Perhaps no other story has been adapted to the screen more times than Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol. Dickens’ tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, the meanest man in town who discovers the true meaning of Christmas, is an ideally theatrical piece of literature that easily lends itself to motion picture adaptation (or, for that matter, the stage, as Tim Curry is proving this year in NYC.) Dickens’ Christmas classic is such a perfect vehicle to dramatize that it sometimes seems as if it is hard to make a bad version. Even the animated/puppet versions, such as MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL, A MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL, and other versions starring Mr. Magoo and Walter Matthau, have something to offer.
I guess I am a fan of nearly all the versions I have seen. Two of my favorite color versions are offbeat adaptations. SCROOGE (1970), a musical version starring Albert Finney, contains very few memorable songs aside from the wonderful “Thank You Very Much”, but Finney makes a marvelous, mealy-mouthed Ebenezer. Even when the film bogs down in sappy music, there is always fun to be found in Finney’s off-kilter performance as Scrooge. Richard Donner’s SCROOGED (1988), starring Bill Murray as a jaded television executive, is surprisingly effective and heartwarming, as well as being very funny. After one encounter with one of the Ghosts of Christmas, Murray voices the line that every other incarnation of Scrooge was probably thinking: “I am having the weirdest day!”
There are at least three black and white versions that are still shown during the Christmas season. SCROOGE (1935), starring Sir Seymour Hicks, and A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1938), starring Reginald Owen, are both well worth watching, each telling the story effectively. But it is the 1951 SCROOGE (alternately known, naturally, as A CHRISTMAS CAROL), starring Alistair Sim, which is generally considered to be the best. It ranks with THE MALTESE FALCON and THE GODFATHER as near-perfect book to screen translations. As with most versions, SCROOGE sticks close to Dickens’ original story and dialogue, such as Ebenezer’s heartless classic “If they [the poor] would rather die, let them do it soon and decrease the surplus population.” In the light of recent events, Dickens’ timeless tale is more relevant than ever, and with excellent production values, effective special effects, a good supporting cast, and a fine central performance by Sim, this SCROOGE is the perfect version of the take to watch on Christmas Eve, surrounded by loved ones.
