Una favola fantastica

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.

Christmas Carol, A (1984)

**** (out of 4)

George C. Scott plays Scrooge in this made for TV version of the classic Dickens story. I've seen quite a few of these films based on the famous story and I think this one here has become my favorite. This is an incredibly beautiful, eerie and very touching version of the story, which is pitch perfect from start to finish. What really separates this film from other versions is the terrific look, which really feels authentic and sets up the story well. Every single scene is full of wonderful detail and the colors, cinematography and lighting are perfect throughout. Another wonderful thing are the performances, which are all brilliant from Scott to the smallest person in the film. Scott really does a great job in the role and he perfectly captures the coldness of the character and he brilliantly pulls off the final act of his breakdown and new life. The supporting cast is equally great with Frank Finlay as Marley's Ghost, Angela Pleasence as Ghost of Christmas Past, Edward Woodward as Ghost of Christmas Present, David Warner and Susannah York as Bob Cratchit and his wife and Michael Gough as Mr. Poole. The film has an incredibly warm heart and captures the morals of the story very well but it's also quite creepy during the ghost sequences.

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.

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

It's a lavish TV film of the classic Dickens tale. Ebenezer Scrooge (George C. Scott) is a ruthless businessman and employer to Bob Cratchit. Scrooge rejects Christmas cheers and his nephew Fred Hollywell's invitation. That night, he's haunted by the spirit of his late business partner Jacob Marley who tells him about the impending visit by the three Ghosts of Christmas.

The great George C. Scott brings another level to Scrooge. He's not simply misery but also a ruthless businessman. The words "Greed is Good" come to mind. This is a better made than the usual TV production. This is cinematic. The sets are good looking. It's as compelling as any of the traditional A Christmas Carol and Scott is simply brilliant.