Scrooge (1951)

UK 1951 English (B&W); Drama (Renown); 86 minutes (U certificate)Crew includes: Brian Desmond-Hurst (Director/Producer); Noel Langley (Screenwriter, adapting Novella A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens)Cast includes: Alastair Sim, Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns, Hermione Baddeley, Michael Hordern, George ColeAn old miser (Sim) is visited one Christmas Eve by the ghost of his long-dead business partner (Hordern), followed by the spirits of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come, who guide the bitter man towards a kinder self, having recognised the meanness in his life.To many, the definitive version of the oft-filmed classic.

Peruse the reviews of any adaptation of "A Christmas Carol", and you'll probably find mention of Alastair Sim and this 1951 version. Why? Because it's generally believed to be the best. Sim is great, no doubt. So great, in fact that he reprised it 20 years later for an animated version. He's this film's greatest asset and the reason I think it is so fondly remembered. As adaptations of the classic go, I think it's up there, but it's also not without flaws and I'd argue that these are mostly forgotten due to the performance of its leading man.Perhaps the biggest problem is the pace of the film. There's a largely extended "Christmas Past" sequence which adds quite a lot of off-text detail. Some of this is almost welcome; the makers explain Scrooge's estrangement from his father by explaining that his mother died giving birth to him. This is totally off-book, but worked so well that the makers of the 1984 version recycled it.However, elsewhere there are extended sequences with Scrooge being lured away from Fezziwig by a shady character called Jorkin (invented for the film). These scenes seem totally superfluous and, to be frank, drag. The effect of this is that the "Christmas Present" sequence is slimmed down to compensate.We get the traditional visit to see the Cratchetts (although I'm afraid Tiny Tim seems neither lame no particularly tiny) but there's no ghostly visit to see nephew Fred here.For reasons I can't quite fathom; we see Scrooge's lost love Alice (Belle in the book) in the Christmas Present sequences helping the poor and needy. The intention seems to be that she never moved on from Scrooge and dedicated her life to charity instead (again, off-book). Whether the film is suggesting that Scrooge will reconcile with her is never implicitly stated, as she doesn't feature in the finale.A further issue is that Scrooge is rarely on-screen at the same time as the visions of the past, present and yet-to-come. The scenes play, almost as vignettes. This means that we seldom see Scrooge reacting in real-time, and thus we miss a gradual transformation in his demeanour.Fortunately, Dickens' wonderful dialogue is retained throughout the and, when Scrooge awakens, reformed at the finale; we believe it. I'm not sure the film needs the extended comedy scene with Housekeeper Mrs Dilber but, by this point, the film should have won you over.Not quite as good as its leading man, the film remains unmissable for lovers of Dickens' classic novella.

The 1951 colorized version of "Scrooge" (aka "A Christmas Carol") is my favorite version. I'm watching it now and something occurred to me. I've always wondered why some conservative filmmaker hasn't released a conservative version of the film.Imagine Scrooge as a businessman on the brink of financial ruin due to his charitable nature ... partly due to his association with his former partner, Jacob Marley, who was also a charitable person. But one night, Scrooge is visited by Marley's ghost - who tells Scrooge he wants to help him save his business. Marley tells Scrooge he'll be visited by 3 conservative spirits during the night - then vanishes. But later, the spirits come.The ghost of Christmas past shows Scrooge how his charitable giving has kept him poor over the years. The ghost of Christmas present shows Scrooge how much he overpays his clerk, Bob Crachitt - even though he knows Crachitt is also embezzling company funds to give his family a better life. Then, the ghost of Christmas yet to come shows Scrooge beset by all manner of hangers-on and welfare chiselers who know and take advantage of his charitable nature ... until finally, Scrooge is forced into bankruptcy and dies broke.But Christmas morning, Scrooge wakes up conservative. He fires Bob Crachitt, turning him over to the police for embezzling. Then, he cuts off all charitable giving and adopts a cutthroat attitude toward competitors and even his own clients - becoming wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.

An old bitter miser (Alistair Sim) is given a chance for redemption when he is haunted by three ghosts on Christmas Eve.This is generally considered the best adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" ever made. That is a bold statement, given how many have been made (dozens, maybe hundreds). But, indeed, if it is not, it certainly ranks among the more prominent. (For my money, "Muppet Christmas Carol" is the best, though it may be a bit different.) Regardless, this one, having been made in 1951, has no doubt influenced future versions for more than sixty years.Worth checking out if you like the story and have not seen this version. It does not stray far from the novella, and therefore is not much different from most other versions, but still has a strong cast.