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5 comments about Scrooge.

1. THIS IS MY MOMS'FAVORITE VERSION OF SCROOGE,AND HENCE BECOMING THE FAMILY FAVORITE OVER THE YEARS.



2. The 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol" comes down to the performance of Alastair Sim (To set the record straight, this film was released as "Scrooge" in the United Kingdom and as "A Christmas Carol" in the United States). Other versions have better known supporting casts and are in color, but this one has Alastair Sim. This British actor did other films: "The Belles of St. Trinian's," "The Millionairess," and "The Ruling Class." But you probably do not remember noticing him. There have been lots of great Scrooges, from George C. Scott and Mr. MaGoo to Scrooge McDuck and Patrick Stewart, from all of them had other roles. George C. Scott will always be Patton and Patrick Stewart will never stop being Jean-Luc Picard, no matter how many times he plays Professor X. But Alastair Sim was "only" Ebenezer Scrooge.

   This is not to diminish the rest of the cast. Michael Hordern is the match of Alec Guiness as Jacob Marley and his ghost, Hermione Baddeley is as fine a Mrs. Cratchit as we have seen, Francis De Wolff is a boisterous Ghost of Christmas Present, and Glyn Dearman is a perfect Tiny Tim. But we keep coming back to the point that Alastair Sim is Scrooge. This film is only 85 minutes long, but it covers the entire classical story by Charles Dickens. Screenwriter Noel Langley sticks close to the original (he would adapt "The Pickwick Papers" the following year), but tampering with this one is not advised. Director Brian Desmond Hurst's film is in black & white, but that hardly seems important (and colorization is a clear cut case of heresy) given C. Pennington-Richards's beautiful cinematography and Ralph Brinton's gorgeous art direction recreating old London town.

   But we keep coming back to Sim in a performance that sometimes has you wondering why anybody ever dared to essay the role again. Whether he is playing the heartless boss of Bob Crachit, the stingy miser who wants the poor to hurry up and die, the terrified old man confronting the ghost of his dead partner, the remorseful old man looking back at the happy days of his youth, the sobered figure looking at his own grave, and the giddy soul who keeps Christmas in his heart all the rest of the days of his life. You can enjoy many different versions of "A Christmas Carol," but this one remains extra special, and we all know who gets the credit.




3. My review is based on what I saw on television. This is the best verision of "A Christmas Carol" that I have ever seen, keeping in mind, I did not read the book. Although it's in black and white, that does make it look more like Charles Dickens' London of old than any color film. Don't bother with any 'colorized' release. The acting, especially by Alistair Slim, the photography, the script, the whole mood of the movie sets it above any other verision. I liked the films with Reginald Owen, Albert Finney, George C. Scott, Patrick Stewart, Bill Murray, and even Mr. Magoo, but this is the best of the bunch. I have no use for the Flintstones' stone-age "Christmas Carol", which has to be for extremely young children only. This is must-see viewing for everyone at anytime during the year, but, especially around Dec. 25th.



4. I love Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol and I have watched many of the different film adaptations of the classic story and this 1951 Alastair Sim version is without doubt one of the best and Alastair Sim is absolutely superb as that grumpy old miser Ebenezer Scrooge!



5. I love Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol and I have watched many of the different film adaptations of the classic story and this 1951 Alastair Sim version is without doubt one of the best and Alastair Sim is absolutely superb as that grumpy old miser Ebenezer Scrooge!

2 comments about Christmas Carols From England.

1. It started out with young children singing outside at night next to a lit up cathedral. From there it went downhill. It reminded me of a bad Lawrence Welk Christmas special. The kind where you have to stick all your family in, no matter how bad or boring they may be. I was misguided into thinking that it was going to be a concert from Kings college-Cambridge with the beautifull men and boys choir.No such thing.So if you purchase this with that in mind, you will also be dissapointed. There was a reference to a chorister of the year appearing, but that too was misguided. He was a backup for one of the singers on the program, and wasn't worth the effort of watching it. Buyer beware!



2. Too bad the earlier reviewer didn't realize that "The King's Singers: Christmas Carols from Europe" features THE KING'S SINGERS! Duh! The King's Singers is a group of male singers who are very close to all choral singers' hearts. They are simply one of the best singing groups in the world. I love all of their Christmas programs that I have seen, and I personally found this video very enjoyable.

No comments about Family Time with Santa.

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1 comments about Holiday Hypnosis.

1. I seldom stop a movie half way through but I didn't even want to fast-forward to see how this stinker ended.