"In this sense it is somewhat like Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It had been done successfully many times with a number of different actors in the lead role. (My personal favorite is the George C. Scott version.)"Personally, my favorite for the classical version would be "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol". In the "alternative" series, I have to admit a fondness for Bill Murray's "Scrooged".
. . . my personal favorite is the Alastair Sim version. George C. Scott is good, but I had the impression he was laughing under his breath as the wicked Scrooge and didn't completely convince as the reformed Scrooge. Sim I thought gave the most plausible transformation from wicked old miser to exuberant released prisoner . . . I also love the supporting cast, from Fezziwig to the little maid in his nephew's house. You just can't beat British actors of the 40s and 50s for depth on the bench . . . :-D
I agree that LOTR like "Christmas Carol" is a dense literary classic that will support reinterpretation time after time.
. . . I kinda liked the Bakshi film too, although it was flawed and incomplete.