eolas_pellor

People who dislike this film miss the point of it, I think. It isn't a modern wry take on a children's movie, it is a children's story. But, if you just forget the idea that a kids movie should have jokes aimed at the adults, it's surprisingly good. Natalie Portman shows great acting chops, and is a great foil for Dustin Hoffman. The script and the cinematography is excellent, without any noticeable lags. And much of the story works very well on an adult level; ultimately we all have to find our spark; ultimately we all have to leave, at some point. I have used this film as an assignment for students in Careers class, because it helps them realize that the things that prepare us for one career over another are often very subtle and easy to miss. Much like this film, itself.

I have not let a Christmas pass without watching this film in 47 years. It is, simply, the definitive cinematic adaptation of Dicken's best loved tale. Yes, some things were added, in the Ghost of Christmas Past scenes, to flesh out Scrooge's motivation, but the additions are very much consistent with what Dickens told us. It's also true that the wonderful line about fools being buried with a stick of holly through their hearts is left out. While I love the line, and listen for it in every other adaptation (it requires a certain verve to deliver correctly), I think the excision is both deliberate, and advised. The line does not fit the character of Scrooge as portrayed in this adaptation.

The actors, all of them, do a commendable job. Kathleen Harrison's Mrs Dilber and Michael Hordern's Marley pretty much define the roles but it is Alastair Sim who dominates, as he should. It is an amazing performance, rich with nuance. Of all the other Scrooges, only George C. Scott comes close to being Sim's equal.

I love the black & white; the whole film reminds me of illustrated Victorian books, which I take it, was the intent of the Director (Brian Hurst) and the Art Director (Ralph Brinton). I wish the younger generation found it easier to appreciate B&W film because, although I often share this gem with my classes, they rarely get it.

I saw this cartoon exactly once, when I was about 8. Even as a child, I found it compelling; the radarscope battle scenes still show up in my dreams from time to time. As with many childhood memories, one wonders if it will have the same impact when you see it again, as an adult. Well, having fortunately stumbled upon this by accident on the internet, I was pleased to find it did wear well. Of course, knowing as I do now, that this was made in 1939, I can see it as one of the high moments of American Isolationist sentiment and thus, a mistake. But, setting that aside, it is well-intentioned and eloquent. The usually saccharine Hugh Harman rises above his oeuvre here; the squirrels and bunnies have aren't merely cute. The framing device at the begging and end, if typically cute, is arguably necessary; Harman gets the balance right. The remake of this cartoon -- 1955's "Good Will to Men" manages to miss the balance, and just does not have the same impact. "Peace on Earth" was voted one of the Fifty Greatest Cartoons of All Time in 1994. It is said that this cartoon was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, perhaps an apocryphal tale, but one that indicates the significance of "Peace on Earth" really well.