Finlay's Jacob Marley is one of the screen's scariest (and more intelligent) ghosts. The fine (and consistently underrated) David Warner is a sympathetic (and at times heartbreaking) Bob Cratchit without being overly sentimental. Brilliant Edward Woodward offers the finest of all Ghost of Christmas Presents committed to film. The towering Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is truly frightening on all counts (children be warned!). The production design, jublient score, costumes and cinematography are all first class. Try NOT to get choked up when Scrooge tells his nephew's wife that he was once in love. Alistair Sim was one of the greats, indeed... but for my British pounds sterling, George C. Scott in this 1984 classic is THE definitive version.Movie Review: A tradition in our family since the year it aired.
Summary: 5 Stars
We taped this movie of the air when it first aired on CBS in 1984. We have watched it as a family on Christmas Eve every year since. When our home-taped version wore out, we bought the video. I have since bought the DVD version for myself and whatever family I have in the future.This version is simply the best I've seen. The late George C. Scott gets beyond the characiture of Scrooge that is engrained in our cultural memory and he brilliantly inhabits the humanity of the character. The other actors (Susannah York as Mrs. Cratchit, David Warner as Bob Cratchit, Roger Rees as Fred Hollywell, Angela Pleasance as Christmas Past and Edward Woodward as Christmas Present) are all the equal of Mr. Scott.
Dickensian London is brought to life vividly in the town of Shrewsbury. The costuming and cimematography are first class, especially for a television film.
The video version of this movie is slightly different from the televised version shown in 1984, but the difference are extremely minor, amounting to small changes in the scene where Marley's Ghost rides past Scrooge in the hearse.
Movie Review: my favorite version
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved George C. Scott's version of Scrooge. I grew up with the 1938 version, and I still like it, but I like this one better.
Usually, the depiction of Scrooge is as a feisty, mean, old man, one who can intimidate and scare people as he comes there way. Scott portrayed him as a cold businessman, an Ebeneezer Scrooge that was more business than he was hot-tempered and mean. His coldness of heart evenutally transforms, but the change is believable. Scrooge still has the same temperment, but he is a much more compasionate man.
I also liked Jacob Marley's ghost. This Jacob Marley truly is a ghost you can believe has been cast into the depths of hell. His ghost was deeply tormented and had much remorse and regret for the selfish life he lived of hoarding money for selfish ain and greed. A great performance that deserves recognition. The 1938 version of Jacob Marley cannot compare.
The other characters were portrayed well, too....Bob Cratchit, his wife and children,especially Tiny Tim, the other ghosts, etc.