A Christmas Carol

This underrated version of the Dickens classic is, if not the most faithful to the book, the most faithful to the truths of Victorian England. This version draws less from the jollity of Dickens' earlier Christmas works, and more from his later, darker works (such as "Bleak House"). It is packed with details which ground it in a sort of reality that the earlier, more fanciful versions ignore. The streets are dirtier, the people are more miserable, and for perhaps the first time in film history, you can understand why people hate Scrooge so much. George C. Scott is outstanding in this version: his Scrooge is spiteful, cruel, and virtually irredeemable. Tiny Tim looks like a choleric orphan who could literally drop dead at any given moment. My favorite aspect of this production is how people react to Scrooge's transformation at the end. Rather than following the standard "Hooray, he's nice now!" change of heart, all the characters regard Scrooge with understandable suspicion and disbelief. While it may not be the best to warm your cockles on a cold Winter's eve, this version is at least the closest to Dickens' view of humanity.

The 1984 TV version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a joyous thing. Fronted by George C. Scott as the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge, Clive Donner's movie pays great respects to the source material and garners a multi stranded piece of brilliance out of Scott. The characters of course remain the same, but headed by Scrooge having a complex and painful background and a persona of confused emotions, there's meaty substance holding the movie up high. Donner and writer Roger Hirson retain the black heart of the source story, with the horror elements suitably effective to bother the children, while the Victorian atmosphere always feels – crucially – authentic.

If you haven't seen this version of the often filmed tale, put it on your list for next yuletide. 9/10

I have seen many different versions of this story and I think that after the 1984 version with George C. Scott they should have stopped making remakes. I am not saying subsequent versions are bad (the Patrick Stewart version is excellent), but that the Scott version is so perfect and well-crafted that there is simply no need to try again! Scot is the best Scrooge--with malevolence and selfishness in spades! In addition, despite this, there is a deeper humanity about his character and the writers were brilliant to focus so much on the societal aspects of the story as well. The hungry masses were only alluded to or shown in a cleaned up way in other versions, but here starvation and desolation are ugly and important to the plot and are just as Dickens had intended. Other stories have tended to focus too much on Scrooge while sometimes ignoring the important allegorical aspects of the tale. Dickens felt it was not so much a Christmas story but a story of the responsibility the rich have to their fellow man.

"Telefilms" tend to fall under the pitfalls of a low budget and a hasty shooting schedule, which is why this film always tends to buck the trend.

George C. Scott embodies Ebenezer Scrooge perfectly, fully encompassing all of his cold tendencies, and still makes him a simpathetic character. The production value for this film was exceptional, never relying on boffo special effects or soundstage set-ups, yet relying on the depth and clarity of on-site shooting and strong backdrops. A movie that certainly stands alone.

I know many people have a special fondness for the Alistair Sim version of Dickens' story, but for me, this 1984 version is the one to beat. My wife and I own a copy of this film on VHS, and we watch it together every Christmas Eve. I often remark that we could watch it on Halloween too, because it's a very creepy ghost story.

Scott--typecast as Scrooge--is shudderingly mean and nasty, making his transformation all the more miraculous and moving. I think it's up there with his performance in Patton. The spirits are all effective, each one creepier than the last. Watching the dark, floating, skeletal form of the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come sends shivers down my spine every year. And what a supporting cast! David Warner, in particular, is in top form as Bob Cratchit, as is Susannah York as his wife.

I seem to recall that this version sticks closer to the original story than most others--but I may be mistaken, as it's been several years since I read it. Regardless, this is a terrific Christmas classic.