CAROLS, I LIKE.

a pick six

by Hunter Jon

This is a follow up of sorts to my least favourite picks, which you can find here:

https://almostentertainment.blogspot.com/2020/12/carols-do-not-like.html

If I’m going to tear something down, it only feels right to build something up in its place.

So, out of what I’ve seen, here are my six favourite versions of “A Christmas Carol”.

(I’ve included the appropriate amount of honourable mentions)

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1938)

A totally adequate adaptation, which I mostly really enjoy, but also find soft and safe to a fault. Simple as that.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1971)

Just when you think you’ve crossed a good portion of adaptations off your ‘must-watch’ list, you fall down the rabbit hole of the animated shorts. I would recommend this above all but one. It cuts the tale down to the bone, succinctly whizzing through things, yet is still plenty effective. It boasts some terrific designs and is wonderfully animated. Much to my delight, it’s almost oddly mature and never once slips into 'cartoon' territory. Much to everyone’s delight, Alastair Sim voices Scrooge. And, being as brilliant as he is, does more than just re-hash his prior performance.

SCROOGE (1970)

I think my opinion of this suffers slightly because I saw it much later in my life. I’m convinced it would be much higher on this list if I’d grown up with it. It is quite well made and lots of fun, after all. You can’t deny that Finney’s a deliciously hammy Ebenezer. Neither his young age nor the make-up used to disguise it are ever distracting, which says a lot. “Thank You Very Much” is one of my favourite musical numbers ever put on film. And the fact that Scrooge actually makes it to Hell (and back) in this one is kinda awesome.

MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1983)

My favourite of all animated offerings and definitive proof that, if you do your job really right, all you need to do is hit this story’s bullet points. The source material is notoriously brief to begin with, after all. Its casting of classic Disney characters is spot-on throughout. Moving Mickey out of the spotlight was a gamble, but paid off big time. The animation is, as you’d except, beautiful. I’ve never heard the LP recording that came before this, but I think we’re all pretty lucky that they adapted it as they did.

SCROOGE (aka A CHRISTMAS CAROL) [1935]

Seymour Hicks is the man, and I think this version is vastly underrated. Hicks was the Scrooge for the first half of the twentieth century, having played the role various times on stage, the radio, and even in a 1913 short silent film before appearing in this. Not only is he absolutely wonderful, but the movie itself is pretty great and makes some cool choices that remain pretty unique. For instance, only Scrooge can see Marley’s ghost and he’s entirely invisible to the audience. It also features a heartbreaking scene in which Cratchit wishes Tiny Tim’s dead body a final goodbye with a kiss on the forehead. And the final spirit is literally nothing but a shadow. Beware of the heavily cut down, hour long version, though. Seek out the full 78 minute one.

THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992)

Somewhere in an alternate universe, there’s a terrible version of this with either Kermit or a comedic American movie star playing Scrooge. Casting the character as if this were just another straight, dramatic interpretation was super smart. In fact, that’s why this one works so well in general - it puts being a totally solid adaptation first. Any and all fluffy funniness is just very rich icing. The whole thing is so expertly made that you know you’re safe from the opening credits alone. And credit where credit’s due - this features my favourite on-screen characterization of the Ghost of Christmas Past.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1984)

As far as faithful, period adaptations go, this is second best in my book. Someone as distinctly American as George C. Scott shouldn’t work as Scrooge, but that’s just what a damn good actor he is. He’s extraordinary in this, even nailing a few key beats of wry humour that most actors miss entirely. His constantly grounded presence makes up for any production elements that may have gotten a little hokey with age. Fun fact: Clive Donner directed this! He edited the 1951 version.

SCROOGED (1988)

“To Lump. Love Claire.”

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (aka SCROOGE) [1951]

It doesn’t get any better than Sim and this movie. It’s the definitive version for very good reason. I pretty much love it for the same reasons everyone else seems to - it’s brilliant in every regard. So, there’s little point in me praising the same old stuff that everybody does. I will point something out, though, that I feel people rarely do: by having Scrooge’s sister die during childbirth, I believe this screenplay manages to improve upon Dickens’ original story. That’s no easy feat, and perhaps the only time an adaptation has done so.