Lo schiavo dell'oro

I hesitate to add to the avalanche of praise bestowed, on this site,

on this perfect picture, the definitive Scrooge of all time, which I

have watched, spellbound, every Christmas since I was three

years old and will continue to watch as long as I am breathing. I

endorse the review already placed here by "jackboot"; and I have

also been particularly touched by that small scene between

Scrooge and the maid, with not a word spoken, that "Seashell 1"

mentions. Two points I would like to underline here which I have

not seen mentioned by others: First, this is about the only

"Christmas Carol" movie that remembers to be a GHOST story as

well as a Christmas story. The superb camera work by Pennington-Richards and the powerful score by Richard Addinsell

help to make this movie rather scary in places, as it should be.

Nowhere else have I seen the grim bleakness of the grimier side

of Victorian London so immediately conveyed. The scene where

Marley's ghost is caught out in the snowstorm with a multitude of

other wailing spirits is truly horrifying; and there are many such

moments, such as the one where the Spirit of Christmas Present

suddenly reveals to us the personifications of Ignorance and

Want; they really scared me as a kid, and they should scare us all

as adults now. Secondly, and above all, I think that the reason why

Alastair Sim succeeds so brilliantly here in a role which has

defeated so many is that he was chiefly a COMIC actor. Ebenezer

Scrooge has from the beginning an underlying humor which

makes him human; by allowing it to come out he makes the

transformation plausible, by making you understand that this

humor was dormant in him all along, just waiting to be awakened.

It just isn't Christmas without Sim.

There are many adaptations of Charles Dickens' classic tale, but A Christmas Carol (1951) is among the best. Alastair Sim's portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge is one people have been copying for decades, as he's able to be both credibly crabby and believably benevolent. Plus, this version feels like a ghost story, which seems more faithful to the original work. Don't let the black & white fool you, this film is timeless.

I have not seen Albert Finney's nor George C. Scott's portrayal of Scrooge, so I cannot say definitively that Alastair Sim 'owns' this role, but I sure have trouble imagining anyone topping him; he is superb, the nitpicking comments of TinMan-5 notwithstanding. This version will always have a special place in my affections, and I am glad to see I'm not alone in holding this opinion. In my view, this is the definitive film version of this venerable and beloved tale.

I am sure Charles Dickens would be more than pleased with the film adaptation of 'A Christmas Carol'. A truly remarkable film that never fails to delight me. There are so many poignant scenes. When for instance Scrooge asks his nephew's wife for forgiveness for being a 'pig headed old fool' it never fails to have me reaching for the nearest tissues. However, the one scene that sticks in my mind is where Scrooge is settling down to eat his bowl of soup in his dressing gown and slippers in front of the fire. The expression on his face on hearing the voice of Jacob Marley, and subsequently dropping his spoon and its contents into his soup bowl, is for me a cinematic treasure.

Many adaptations of Dickens' Christmas book have been and gone, but this is generally thought to be one of the definitive films of the story.

Brian Desmond Hurst directs a fine cast, headed by the incomparable Alastair Sim (a man who can play both malevolent and humorous) as the about-to-be-redeemed Ebenezer Scrooge. Sim's reactions are priceless and he settles down well in the role. Michael Hordern is a less successful Marley, certainly when he visits as a ghost, but the three Ghosts of Christmas are just as you imagine - Christmas Past is a wise old sage, Christmas Present is a jovial party-giver ...

Strengths of this production include the opening out of events of the past into a linear narrative (George Cole plays young Scrooge for the early segments), and the playing of Mervyn Johns and Hermoine Baddeley as the Cratchits. It is a film which has holly, plum pudding, and carol singers written all over it, from the use of Christmas tunes in the music track, to the roaring fires and snow-strewn streets in which everyone makes merry for the festive day.