Un Cantique de Noel

Has ever a story been filmed more often than Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL? I venture to say not, particularly when you add in all the adaptations that make use of the story without quoting it literally.

In any case, the Edison studio made this version, and it shows the strengths and weaknesses of their film making in this period. The strength is their ability to rely on performances, and cut down on the titles. They would continue in this manner for another couple of years before they were swamped by the rising tide of the more subtle pantomime and elaborate productions that competitors like Biograph and Vitagraph were introducing.

The major weakness is that this is a movie for those who are familiar with the source, well-versed in the book or stage versions of the story, but more a highlights version than a flowing tale of redemption.

This is obviously not a full adaptation of Charles Dickens story--it only runs 17 minutes! It assumes the audience knows the story and just basically gives us the highlights. It involves all 4 visits from the ghosts (using some surprisingly good special effects for the time) and flashbacks to Scrooge's life. And it shows his complete change. It's actually very well-done and, for what it is, entertaining. But where's Tiny Tim? Nevertheless, recommended.

Obviously this version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is largely noteworthy for it's historical value since it doesn't have time to delve very deeply into the Dickens story. This one-reel wonder is watchable as long as you have a fondness for silent movies like I do. I'm not so sure others will consider it worth a look.

Besides Marley there's only one other ghost, no Tiny Tim and comparatively few dialogue boards. What is left is largely a pantomime performance of the holiday classic but the familiarity of the story makes it easy to follow. What special effects there are are wonderful considering the time period and this will whet your appetite for other silent film versions of the tale.

Anyone who enjoys the Edison Company's equally short production of FRANKENSTEIN is sure to appreciate this film as well.

As someone who has an interest in the film history of A Christmas Carol but only a modest knowledge of silent films, I appreciate the previous reviewers remarks about this short film. Given its length, the movie well captures the essence of the Dickens' story although I did miss Tiny Tim. I thought the special effects were pretty good especially given the production date of the movie. This is one of those movies that is interesting to me only because of its historical significance and that it was an early filming of a beloved story. I wonder if even audiences at the time of the movie's release liked this movie unless they were already familiar with the Dickens story and viewed this film as a curiosity. Comedy was much better suited to one reelers than was drama. Nonetheless, I'm glad I saw it.

For 1910, this is a good version of the classic Charles Dickens' story. Many of the scenes look quite familiar from the many more recent versions, and most viewers today will have no trouble filling in unexplained details and the like. It covers a lot of ground in only one reel of film, but even then it leaves out some very familiar details, so it really just tries to get across the main point of the story.

Marc McDermott, one of the Edison Studio's best actors, plays Scrooge. He does a good job, although the techniques of the era limit him somewhat, since the story relies on an effective Scrooge to make an impact. The story moves quite quickly, which again is simply a reflection of the time. Quite a few one-reel features of the era squeezed in enough material to fill two or three times their running time.

The story is so well-known and so worthwhile that almost any version of "A Christmas Carol" is worth seeing. This one is a good movie adaptation for its era, and it would have been hard to improve upon it significantly given the techniques and resources available at the time.