A Christmas Carol/Scrooge

I own pretty much all of them and I love them all...
here's a list:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls003028592/
I always come back to these:
6.
A Christmas Carol (1951)
8.1/10
An old bitter miser is given a chance for redemption when he is haunted by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. (86 mins.)

1.
An American Christmas Carol (1979 TV Movie)
6.8/10
In an American town, an old bitter miser is given a ghostly chance at redemption on Christmas Eve. (98 mins.)

8.
A Christmas Carol (1938)
7.5/10
On Christmas Eve, an old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the spirit of his former partner... (69 mins.)
Director: Edwin L. Marin
Stars: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart, Terry Kilburn

3.
A Christmas Carol (1984 TV Movie)
7.9/10
An old bitter miser who makes excuses for his uncaring nature learns real compassion when three ghosts visit him on Christmas Eve. (100 mins.)
Director: Clive Donner
Stars: George C. Scott, Frank Finlay, Angela Pleasence, Edward Woodward


14.
Ebenezer (1998 TV Movie)
5.8/10
A Wild West retelling of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol," with Scrooge as a land baron, gunfighter, and card cheat who is visited by three spirits who attempt to teach him the true meaning of Christmas. (89 mins.)
Director: Ken Jubenvill
Stars: Jack Palance, Ricky Schroder, Amy Locane, Albert Schultz


7.
A Christmas Carol (1999 TV Movie)
7.4/10
An adaptation of the famous novel. (95 mins.)
Director: David Jones
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Joel Grey, Ian McNeice
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“ Starring Patrick Stewart. ” - mainemoviefanaticDaisy

 

As far as "straight" adaptations go (i.e., no musicals, cartoons, Muppets, Fonzies, etc.), I would rank them:

1. Alastair Sim
2. George C. Scott
3. Patrick Stewart
4. Reginald Owen
5. Seymour Hicks

The 1951 film with Sim is my favorite by a wide margin, although truth be told I still prefer Dickens' original story to any screen version and make a point of re-reading it every year.

 

TCM will run three in a row starting at 8pm Eastern today Thursday Dec. 18:

8:00pm 1938
9:15pm 1970
11:15pm 1935

 

Mr. Magoo...



I'm proud to say I was the guy who mastered this in the late 1980s, so my version has been the one seen most frequently in the last 20 years. That's a wonderful show, and it's a testament to the writers and producers at UPA that they didn't hoke it up or make it cornball. This is a grim, scary show with some really downbeat moments, and it holds up very well. Scared the p!ss out of me when I was 8, when it first came out. It's a testament to Jim Backus' brilliant acting that he goes the full range from being an a-hole, to being frightened, to being bewildered, to being a completely changed man over the course of the story, completely believable at every moment. The animation's kinda cheap, but the overall design, moods, and colors are very good.

For live action, you can't beat the 1951 Alastair Sim version. That one's even scarier than Mr. Magoo.

 

yes, that seems to be the favorite. back in the day before DVD and VHS it was the best one out there on TV every Christmas...I remember patiently waiting for it to show up...actually there was only a few to chose from...3 IIRC.

 

A comment on the Jim Carrey animated version: It gets an A for sticking to the story (I was worried about that when I took my son to see when it was released). However I have to subtract a couple letter grades for the ridiculous scenes added for the 3D effects.

 

Whenever this thread is revived, I want to launch into a post on the subject. But I see that I've made MANY posts in this thread, and my feelings haven't changed. All that's new this year is an on-the-way copy of the Blu-ray of the Owens version.

Harry

 

George C Scott.....accept no substitutes.

 

I just watched this last night, and I'm still surprised by how good it is. Not only is Michael Caine a great Scrooge, but the Muppets are a perfect fit. The puppeteers and voice actors were brilliant. The scene where we see the Cratchit family after Tiny Tim dies gets to me more than most versions of the story (and then I start to laugh at myself).

 

I really do think it's their best movie!

 

...and it's their first after the death of Jim Henson. I wasn't expecting much but it was marvelous.

 

I haven't seen the the Sim version in years, but I agree it is great. While I like the Scott version quite well, I think that I've grown to love Patrick Stewart's performance even better, and it has become the one we choose to watch every year.

 

anyone like Mickey's Christmas Carol?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085936/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

I hope you have some "razzle berry dressing" whenever you watch this one. I really like it and always remembered it from when I was a youngster. Now have the DVD, so watch it every year. I like the play within a play aspect of this one, and the Flintstone's Christmas Carol too.

 

Be sure to check out the magnificent Blu-ray of the Mr. Magoo title.

Harry

 

have the DVD it works every year...

 

My dad was a school teacher. In the mid-sixties for Christmas Eve, at home with all the relatives, he would arrange to have the 16mm school movie projector and a rented copy of the 1951 version. Quite a treat in the pre-home video world! I have a soft spot for almost all the versions out there.

 

Damn! great special memory indeed...too cool!

 

Forgot about A Diva's Christmas Carol with Vanessa Williams. I like the traditional versions best but I also like all the iterations. For some reason I like this story and can watch multiple versions every year but don't have any interest in other traditional Christmas movies like A Christmas Story or A Wonderful Life.

 

George C. Scott is the favorite in our house, enjoyed it last night.

 

A Holiday classic!



[QUOTE"The Wanderer, post: 11549218, member: 2992"][/QUOTE]

 

I was telling somebody at work that I was glad I had seen the Christmas Carol I wanted to see this season. Conversation went something like this:

Which one?

the 1951 one with Alistair Sims!

Never heard of it. Oh, sorry, didn't mean to make you feel old.

You didn't make me feel old. **** OFF! this is the CLASSIC people half your age know about.

 

Alastar Sim