Ein älterer Geizhals lernt am Weihnachtsabend die Fehler seiner Wege kennen.Ein älterer Geizhals lernt am Weihnachtsabend die Fehler seiner Wege kennen.Ein älterer Geizhals lernt am Weihnachtsabend die Fehler seiner Wege kennen.
- Regie
- Drehbuch
- Hauptbesetzung
- Auszeichnungen
- 1 wins total
- Fred
- (as Barry Mackay)
- Martha Cratchit
- (Nicht genannt)
- Street Watch Leader
- (Nicht genannt)
- Man on Sidewalk
- (Nicht genannt)
- Second Charity Solicitor
- (Nicht genannt)
Empfohlene Bewertungen
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.
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 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")
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.
Wusstest du schon
- WissenswertesThis was the only film in which Gene Lockhart appeared with his wife Kathleen Lockhart and their daughter June Lockhart.
- PatzerAt school, young Ebenezer mistakenly calls his sister Fran. Her real first name is Fan.
- Zitate
Ebenezer Scrooge: [to Marley's ghost] We'll soon see how real you are.
[Calling out the window]
Ebenezer Scrooge: Watch! There's an intruder in my room!
Leader of watch: Right up, sir - law and order!
Jacob Marley's ghost: It was for your welfare that I made this visit, Ebenezer Scrooge.
[He disappears]
Leader of watch: [unable to find him] Your intruder seems to have extruded, if I may say so, sir.
Ebenezer Scrooge: He was here! He was a spirit!
Leader of watch: [laughing] Of course, sir! A fine night for spirits - of one form or another, sir!
- Alternative VersionenAlso available in a computer colorized version.
- VerbindungenFeatured in A Fireside Chat with Lionel Barrymore (1938)
- SoundtracksHark! the Herald Angels Sing
(1856) (uncredited)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn (1840)
Lyrics by Charles Wesley (1730)
Arranged by David Snell
Sung by an offscreen chorus during opening credits
Top-Auswahl
Details
- Erscheinungsdatum
- Herkunftsland
- Offizieller Standort
- Sprache
- Auch bekannt als
- Un cuento de Navidad
- Drehorte
- Produktionsfirma
- Weitere beteiligte Unternehmen bei IMDbPro anzeigen
- Laufzeit
- 1 Std. 9 Min.(69 min)
- Farbe
- Seitenverhältnis
- 1.37 : 1