A Christmas Carol

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  • With Christmas coming on fast, we will no doubt see every version of A Christmas Carol or Scrooge on the tube. We all have our favorite version. Mine has always been the 1951 Alastair Sim version. I always felt he was more believable in his turn around.


    I'd like to know what everyone else thinks. Which version is your favorite? Maybe there is one or two I've not seen.


    Mark

    "I couldn't go to sleep at night if the director didn't call 'cut'. "

  • I like both the 1938 and 1951 version, with the 1938 version edging out the '51. After all, besides the fine actor Reginald Owen, it also stars the near entire Lockhart family, Gene, his wife, Kathleen and of course, daughter June is one of the Cratchit daughters.Only other version I really liked was the Disney animated one from a few years back with Jim Carrey as Scrooge. I got to see it in 3D in the theaters and it was pretty impressive.

  • Sorry I am late to the game here; but A Christmas Carol is a favorite of mine since childhood. I have read the book several times and have forced that on my nieces and nephews. I enjoy most of the movie versions; even Albert Finney's musical Scrooge from the 1970s but to me the best version was George C. Scott in the 1980s. The dialogue was very true to the book and Scott's performance was excellent. I also think David Warner's portrayal of Bob Cratchit was one of the best.


    The other versions all have pluses and minuses in my view and are quite enjoyable. I even like to watch Mr. Magoo's version with the kids to get them interested in the story; and hopefully when they are a bit older they will embrace that. The Patrick Stewart version is a nice crisp telling of the tale; and Alistair Sim's version from the 50's is also quite good. You can't really go wrong with any of those.


    I personally did not like the animated version with Carey so much; and the Kelsey Grammar version was also not very strong.


    I recently realized that Lockhart from the Reginald Owen version was the judge in the original Miracle on 34th Street; another Christmas classic. I preferred him as the judge; he was a bit too portly to be a convincing poor clerk in my opinion.


    Speaking of A Christmas Carol; the movie about Dickens' experience writing the novel, The Man Who Invented Christmas; is a lovely film too; though there is no way of knowing how close to reality the film hits. But we can suspend our disbelief and just enjoy the story all the same. Christopher Plummer would be an excellent Scrooge if he did the role in a more traditional film re-telling of the story as well; at least I think so.