Posted on 12/13/2022 9:18:03 PM PST by Kartographer
Kelsey Grammar 2004 is very good
1. Alistair Sim
2. George C. Scott
3. Patrick Stewart
(But it is close, as all three are excellent.)
Well, if you want to be depressed, by golly, stay with Scott.
Dickens was naturally depressing, so Hollywood tweaked it, just as they did The Wizard of Oz, and made it better.
Something which Hollywood has failed to do with anything since 1960, when they started making things worse.
But, I can understand your preference.
Regards and Merry
Sim is superb. Unbeatable.
Michael Caine was great in the Muppet Christmas Carol; Waldorf and Statler as Jacob and Robert Marley were great as well.
Incidentally, my second favorite is “The Muppets Christmas Carol.”
Great, happy movie with great songs.
But that’s just me.
Scott was great as Scrooge, but the thing that makes his version the best for me is Edward Woodward as the Ghost of Christmas present. He was Brilliant, especially in the scene with Ignorance and Want.
Something which Hollywood has failed to do with anything since 1960, when they started making things worse.
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Hollywood tweaked the Sound of Music, 1965. Fantastic movie, one of the best!
Thank Goodness!! The true story of the Von Trapp family was terribly uninteresting and Maria Von Trapp was a full on narcissist.
IMHO, it is hard to speak in the old English tongue of the novel and pass it off as natural.
Owens, while a great actor, sounded as if he struggled with the words rolling around in his mouth.
Scott handled the words and phrasing masterfully. That cynical laugh of his starts deep in the chest and comes rumbling up and out like nobody’s business.
And the man can bark out a phrase!
Let’s not forget his timeless, ‘I WANT my MONEY!’
We watched it yesterday and agree it’s the best version. I read that the actor who played Tiny Tim’s father passed away this year.
I didn’t know that.
WOW Hollywood knew how to do the “tweaking” didn’t they.
In many cases, I am happy they did.
...and now for something completely different;
“Scrooge” as laid down by Lord Buckley (1959)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xOLrZar3XRE
My favorite too.
I like the 1938 one with Reginald Owens..
I like the one with Alistaire Sims 1950. Watched it every Christmas since I was a kid and that was quite a while ago.
The black and white versions seem more authentic. IMO
I have seen them all and make a point to listen to the excellent Tim Curry narrated audiobook every year as I do Christmas-related chores. I just don’t like how many film versions that are otherwise well done short change authenticity and depth for no reason other than shaving off a few minutes of running time. The CGI one with Jim Carrey was surprisingly good and sort of under-rated.
Every year the Morgan Library in NYC displays Dickens’ the original handwritten manuscript of A Christmas Carol. They turn a page each year. This year it’s the scene where the two gentlemen solicit donation for the poor. Worth checking out if you’re a fan.
“Are there no work houses? Are there no prisons?’’
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