Day Twenty-Four of my Advent Christmas Carol Challenge:
"A Christmas Carol" (1951)
It's Christmas Eve and the final day of my challenge, which means it's
time for the daddy of them all. The Alastair Sim version of the novella,
which is regarded by pretty much everybody as the greatest adaptation of them all.
With good reason too. Alastair Sim IS Ebenezer Scrooge here. His
portrayal of the old miser is a complex one, at first hideous and
proudly arrogant, then slowly growing shameful of his ways and surprised
to discover that he still has a heart.
The supporting cast of
character actors are uniformly excellent, and even though some of them
are a little hammy (Jacob Marley...) this only adds to charm of this
very traditional, theatrical adaptation.
The film is extremely
faithful to the book, but more importantly, it is made with such a great
affection for it that is missing from so many of the half-arsed
versions that have come after it.
Talking of later productions,
it is interesting to see just how influential this version became. So
much of the imagery of the tale, from Scrooge's counting house, to his
bedroom, to the reformed miser throwing open the window of his house,
look the way they do because this film depicted them so.
Of
course, Scrooge's redemption is the highlight of the film. Sim plays it
with such abandon, it is inconceivable that this is the same man who we
began this story with.
The finest production of what is easily the greatest story ever written.
As festive as Christmas Day itself.
"A Christmas Carol" (1951) 5/5
GOD BLESS US EVERYONE!
Day Twenty-Three of my Advent Christmas Carol Challenge:
"A Christmas Carol" (1910)
This silent film adaptation of the novella is believed to be the
earliest surviving film version ever made, (although two were made
before, both are thought to have been lost.)
It is an interesting prospect to watch a silent version of the story. So
much of the spirit of the adaptations I have seen so far depend upon
the unforgettable dialogue to capture the spirit of Dickens' work.
Marc McDermott plays Scrooge - a once staggeringly prolific Australian
actor who would go on to feature in over 180 films. It's hard and
perhaps unfair to judge his performance, as silent film acting is so
different to acting nowadays. However, he was very popular during his
career so presumably he was doing something right.
The film
utilises some very early special effects for the ghosts, which was
surprising and very welcome to see, and the version I watched had some
enjoyably jaunty music to accompany it.
The film runs at a
breakneck 10 minutes, meaning that there's no chance for any real depth
to the tale. However, it is clear that this adaptation was not really
meant to tell the story, as it is far too brief to properly explain it;
it is more a way of filming the novella for those who already knew it
(who, much like today, would have been most people.)
While it
has nothing to offer that other versions did not do better, it is still
an irresistible viewing experience to see a film that is over a hundred
years old, and for that reason it is more of a historical curio than a
classic version of the story.
As quiet as a Silent Night.
"A Christmas Carol" (1910) 3/5
Day Twenty-Two of my Advent Christmas Carol Challenge:
"Mickey's Christmas Carol" (1983)
This made for video version of the classic tale is something of an
ensemble piece. While Scrooge McDuck (who else) is our Ebenezer, he is
joined by virtually every Disney character you could imagine (circa 1983)
I've never had much time for Mickey Mouse, finding him a tiresome
character with no personality, so I was rather pleased to find out that
despite the title, he plays only a secondary role in this story, as Bob
Cratchit. With Pluto, Jimminy Cricket and others being given more screen
time.
As with everything that comes from Disney, there is a
certain slickness of production which was missing from all other
animated versions I have seen so far, (except perhaps the 2009 version,
which was so slick as to be inhuman) and the animation is charming and
detailed.
However, at a miniscule 21 minutes, it has to race
through the story at such a speed that it never has time to pause for
breath. It does not help either that almost half of the running time is
taken up by the time before the first ghost appears.
This
version has none of the broad appeal of the House of Mouse's finest
works and ultimately feels only worth recommending to Disney
completists.
As brief as a jig at the Fezziwig's Christmas party.
"Mickey's Christmas Carol" (1983) 2/5
Day Twenty-One of my Advent Christmas Carol Challenge:
"Scrooge" (1935)
After adaptations featuring the Smurfs, the Muppets and the Flintstones
over the previous few days, it was quite an enjoyable change to return
to another traditional version of the tale.
This 1935 British version is the earliest film of the story made with
sound. It stars Seymour Hicks in the lead role - an actor who has now
become almost forgotten, but was once one of the most famous actors in
the country.
Decent prints of this movie seem to have been lost
to time, but the grainy, saturated image in the version I found seemed
to work somewhat in its favour. The streets of London have never looked
more miserable or quite so bleak, and at times, the figures shuffling
about the place looked like little more than shadows. How much of this
was artistic intention rather than a product of a diminished print is
anyone's guess, but I rather appreciated it.
Hicks is a rather
peculiar Scrooge. Perhaps it is thanks to later versions of the film
that we now have such a firm grasp upon how Scrooge must look and act,
because in this version he is almost a vagabond. Scruffy of hair,
dishevelled of clothes whilst shuffling around the streets looking like Lon
Chaney's Phantom of the Opera.
If this film is remembered at
all, it is often only thanks to the very unusual decision to not show us
many of the ghosts. Marley is invisible, the Ghost of Christmas past is
always off screen and Christmas Yet to Come is only the shadow of a
finger. Only Christmas Present is seen in full (though not for long.)
The absence of these ghosts is greatly missed, as is the huge swathes
of the story this version omits, including the entirety of Scrooge's
childhood (and a great deal of his present.)
There is a sense
of melancholy to the film that sets it apart from the others and the
score and visuals help set the mood. But a lacklustre central
performance and too many liberties taken with the source material mean
that there is very little here worth recommending.
As bleak as a midwinter when frosty winds made moan.
"Scrooge" (1935) 2/5
Day Twenty of my Advent Christmas Carol Challenge:
"The Smurfs Christmas Carol" (2011)
Further proof, if it were even needed that "A Christmas Carol" is the
worlds most elastic story - in that it can be stretched into any form
conceivable, comes in the form of this direct-to-DVD Christmas special.
I was never much of a fan of the Smurfs. There was nothing about them I
ever found particularly loathsome, they simply never captivated me as a
child. However, I was somewhat intrigued to see how this version would
play out nonetheless, as at only 22 minutes, it is the shortest
adaptation I have seen so far.
Grouchy Smurf is the only Smurf in town who refuses to make merry on Christmas Eve, much to the ire of the rest of the Smurfs.
With the help of some ghost-poisoned tea (yes, that is correct) Grouchy
is spirited away from his computer generated 3D home, to a traditional
2D cell animation version.
From then on it's business as
usual, with three ghosts showing him the error of his ways, with a few
digressions, including a lot of nonsense involving hats and ending with
the total destruction of the Smurf Village.
The problem with
adaptations of this story that are set within the continuity of a
running series, is that characters are never really allowed to change
too much, therefore their redemption can't be too grand and their
miserly ways can't be too awful. This is precisely the case here.
Grouchy Smurf is mildly reformed by the end of the story, but not so
much that the next time we see him, he will be in any way changed.
The animation, especially the cell animation, is charming and the voice
acting is fine, but it's impossible to get too excited about a version
such as this, in which every effort seems to have been made to ensure that it
never becomes anything greater than mediocre.
As uneventful and forgettable as Christmas day with Jacob Marley.
"The Smurfs Christmas Carol" (2011) 2/5
Day Nineteen of my Advent Christmas Carol Challenge:
"A Flintstones Christmas Carol" (1994)
My first thought upon hearing about this adaptation of the story was,
why are The Flintstones staging an adaptation of a book written in the
19th century? Of course, I was then struck with the question of why the modern stone age family were celebrating Christmas at all...
Anachronisms aside (and seriously, the Flintstones features dinosaurs,
so I wasn't expecting rigorous prehistoric accuracy,) this version takes
the "play-within-a-play" format, that has been borrowed/stolen from Mr. Magoo.
However, it works quite nicely in its own right.
The story
follows the fortunes of Fred Flintstone, who has been cast in the role
of Scrooge for Bedrock's annual Christmas play.
So obsessed is
he with perfecting his role, he grows selfish and arrogant. Throughout
the course of the play, Fred learns the true meaning of the story and
how he should stop being so mean.
The cartoon is light and
cute. The animation itself is Hannah-Barbera, so there's obviously a
certain lifelessness to it all, but yet again, I found myself taken
aback by the faithfulness it demonstrated towards its source material.
Aside from using most of the dialogue, the costumes appear to be based
upon the original illustrations. It's always nice to notice these
details, as it suggests that this was a version made with deep affection
for the original story.
On top of that, we have concepts that
very few child-orientated animations would deal with today, including
death and poverty, which are played exactly as Dickens intended -
utterly seriously. Most surprisingly of all comes a subplot featuring
allegations of infidelity, which helped remind me just why The
Flintstones was noted for having such wide appeal to the whole family.
As merry making as Bob Cratchit's Christmas day.
"A Flintstones Christmas Carol" (1994) 3/5
Day Eighteen of my Advent Christmas Carol Challenge:
"The Muppet Christmas Carol" (1992)
In the interests of full disclosure, I must confess that this is the
only version of the story I have seen before - however, that was many
years ago and my memory of it was in need of a refresher.
For many, this adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" is regarded not just
as one of the greatest Muppet movies, but one of the finest versions of
the story ever made.
Michael Caine is on Scrooge duties for
this film, and while he's an actor I have never been especially fond,
his understated performance in the role is one of the many highlights of
the film.
A handful of other humans litter the charmingly made
Victorian London streets, but this film rightly knows that it's the
Muppets we are here to see, with all the favourites playing the classic
roles, Kermit as Bob Cratchit, Miss. Piggy as his wife and Fozzie as Mr.
Fozziwig (!) among others.
There are a few songs scattered
around the place, most of which are very nice, if a little forgettable
and none come close to the almost operatic excesses of the near perfect
"The Great Muppet Caper"
A welcome addition to the story is
Gonzo playing the role of Dickens himself, which works as a means to
have the great man narrating his own tale, while having to scale walls,
slide down chimneys and fly over the rooftops of London in order to keep
up with the action of the story.
This means that the script
remains incredibly faithful to the original version, including oft
forgotten details such as The Ghost of Christmas Present aging (and
eventually dying) throughout the course of the evening.
It also
allows for some lovely dedications to Dickens himself, my favourite
being him sitting on a shelf beside the busts of the greatest authors in
the history of the world.
As lovingly crafted as a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.
"The Muppet Christmas Carol" (1992) 4/5
Day Twenty-Four of my Advent Christmas Carol Challenge:
