Un recuento musical de la novela clásica de Charles Dickens sobre un viejo avaro amargado que emprende un viaje de auto-redención y experimenta varias apariciones misteriosasUn recuento musical de la novela clásica de Charles Dickens sobre un viejo avaro amargado que emprende un viaje de auto-redención y experimenta varias apariciones misteriosasUn recuento musical de la novela clásica de Charles Dickens sobre un viejo avaro amargado que emprende un viaje de auto-redención y experimenta varias apariciones misteriosas
- Dirección
- Guionistas
- Elenco
- Nominado a 4 premios Óscar
- 1 premio ganado y 10 nominaciones en total
- Dirección
- Guionistas
- Todo el elenco y el equipo
- Producción, taquilla y más en IMDbPro
Opiniones destacadas
This story has been retold and refilmed more times than most tales. However, I think this may be one of the best versions. I watched it in color, though I believe it was originally in black and white, and it would have been just as good in that form.
The songs are pretty good, but what I really enjoyed was how much personality Scrooge (Albert Finney) had. I really enjoyed the scene where his nephew is playing the Minister's Cat game. Scrooge just came alive! The film also stands out for portraying Hell and mentioning Lucifer. I am used to them Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come showing Scrooge a grave, but not actually taking him to Hell. I was a little taken aback by that... what was a pretty light tale suddenly got very, very dark. I suppose that is the point, though, so they did it well.
If you watch only one version of "Christmas Carol" this year, make it this one.
And did you know that he could sing? You'll get to hear a variety of original songs in this movie, from the sweet to the sad, the heartwarming to the funny. Alec Guinness, Kenneth More, Laurence Naismith, Suzanne Neve, Richard Beaumont, and David Collings join in on the musical fun; and Anton Rodgers leads the chorus in the most memorable "Thank You Very Much." It's a very sad scene (the entire town is thanking Scrooge for dying), but the song itself is adorable and will keep you singing it for years to come.
This version might not be the one you watch every year on Christmas Eve, but if it's been a while since you saw it, rent it again this December. There are many little touches that will continue to impress you whenever you do watch it. Details remind you that the writers clearly studied the original text, the production design and costumes make you feel as though you're experiencing the bitter cold alongside them, and Albert Finney makes you want to wrap him up in a hug. No, not because of his twinkling eyes and sparkling smile. Just as he completely transformed himself as Hercule Poirot, you'll forget there's a young, handsome man underneath the makeup of Ebenezer Scrooge. He's a lonely, crotchety old man you'll feel sorry for, and when you see the Ghost of Christmas Past flashbacks, you'll practically forget it's the same actor!
However, having said that, I own a copy and have watched it faithfully every Christmas Eve or Christmas Day for nigh onto 20 years. It renews my spirit and reminds me of my responsibilities as a human being.
At the tender age of 12, my Dad took me to see "Scrooge" in the theater when it was released for Christmas. At only 12 years of age, the scenes of the Ghost of Christmas Future were quite vivid.
However, the movie made such an impression on me that it influenced my entire Life philosophy. "Mankind is our business" says Dickens through the Ghost of Christmas Present. This joyful movie filled with wonderful songs that bring me the Christmas Spirit every year. It also imparts the value of staying connected to matters of the spirit and heart, and illustrates the difficulties that arise when ones focus becomes only the material or the monetary. That is a valuable lesson to us all, not just at Christmas, but the whole year through.
I recommend this movie to everyone. Personally, I find it much more engaging and inspiring, not to mention, colorful, than any other version. The performances of all the actors are very entertaining. If you're the sentimental type, keep a hankie close by when Tiny Tim sings for his family at Christmas. What an angel!
Just my 2 cents worth!
Aside from the scene in "hell", this film is admirably true to the spirit and content of Dicken's text, with some inevitable cuts which frankly, I didn't miss. More importantly, I have seen no other version which manages to combine the miserable qualities of Scrooge with the touches of wit and humour which Dickens so skillfully wrote with. Other versions of the film so often succeed at being dour, while failing to capture the joyous aspects of the story, and the humour Scrooge himself sometimes provides. Happily, this version Succeeds at both.
The 1951 version of the film, with Alastair Sim as Scrooge, is often touted as being the best. This may be where my age betrays me, but when I saw it recently, it left me feeling rather flat. Sim did a good job of appearing afraid of the ghosts, but where was his bitterness, skepticism and sarcastic wit? By contrast, Albert Finney's portrayal is a joy to watch - you cannot help but both love and hate the miserable old creature, which makes his transformation at the end all the more joyous.
Highlights...
The clever use of songs like "Father Christmas" and "Thank You Very Much" to convey very different sentiments at the end of the film than they do when first introduced in eaarlier scenes - marvelous!
Albert Finney, as the hilariously miserable Scrooge, singing "I hate People"
Alec Guinness as a truly original ghost of Jacob Marley - fantastic!
Kenneth More's Ghost of Christmas Present - what presence, what a costume!
Laurence Naismith as the exuberant Fezziwig - exactly as he should be, and a good dancer too!
Edith Evans (Elderly Ghost of Christmas Past), in response to Scrooge's "You don't look like a ghost", primly replying "Thank You!".
Mrs. Cratchhit's scream of shock when she realises who is delivering the enormous turkey to her door! I could watch it a hundred times!
...and too many others to mention. This movie was released on DVD this year - by all means see it!
I remember watching this movie every year, sometimes more than once. Even as I prepared to write this review I thought, 'I don't really need to watch it again but I probably should just so that it is fresh in my mind. When I popped the DVD in I was instantly transported into the Christmas season, which up until that moment, even after hanging lights, decorating the rooms of our house, and visiting my Grandparents for Thanksgiving, I simply had not felt like it was Christmas yet.
But those bells that play and the frosty blue and white painted credits title cards ushered in the Christmas spirit into my winter season as surely as a visit from Jacob Marley's ghost.
While I may be biased, I do truly believe this is the best adaptation of Charles Dickens' story that has ever been made. I doubt this review will change your mind about your favorite but I do hope it will at least prompt you to try this one out as, perhaps, an addition to your Holiday-time Queue.
I'm going to begin with Scrooge, our titular character, played by Albert Finney ("Big Fish," 2003). If there's been a more truly cantankerous, tragically calloused, monetarily focused, hilariously oblivious, and joyfully redeemed version of this character, I'll eat my hat, coat, and winter boots alongside my Christmas goose and pudding. Watching other versions, the actor playing scrooge always seems to be performing the part of Scrooge as if they are in a TV special (sometimes they are) and their real job is to make sure they get out every iconic line from the story. Finney, on the other hand, doesn't just run through his lines in an 'already prepared' fashion. The lines seem to come from deep in his hard heart. He's always fussing around as if he can't even sit still during his conversations, subtly communicating how little stock he places in humanity. Scrooge feels like a real person in this version, not just a story book character come to life with a funny voice, although he does have one, and a cartoonish grimace on his face (such as Jim Carrey in "Disney's A Christmas Carol").
Another wonderful aspect "Scrooge" is the music. A Christmas Carol is no stranger to musical adaptations and while I give credit to quite a few of the songs in "A Muppet Christmas Carol" for being fun, Christmas-y, and often hilarious, they simply don't hold a candle to the musical sequences in "Scrooge." This is in part because the songs are simply better, in my opinion, feeling more like a stage musical's words and score, but also because the sequences, and indeed the entire film, actually takes advantage of the fact that it is a film and not just a TV special.
The scenes where Scrooge is just standing there and singing are few and are actually motivated by the scenes and communicate something about Scrooge and who he is willing to sit and listen to and who he isn't. The first musical number features three songs "Christmas Children," "I Hate People," and "Father Christmas" is frenetically paced as Scrooge attempts to slip away from the mocking song that the street urchins sing, even as he goes about London, collecting on debts, even on Christmas Eve. This is contrasted with Bob Cratchit who meets two of his children after work, walks them home collecting items for their celebration, and marveling at the magic of Christmas on the London Streets.
Of course this is all helped by some of the best production design I have ever seen in a movie, let alone a Christmas movie. London feels large, with little neighborhoods and districts not because we get some CGI flyover but because the streets of London aren't just a single cross street set and an alley that the Cratchits live on. We wander all over the streets of London and when we do go inside, Scrooge's office, The Cratchits one room home, and Scrooge's chambers all feel so real and lived in that they themselves communicate the state of their occupiers souls: the Cratchit house full of bustling family and light; Scrooge's home full of old dingy heavy and dark drapes, starkly furnished, and kept as dirty and barely kept as Scrooge's disgusting fingernails..
This brings up the last thing I'll mention; Light. This film actually uses light as a tool for storytelling, beginning the night before Christmas where Scrooge lives with an eternally dark heart as black as the sky and ending with Christmas morning shining bright as Scrooge literally runs around like a schoolboy (he doesn't just say it then continue to walk around like an old man as in "Muppet Christmas Carol"). This isn't the only example of how light is used to communicate generosity and the spirit of Christmas in the film but I will leave those to you to discover on your own.
This is one of those movies that appeals to me on almost every level. The acting is great, the music is fun, and it actually feels like I am watching a movie that the director was thinking more about how to communicate the feeling of a hard-hearted man being redeemed than he was thinking about how to achieve a special effect or make an exact copy of every scene from the book. I find myself spontaneously singing the songs from this film all year round and there are few things that bring my soul the sort of satisfaction that this film does as it ends with Scrooge lavishing his riches upon the town and walking back home all by himself, still singing under his breath and skipping as he does.
May we all find and share that kind of joy this holiday season.
¿Sabías que…?
- TriviaProduced at Shepperton Studios, where another musical adaption of a Charles Dickens novel, Oliver (1968), had been made two years before . It reused many of the sets from "Oliver!" that were still being held in storage. Both films were photographed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Oswald Morris B.S.C. (Morris won his Academy award for yet another film musical, Fiddler on the Roof, the following year.
- ErroresDuring the reprise of "Thank You Very Much" at the end of the movie, the crowd sings and dances their way past the booth of the Punch and Judy man, and the camera stops to focus on him. Just to the left of his booth, the actors can be seen stopping and turning back as they are now "off-camera". The next shot after the Punch and Judy man, however, shows them continuing down the street.
- Citas
Ghost of Christmas Present: Here, Scrooge. I have brought you home.
Ebenezer Scrooge: You're not going.
Ghost of Christmas Present: My time upon this little planet is very brief. I must leave you now.
Ebenezer Scrooge: But we still have so much to talk about, haven't we?
Ghost of Christmas Present: There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have.
Ebenezer Scrooge: Yes, but...
Ghost of Christmas Present: Remember, Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there anymore.
- Créditos curiososThe phrase "Merry Christmas" appears at the end of the movie.
- Versiones alternativasThe version shown on network television deletes all of the scarier scenes in the film, including the ghosts Scrooge and Marley are passing during his first visit from Marley, the revelation of the Spirit of the future's face, and the entire hell segment. All of these scenes are restored in the version shown on Turner Classic Movies.
- ConexionesFeatured in A Hollywood Christmas (1996)
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Detalles
- Fecha de lanzamiento
- Países de origen
- Idioma
- También se conoce como
- Scrooge
- Locaciones de filmación
- Blackpark Lake, Black Park Country Park, Black Park Road, Wexham, Slough, Buckinghamshire, Inglaterra, Reino Unido(lake scene during "Happiness")
- Productoras
- Ver más créditos de la compañía en IMDbPro
Taquilla
- Total en EE. UU. y Canadá
- USD 3,698,009
- Tiempo de ejecución1 hora 53 minutos
- Color
- Relación de aspecto
- 2.35 : 1