Posted on 12/24/2019 5:55:35 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Bah Humbug. Bah Ha-Ha. Bah Horror.
When it comes to Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” how do you like your Scrooge served?
Are you partial to the dramatic British version starring Alastair Sim, which has brought a tear to many a viewer’s eyes? Or maybe you prefer your Scrooge spiked with a dose of merry mischief like Bill Murray delivers in “Scrooged.”
“A Christmas Carol” performed by puppets never fails to charm, as evidenced by the huge popularity of “The Muppet Christmas Carol.” It’s hard to resist the scenery-chewing Scrooges of George C. Scott and Patrick Stewart in their respective versions. Mickey Mouse’s Christmas Carol has plenty of devoted fans. Even Hallmark’s gender-twisted “It’s Christmas, Carol!” featuring the dynamic duo of Carrie Fisher and Carson Kressley (of “Queer Eye” fame) has its admirers.
Dozens and dozens of film adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” have been produced in a variety of genres — dramatic, comedic, musical. Among them: “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” “An All Dogs Christmas Carol” and “A Diva’s Christmas Carol.” The gallery of Scrooges includes Jim Carrey, Kelsey Grammer, Reginald Owen and Scrooge McDuck.
Adding another yule log to the fire, FX just unveiled its dark-toned “A Christmas Carol” with Guy Pearce (“Memento”) as Scrooge, sprinkled with F-bombs and bloody images. It repeats Christmas Eve at 8 p.m. and Christmas at 4 p.m. (Best keep the kiddies away from this one.)
And that’s not counting the voluminous number of TV shows that have put their spin on the tale in holiday-themed episodes. The story is so embedded in our culture that almost everyone has a favorite go-to version. Here are a few of ours.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
“Best ever”
No doubt !
Alastair Sim version is the best, though I really like Scrooged with Bill Murray!
Sims and Finney versions are my favorites but quite different in that the Finney version was modified to be a musical, thus not for purists. I love the story and have enjoyed many versions until this year’s FX version. It was terrible and painting Scrooge as a potential sex pervert was definitely over the top.
‘Watching the Alastair Sim version right now. Best ever’
waiter, more bread
ha’penny extra, sir
no more bread
‘It was terrible and painting Scrooge as a potential sex pervert was definitely over the top.’
I’d heard it was edgy, but quite frankly that isn’t a word that comes to mind after watching but five minutes of it...
‘F-bombs?’
many, many f-bombs...
Actually, the George C. Scott version is even more faithful. A few scenes in the Sim version are not in the book, and I think they changed one character’s first name. A few other minor details may be different. It’s a great movie and features a great Scrooge though.
The L.A. Times should have had that parody with the endless chanting of “Feliz Natividad”.
Spanish speakers are a huge part of their readers these days, after all.
To say the new guy Pearce version is dark is an understatement. Weird to boot.
“The Man Who Invented Christmas” is my favorite. But you have to know the classic story to follow it with max enjoyment.
I have no interest in Latin America this time of year, and their maritime personnel don’t bring out the Christmas spirit either.
It was set during the Great Depression.
Hollywood celebrating that they haven’t had an original idea in 100 years.
Theressa Heinz-Kerry recorded a version of 12 Days of Christmas (complete with raisins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hFb-vepuM8
Just updating it to the current lingo I suppose.
Lord Buckley did his own alternate dramatic reading back in the mid-20th century (10 minutes):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8D3ypiFyik
I’ll vote for the one with George C. Scott. Still the best I’ve seen.
More gravy than grave.
Scrooge The Musical, is my favorite.
We like that movie too. We bought it last year for Christmas.
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