J. H. Authors

One Woman. Three Names. Many Books.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Alastair Sim

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Given yesterday’s blog post about what makes a good adaptation I thought I would write about one of the best. This 1951 version is a favorite of a lot of people, and with good reason. Alastair Sim was a character actor who, I sense, was more than capable of chewing up the scenery. But the power of his portrayal is that he doesn’t. His performance has gusto, and is in keeping with the novel. But he has such human moments (“I am too old to change” he tells the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present. He says it not a as a reproof, but as a cry.)

A lot of time is spent with the Ghost of Christmas Past, and several stories are fleshed out. We see Fan’s deathbed scene. We also see Scrooge’s emergence as a business man, including when he buys Fezziwig out. (I hate it when they do that in the stories. Takes away from the power of the Fezziwig memories). We also see when young Marley and Scrooge meet, as well as Marley’s deathbed scene. We also see Alice (this version’s Belle) in present day as a nurse/caregiver for the poor and dying. Some of the additions I like, some I don’t. But again, this version tells the story so well I just go with it.

There is an “Old Joe” scene. And we see the charwoman Mrs. Dilber again after Scrooge wakes up.  There is screaming and running around, but at the end it is Sim’s humanity that moves me. The joy that he gets from being kind is lovely. And the polka with Fred’s wife…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7NfDuDh0Uc&feature=related

A really great version.

Some Mid Month CHRISTMAS CAROL Musings

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Well, the month is halfway over, as is my Christmas Carol Challenge. I’ve watched a lot of versions of the story, and have several more queued up. But I thought it would be helpful to come up with some benchmarks for what I look for in A CHRISTMAS CAROL adaptation. All of these elements don’t need to be there (and ALL of them rarely are), but they hit some of the elements I consider most important in the story. Here they are, in no particular order.

  • Tiny Tim: A couple of things. First, he has to be cute. Not sickening, but cute enough that you care he is ill. Second, in the Yet to Come scenes you need to feel moved when you realize Tim is dead. Extra points if the “this first parting” speech is included.
  • Marley: Between the door knocker and his arrival, you need to be scared. The whole jaw being tied up is optional, but always a nice touch. Extra credit to the versions that show the other ghosts who are powerless to help, and their agony.
  • Narrator: Is there one? Who is it? Seem to waiver between Bob and Fred (mostly Fred), but there are some other choices that are made.
  • The Ghost of Christmas Present: All too often he is shown as the Santa substitute. I like it when he takes Scrooge to visit a lot of different people, so they can spread the Christmas spirit. I think it helps explain the transformation. I also think Ignorance and Want should show up.
  • Belle: The Belle scenes are tricky. I like them best when Scrooge feels the loss, perhaps even more than he ever had.  Some versions show her later, and a couple of them even have Scrooge and Belle reconnect. Tricky stuff–I think it is best to leave her at the “you love another now” scene.
  • Old Joe: That whole “show me someone moved by this man’s death”, “show me some tenderness” and “who was that dead man” arc is tricky. I don’t love the Old Joe scenes, but I get their purpose.  That said, keep them short.
  • The Transformation: This is tricky stuff. The best versions don’t have Scrooge transform just because he doesn’t want to die. He needs to transform because he realizes he is running out of time to fix things. Different versions are better than others, and different actors carry the nuance better than others.

What am I missing? Anything else you miss when it isn’t included? Do you judge the way certain scenes are covered?

Tomorrow I will be back to the challenge.

George C. Scott in A CHRISTMAS CAROL

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George C. Scott as Scrooge was inspired casting. He was a formidable presence. The mean Scrooge was really mean. Scott doesn’t make him a caricature. The adaptation gives you a great sense of the work that had to be done to redeem Scrooge. When he sees Bob Cratchit he comments that “he does quite well for 15 bob a week.” The audience sees the changes in Scrooge slowly. This is partly the adaptation, partly the direction, but mostly the magnificent acting. And the transformation was a wonder.

The rest of this 1984 production is at the same level. I have to say, this version is amongst my favorites. The production is beautifully designed, and feels very period. The cast is wonderful (you’ll recognize a lot of them). David Warner’s Bob Cratchit didn’t fit my image at first, but when you see his “the first of us to leave” speech in the Christmas Yet to Come scene he’ll make you forget every other version.

Marley is scary, Ignorance and Want make an appearance, the businessmen are given context, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is haunting, Old Joe and the gang cash in, Mrs. Cratchit finds the color hurts her eyes and Scrooge and Cratchit make a date for a mug of smoking bishop. A must see for Christmas Carol afficiandos.

MR. MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL

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This is a fun version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. The premise is that Mr. Magoo is playing the role of Scrooge on Broadway. He causes chaos in the opening and closing sequences, but happily the story itself is shtick free. The story is told in 53 minutes, so there are several cuts (for instance Fan isn’t in the story, nor is Fred). The Ghost of Christmas Present is the first to appear, which is a little odd. I wonder if that was because of the musical arc of the story.

Yes, another musical. The music is by Jule Styne and the lyrics by Bob Merrill. (They collaborated on FUNNY GIRL after this). I love these numbers. Ironically, they don’t drip of the sentimentality that can kill these sorts of things. The song I posted earlier today is sung by Old Joe, the laundress, the undertaker and the charwoman. It is fun, but also has an edge.  And “All Alone in the World”? It gets me every time.

Fun fact–Jack Cassidy is the voice of Bob Cratchit.

Thumbs up on this one.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A MUSICAL

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As well you know by now, I like the story of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. I like its dark social commentaries. I like the different versions, and their take on Scrooge’s transformation.

I also like musicals. A great deal.

So theoretically, this 2004 musical version should work. But it doesn’t, at least for me. The sentimentality scale is way over the top. All three ghosts are present in Scrooge’s London. There are winks and obvious foreshadowing. And nothing is particularly scary. Sure, there are ghosts in the Marley scene that are a little frightening but then they break into a musical number. Even Ignorance and Want aren’t frightening, just odd looking.

Added to the sentimentality, there is an over explaining of the story. They add scenes like Scrooge’s father being sent to jail for debt (which happened to Dickens), or Scrooge and Marley turning down Fezziwig for a loan. In the Ghost of Christmas Future graveyard scene his mother and sister Fran (as a child) join in the musical number.

And the musical numbers. There are a couple of good songs, and some very impressive numbers, but it is all too much. Whereas SCROOGE had numbers, they were as dark as the story itself. These are very big old musical, and the tone doesn’t work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR2-GJmXOGw

I am going to show this to my 8 year old fellow critics, and will report their response. But for me, the attempt was noble (I mean, come on, there are HUGE production numbers), but it falls short.