A Christmas Carol (1910)

The title "A Christmas Carol" makes it of course obvious that here we have another take on the famous story by writer Charles Dickens and this is certainly among the oldest as it has its 107th anniversary already this year. Dickens wasn't even dead for half a century when this was released. There were quite a few directors working on this one, especially if we take into account that it runs for 14 minutes only (the version I saw did, not just for 11 like it says here on IMDb). Sure the film is crucially hurt by the lack of sound and color, but you cannot really blame the makers for that. This also means that if you hear a score while watching, then this is not original and was added (decades) later. They still did a good job overall here, especially with the ghost sequences that are pretty impressive for their time. The actors are fine too and don't make the mistake of overacting too much, which was a common problem back in the day. The one playing the title character was in fact not even 30 here, but his gray wig hides it pretty well. Intertitles could have been more frequent for sure (another common problem back then), but you understand what's going on thanks to the famous material this is based on. And the latter is also what guarantees this to be a fine watch during the holidays. Not my favorite version (that's probably still the animated one by Disney), but it is worth seeing. If you are looking for other silent Christmas films, then my suggestion is to go for "A Christmas Accident" that came out not much later than this one here.

Am currently "working my way through the list" and watching as many versions of "The Christmas Carol" as I can locate. Imagine my joy upon finding not only the 1910 Edison version BUT the 1901 production as well. The special effects are pretty impressive. One shot is actually three in one .. current, ghost and death scene all super-imposed.Despite the shortness of the film, they include Fezziwig's party, Ebinezer's sister and the Cratchits. Not all of the later versions did this.Look for it. It's on-line.

Thoroughly delightful and entertaining early silent version of the beloved Charles Dicken's Christmas tale. Amazingly well done with exceptionally fine special effects for the time, especially the visiting spirits. Facsinating how actor Marc McDermott as Scrooge is able to convincingly bring this story to life in less than 15 minutes. Silent film actor Charles Ogle plays Bob Cratchit and notable actress Viola Dana is also in this production. Directed by J.Searle Dawley, this is an excellent example of the early silents produced with quality from the Edison Manufacturing Company. For silent film fans and those who want to see an early film version of " A Christmas Carol" you will find this adaption certainly an interesting one.

For a film from 1910 (or 1907--I found 2 different dates for it), this is an exceptional film, though by today's standards it's pretty poor. Compared to the average Edison production, this one had much nicer sets and costumes and the short length of the film wouldn't have been seen as a problem--all films were rather short in this era. Of course, compared to later versions, this one also comes up wanting in many ways--but for its time it was dandy. As for the problems, you really need to know the story well to follow this version. I assumed audiences of the day must have been well-versed with it but again and again, things happened but because the film was so truncated you only understood it if you knew the story. Also, like most versions of the story, the poverty and responsibility to the poor were aspects of the film that weren't emphasized enough--and this was THE reason Dickens wrote the story--not just to give us a nice Christmas story.Still, for 1907/1910, this is a well made and watchable little gem that should make fans of early silents happy.By the way, if you wonder why I mentioned the Movie Channel's Bunnies, they are cartoons where an entire film is condensed into 30 minutes. This condensed format reminded me a lot of this version of A Christmas CAROL since it's so very short.