A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens' immortal story certainly has resonated over the centuries, both in print and through the various cinematic interpretations of the tale. Here, Reginald Owen plays the central role of miserable, greedy old cretin Ebenezer Scrooge, a character with no use for the Christmas season. It isn't until four spirits, starting with that of his deceased business partner Jacob Marley, visit him one Christmas Eve and work hard at making Scrooge see the error of his ways.

There is enough individuality in this adaptation (scripted by Hugo Butler) to make it interesting enough to watch, although it does sort of race through the story, clocking in at a mere 70 minutes. The sequence with the Spirit of Christmas Past (the gorgeous Ann Rutherford) IS over pretty quickly, with not enough time devoted to showing us how Scrooge started adopting his present demeanor. That said, it's full of endearing, engaging performances. Owen is a solid Scrooge, although he won't make anybody forget cinemas' most memorable Scrooge, Alastair Sim. In this version, he begins repenting sooner, and plays it more low-key than Sim when Scrooge sees the light.

Gene Lockhart is appealing as put-upon clerk Bob Cratchit, and the casting makes this a bit of a family affair: his real-life wife Kathleen plays Mrs. Cratchit, and their daughter June makes her film debut as one of the Cratchit children. Terry Kilburn is a wonderful Tiny Tim, Barry MacKay is a delight as the upbeat, optimistic Fred, and that great English character actor Leo G. Carroll is an excellent Marley's ghost. One amusing touch here is that when Marley's ghost appears in Scrooges' abode, he attempts to have some gentlemen remove the "intruder", whom of course they cannot see.

This 1938 adaptation is overall definitely not as potent as the 1951 classic, but it still gets enough right to rate as decent holiday fare.

Seven out of 10.

I've seen this along with the 1951 version on TV every Christmas and although the '51 version is preferable this is still a very good movie in it's own telling of the Dicken's classic. Gene Lockhart as Bob Cratchit and Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge are both great and Leo G. Carrol does a good ghost of Jacob Marley. Lionel Braham, Ann Rutherford and D'Arcy Corrigan turn in good performances as the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. MGM Cinematographer Sidney Wagner does a wonderful job with the photography. Cedric Gibbons is the Art Director here. He had a contract made in 1924 that his name would appear on every MGM movie made in the United States so until 1956 his name was on 1500 movies even if he was just head of the Production department and didn't actually work on a film. He did work on 150 films himself during that time and this is one of them. He's the guy who designed the Oscar and was nominated for 39 of them and won 11. Longtime MGM set Director Edwin Willis designed the sets here. This is Director Edwin Martin's best film in a career of largely forgettable films. This is a good Christmas film and some prefer it to the more popular 1951 version and it may be more stylish and charming in it's big studio MGM way but I prefer the '51 British version with Alistair Sim as Scrooge. I do really like this too and would give it an 8.5 out of 10.

This Hollywood version of the Dickens Christmas classic is overshadowed by a later British version featuring Alastair Sim. The British film is more realistic, and captures in its incidentals more of Dickens' radical spirit than this more stately American film, which as directed by the able Edward Martin, is done on a more modest scale. I find the American film cozier and warmer.

Reginald Owen is a less flamboyant Scrooge than Sim, which tends to make one concentrate more on the story. The movie was made on a medium budget, and it shows. However, this is not a bad thing, for while the later version gives has a dank, drafty Victorian mood,--one can almost feel the winter wind,--this one benefits enormously from its hearth-like intimacy. It's a very fine movie in its own right, with a mood all its own.

In the Nineteenth Century, in London, the bitter, greedy and cranky Ebenezer Scrooge (Reginald Owen) hates Christmas and people. He runs his business exploiting his employee Bob Cratchit (Gene Lockhart) and spends unfriendly treatment to his nephew Fred (Barry MacKay) and acquaintances.

In the Christmas Eve, he is visited by the doomed chained ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley (Leo G. Carroll), who died seven years ago and tells him that three spirits would visit him that night. The first one, the spirit of past Christmas, recalls his happy childhood and coming of age; the spirit of the present Christmas shows him the poor situation of Bob's family and the happiness of Fred and his fiancée Bessy; and the spirit of future Christmas shows his fate. Scrooge finds that life is good and finds redemption changing thoughts about Christmas, Bob, tiny Tim, his nephew and people in general.

"A Christmas Carol" is one of the most beautiful Christmas tales in the cinema. I do not recall how many adaptations of one of the most known Charles Dickens' short story I have seen but this 1938 is also wonderful. I do not have much more to say but recommend this magnificent family entertainment. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Um Conto de Natal" ("A Christmas Tale")

There's just something about this one that, while not close to being the most faithful it nonetheless remains my favorite of all the many film versions of Dicken's Christmas Carol.

I guess it's those old classic MGM production values. It's Gene Lockhart's sometimes cowed, sometimes impish, sometimes heroic & joy-filled Bob Cratchett.

And it's definitely the way Reginald Owen turns Scrooge around far earlier than the other productions. I get so tired of seeing that rotten old Scrooge stay rotten until ten minutes before the film ends, when, poof, he sees the light & is miraculously transformed form the meanest man in the world to the nicest. Here, Owen's Scrooge begins to turn fairly quick, and I enjoy that - it really makes him so much easier to root for.

Every time I see it I'm reminded about how marvelous & truly important Franz Waxman's score is to this version. It's delightfully bouncy & upbeat when it's called for & dark forboding during the grim scenes. It's wonderful; dead-on perfect.

For me, it's far and away the most entertaining version. Sit back for its brief 69 minutes, watch and enjoy.