BEST;
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zgystard — 10 years ago(December 05, 2015 01:15 PM)
Best: The Sim version, of course. Some scenes are not in Dickens (e.g., Scrooge as a rising young businessman) but they seem to work well. There's one thing at the beginning that does bug me a bit: when Fred visits the office, Scrooge's rant and Fred's eloquent reply have been omitted.
Patrick Stewart version: I didn't care for it, and I didn't know exactly why until I re-watched it on YouTube. To me his face really isn't that expressive. I think the problem is mostly his eyes. They're fairly deep set and almost never are open wide. I noticed the contrast near the end, when for once he DOES open his eyes very wide. He's an excellent actor otherwise, without question.
There are other weaknesses in this version. I didn't like Marley's funeral being shown. I also thought the addition at the end of
Scrooge seemingly being buried alive
seemed way over the top.
On the other hand, I thought the rest of it was pretty good. I particularly think the actor portraying Bob did a very good job. For one thing, it includes the rarely seen short scene Dickens wrote of Bob visiting Tiny Tim's body in repose in an upper bedroom, and it was done with feeling but without excessive pathos. And there's a bit of business when the charity gentlemen visit Scrooge's office. Bob shows them in to Scrooge without asking their business, and then there's a brief shot of him hearing what they want and reacting like he's thinking "uh-oh"!
My least favorite of the ones I've seen: the George C. Scott version. The main reason is that I think it could've surpassed the Sim version with minor changes. The following is mostly from my review of it.
There doesn't seem to be a coherent vision uniting the performances of all the actors.
Dickens' story is NOT some nuanced, psychological portrayal of Scrooge; it's closer to a fairy tale. Dickens initially paints Scrooge as totally hateful. This is a dramatic necessity; without it, the disclosing of his past and the accomplishing of his redemption do not have anywhere near the same force. Scott interprets Scrooge TOO realistically, too early.
On the other hand, Scott NEVER really seems afraid, even when he tells the last spirit he fears him more than the others. He seems perhaps dazed instead.
Also, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim never seem to be really afraid of Scrooge, either.
Roger Rees gives an annoyingly wooden performance. Tiny Tim looks not like he's weak and ill, but more like he had died and was resurrected as a zombie. The Ghost of Christmas Present berates Scrooge far too much. The sound effect for the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come is over the top. And so forth.
I've only seen the entire film once, when it was originally broadcast. But I went back and checked some clips on YouTube.
One thing I came across was the dialog with Cratchit as Scrooge leaves the office. Warner's portrayal is not very good, but Scott's interpretation is subtle and well done. It would've been excellent in the context of a Scrooge previously consistently shown as much angrier if it were just a little bit harsher. -
dweilermg-1 — 9 years ago(October 21, 2016 07:32 AM)
As a child ages 6 and 7 I'd seen both marionette and live actor theatrical performances of A Christmas Carol but they were way over my head. In my 8th grade English Lit class we read the original Dickens version and it finally made sense to me. That same winter (December 1962) network TV aired "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol." This animated version deserves respect because unlike the various movie versions this one can be understood more easily by young children. however to this day the 1951 Alistair Sim version will always be my favorite. I own it (Both B&W and colorized) on DVD!
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MinJeta — 3 months ago(December 25, 2025 12:26 AM)
I only ever revisit at 3 versions:
The 1951, 1984 and the Muppet version of 1992.
I do think the 1984 version has the edge, which is mostly due to George C. Scott's initial portrayal of Scrooge as the fearful miser as written by Dickens, whereas the Alistair Sim portrayal is more curmudgeonly than fearful (although I do highly rate the 1951 film). Also the Shrewsbury locations do add an awful lot.
The Muppet version is just a lot of fun.
I tend to avoid seeing any other versions as these 3 were so successful, though the musical version had it's moments I would say it was the least successful version I've seen.
"The trouble is most people are twats or cunts. Or both." -
cryptoflovecraft — 3 months ago(December 25, 2025 03:59 PM)
Best:
1938 - Reginald Owen
1951 - Alastair Sim
1962 - Mr. Magoo (Jim Backus)
1970 - Albert Finney
1979 - Henry Winkler
1992 - Muppets w/ Michael Caine
Middle of the road:
1935 - Seymour Hicks
1984 - George C. Scott
Worst:
2012 - Vincent Fegan
Never seen the Patrick Stewart, Kelsey Grammer or Jim Carrey versions.