A Christmas Carol
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Movie Reviews of A Christmas Carol
Movie Review: The definitive Christmas Carol, marked by emotion and touted by the Christmas spirit
Summary: 5 Stars
A Christmas Carol (1938) directed by Edwin L. Marin, based on the novel by Charles Dickens, written for the screen by Hugo Butler.
Starring: Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge
Reginald Owen was not set to play this part until his long time friend Lionel Barrymore had to cancel his part as Scrooge because of sickness. Fate had other plans it seems.
We all know the story: Mean man Scrooge humbugs his way through life eschewing Christmas as if it was a nagging sore that rooted itself more deeply each year, that he could not get away from. It seems everyone under the moonlight was celebrating this holiday called Christmas, with global cheer and good will. Scrooge, who had been bittered and shriveled through a life without love, and without forgiveness, was a man of business, of rules, and of ascetic necessity. He did not know happiness and he wished that anyone he came across would keep the optimism away from him, especially a man he worked for named Bob Cratchit, played wonderfully by Gene Lockhart (whom made this film with his wife and daughter).
Bob Cratchit counted on Scrooge for his survival and the well being(or living) for his family. Bob oozed with altruism and obsequiousness, and Scrooge knew this, turning his blind eye to it as much as he could till one a Christmas Eve Bob, having fun with the local kids, unintentionally threw a glittering white snowball at Scrooge as he passed. Upon finding this out, Scrooge fired him. Cratchit walked home that night on Christmas Eve holding his dignity in his hand and left his confidence in the melting snow that was stepped on by Scrooge himself. He wanted this night to be a night for his children and family, selflessly not revealing to them what had happened just moments prior.
Everyone who is a fan of Charles' Dickens A Christmas Carol knows how the story plays out, with some tweaks in different film adaptations here and there, knowing the moral that Scrooge learns at the end of this fateful Christmas night.
What I find different in this film than all the others out there is in the characters that are portrayed wonderfully by the cast of actors here. Scrooge is a bitter, curt, presumptuously crass old man while Reginald Owen poses the look of those qualities perfectly. He grumbles his way through the night and humbugs all who try to help him. You can see the years of misery on his face. As the ghosts progress through the night, you can sense and see the gradual inclination towards redemption and hope that he expresses with nothing but a slight opening of an eye that had been squinted from a life of lost passion and lost love, all with a little dribble of a tear down his left eye. I like how Owen grows as the film goes on and we see this happening before our eyes, as the audience, and I don't think it has been matched since. Owen makes the film for me and till this day I have not been filled with as much saving grace for this character than the 1938's version of Ebenezer Scrooge. It is my definitive version and hopefully with a little Christmas cheer, will be yours for years to come in this ageless timeless film.
Movie Review: A very good version of a great story
Summary: 5 Stars
The 1938 version of "A Christmas Carol" is full of colorful renderings (even though it's in black-and-white) of very familiar Dickens characters, Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, and Tiny Tim among them. Reginald Owen does a good job as Scrooge - showing both his stingy ill-humor and his awakening as a human being -- although one wonders how much better the movie might have been if Lionel Barrymore had reprised his regular radio role as Scrooge here. (This was apparently the original intention of MGM, but Barrymore had health problems that prevented his participation. And he eventually played his own version of Scrooge in "It's a Wonderful Life," of course.) Well-known character actor Gene Lockhart is a bit more portly as Bob Cratchit than I had imagined that character, but he does his usual great job of portraying the downtrodden Cratchit who maintains a good humor while enduring Scrooge's abuse. Lockhart's real-life wife and kids, including young June Lockhart, are featured as other members of the Cratchit family, with the exception of Tiny Tim, who is played by Terry Kilburn. Kilburn is a bit too cute for my taste, but I have to admit that Dickens seems to have intended Tim to be cute. Ann Rutherford, often seen as Andy Hardy's girlfriend Polly Benedict, does a fine job as the ghost of Christmas past (although the blonde hair gives her a very different look). Others have pointed out that MGM cut and changed the story a good bit, but if you can overlook that, this is a nice, brisk telling of a great tale.
The extras on this disc are outstanding, although perhaps not as numerous as those for some modern movies. The "Christmas Carol" trailer is especially interesting, because Lionel Barrymore appears in it to tout his friend Reginald Owen as Scrooge, apparently to help audiences get over their disappointment that Barrymore himself wasn't playing the role himself after appearing in it famously on radio.
The "Christmas Carol" disc includes "Jackie Cooper's Christmas Party," in which the child star ("The Champ," "Treasure Island") hosts a party for his friends on an MGM soundstage, with Clark Gable, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, and other stars serving dinner for the kids. (Look for a very amusing Santa Claus played by - well, I won't ruin the surprise.) The disc also has a short film of young Judy Garland singing "Silent Night" with a choir, and the Oscar-nominated cartoon "Peace on Earth" (1939), which laments man's self-destructive warring instinct (and which was remade in the 50s as "Good Will To Men" - both with a message that's still directly relevant).
If you like this great movie, you may want to consider getting the excellent Classic Holiday Collection, which includes this film along with two other great classics, "Christmas In Connecticut" and "Boys Town."
Movie Review: The Best Christmas Carol
Summary: 5 Stars
This is by far and away the very best version of A Christmas Carol to ever be put on film (better than the terrible Alastir Sim version everyone raves about).
This movie cuts out the depressing things, like Scrooge's home being pilaged after his death and Marley removing the cloth from around his head and letting his jaw drop creepily, as well as the "too much" stuff like the scene from the past showing Scrooge and his girlfriend.
It's not overly mushy, just warm-hearted and charming, and it gets right to the point of telling the story with charm and a bright Christmas message. There are many light-hearted, fun scenes we get to see as they warm Scrooge's heart, and the movie does a wonderful job of showing us Scrooge's reclaimation in an uplifting way.
No one, but no one, can touch Reginald Owen as Scrooge. Lionel Barrymore hand-picked Reginald Owen to replace him as Scrooge for the movie. The best cast that could be assembled was already signed and the sets already built when Lionel, who'd always played Scrooge on the radio, was injured and couldn't do it. It speaks volumes that Lionel Barrymore thought enough of Reginald Owen's ability to have him be his replacement. And Lionel was right! Owen plays and looks the part perfectly.
The supporting cast is absolutely wonderful as well, including the great Gene Lockhart. Everyone from Tiny Tim to Fred, Scrooge's nephew, to the Ghosts of Christmas to Marley are superb. There is not one thing to be changed that could make this movie any better (except when Ann Sheridan says to Scrooge after he remarks how kind his old boss was, "Yes, but he's dead now."--my whole family laughs at the remark ;) ). Everything is done to complete perfection. I've watched every single version of this story, including many plays, and now I will not watch any other version because they seem so horrible by comparison. With Reginald Owen's brilliance in the part, the wonderful cast, and the wonderful interpretation and telling of the tale, nothing is more perfect than this version.
You get some good laughs with this warm, "fuzzy-feeling-inside" version and a big smile through the whole thing. It's not Christmas without watching this version.
Movie Review: Reginald Owen Shines In Holiday Must See
Summary: 5 Stars
Reginald Owen shines brightly as the star, not a supporting actor, in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1938 version of Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol." This is one of those classic MGM films with a superb cast, beautifully done costumes and sets, a fast
paced script, and an excellent score.
Reginald Owen was not the first choice to play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Owen replaced the ailing Lionel Barrymore, whose accident on the set of "Saratoga" (1937) would confine him
to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Owen makes the role his own as we watch his reclamation from a penny pinching anti
Christmas businessman in 1800's London to a wealthy philanthropist who faithfully celebrates Christmas every day of every year.
Owen is supported by a first rate cast which includes Gene Lockhart as his overworked and underpaid clerk and Barry MacKay
as his nephew who enjoys life to the fullest.This particular version gives special focus to the Cratchit family and Kathleen
Lockhart adds much to the canvas as Mrs. Cratchit. ( This is the
only film where Gene Lockhart, his real life spouse, Kathleen Lockhart, and his daughter, June Lockhart, all appear together.)
Additional lustre is added by Leo G. Carroll as the haunting ghost of Jacob Marley and Terry Kilburn as "Tiny Tim" Cratchit.
This film, which has stood the test of time, is a must see for everyone.
This film has just been released as a DVD from Warner Home Video
and contains lots of holiday goodies. The best being "The Christmas Party", where child star Jackie Cooper asks "The First
Lady of MGM", Norma Shearer, to arrange a Christmas party for him and all his friends on one of Mr. Mayer's soundstages. Shearer is radiant with beauty and charm as she receives young
Cooper in her dressing room and agrees to negotiate the party with Mr. Mayer. Another Christmas gem is a very young Judy Garland singing "Silent Night."
Movie Review: My first memories of holiday movies, and still my favourite...relive the timeless magic
Summary: 5 Stars
As a child, I remember my mother watching this on TV every year. When I was slightly older, I became wrapped up in the magic of "A Christmas Carol," and would eagerly await this version on AMC every year. I never understood why Alastair Sims' 1951 version was heralded as the ultimate version; for me, it was too contrived, too melodramatic, and Sims chews up the scenery.
This 1938 version is a warmhearted take on Dickens' classic tale of greed and redemption. Bob Crachit's family is given a greater role than in the original novel, and the strength of the ensemble cast shines. Reginald Owen as Scrooge was a last-minute replacement, since Lionel Barrymore (Mr. Potter in "It's a Wonderful Life") was ill. Gene and Kathleen Lockhart shine as the Cratchits (their daughter June made her debut in this), Terry Kilburn is a hyper but cute Tiny Tim, Barry McKay makes a dashing Fred, and Leo G. Carroll makes for a frightening Marley's ghost.
The sets of wintertime London are charming and varied, the costumes lavish, and Franz Waxman's score perfectly accents tender scenes without overwhelming. This is the first time that the 1938 version is available on DVD (in its original glorious B&W and not the awful colorized version), and it includes several brief extras: the film's original theatrical trailer, 2 festive vintage featurettes: Jackie Cooper's Christmas Party and Judy Garland Sings "Silent Night" and the classic Oscar®-nominated cartoon Peace on Earth. Sure to bring holiday cheer to your home, this wonderful adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" shouldn't be missed!