“Marley was dead; to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.”
I have always felt pretty sorry for Ebenezer. He’s just settled down to cheese and broth at the end of a long day when a dead friend barges through his door. As well as the interruption, he also drags behind him lots of very heavy metal boxes which look like they definitely scuff what must be original parquet flooring, a real period feature.
He is then haunted by his past errors, threatened with death and is quite bizarrely told he is the worst man who ever lived. Which makes you picture Victorian London entirely differently really, once you realised it never got worse than a grumpy, tight person. It also forces you to conclude that people have got a LOT shitter since the 1800’s.
I can see Dickens’ predicament. Our joy at a reformed multiple murder uttering, ‘I’m as light as a feather! I’m as happy as an angel!’ may not, it must be said, be as forthcoming as it is for our miserable scrooge. So after these monumental shocks and scares, it turns out he’s a pretty nice guy underneath all the fear and hurt and turns into one of the best men to walk the earth, and so it is only fitting that he is etched into the public consciousness as…the most miserly, stingy grinch that ever lived. Poor Mr Scrooge.
I thought then that I would offer my festive thoughts on some of the many adaptations, good, bad, old and new that have been borne out of Dickens’ well loved tale.
Expect the first…well now actually.
The Muppet’s Christmas Carol
Cratchit is a frog, Mrs Cratchit is a pig (no wonder Tim is a cripple), Fezziwig is a bear and Dickens is, well, whatever Gonzo is.
Michael Caine admirably plays it straight affording the best lines and laughs to his furry co stars. It remains relatively faithful to the book considering; all the classic elements are there with the addition of great songs, hilarious moments and lovely scenes such as the one where the rats close up for Christmas whilst dear old Kermit sings. A great version. And who can deny that despite being a frog puppet with a hand stuck up his arse, Robin’s Tiny Tim is infinitely more likeable than any of the human incarnations?
Scrooge 1951
‘The best and definitive version’ the movie critics insist. Okay, okay, so Alister Simm is very good, blah blah blah. Perhaps constant critical fawning makes me feel contrary but the issue I have is that this post war version is SO serious, it shoves morals down your throat without a drop of humour to ease them on their way. As I’ve said, Alistair Sim is great and it includes many scenes from the original tale that other versions leave out but I wouldn’t say it was faithful as it misses or totally ignores the lightness, wit and humour present in the book. Perhaps the failing lies with me; an 80’s child brought up in a colour fuelled, all singing, all dancing Christmas…
Scrooge 1970
Ok, so perhaps the most important factor in judging these films is a frustratingly uncritical, subjective one – the version you grew up with. This is the version I watched every Christmas and therefore the one that will always be my favourite. Ronald Neame’s adaptation is rather more eccentric than most of the others. It has music, dance, a lot of humour and the addition of a hell scene. Albert Finney is fantastic in the lead role, his Scrooge by turns a cold eyed miser, pitiable endearing grump, hilarious batty old man. He acts a character twice his age with such success it not only earned him a Golden Globe but it also left me utterly confused as to what he looked like for many years (that would be the younger version of Scrooge that he also plays). His partner Marley is portrayed equally well by Alec Guinness in a dryly comic, wonderfully over the top turn and support from the likes of Kenneth Moore and Edith Evans adds even more class. Aside from this it also has a haunting, atmospheric- never cheesy- soundtrack penned by Leslie Bricusse (composer of Charlie and the chocolate factory songs) that seems to evoke the desired emotions and create a fantastical Christmas atmosphere that only music is capable of doing, thereby elevating it above the rest. Overshadowed by the other musical Dickens’ adaptation that came out in the same year- Oliver!- it is a little forgotten nowadays despite the stellar cast which is a shame as it’s a real gem. Watch it! And ignore the soulless bastard at the Radio Times who gives this two stars and The Polar Express- a jarring cross between a charming tale and a drug fuelled nightmare about Tom Hanks- four. Subjectivity, schmubjectivity: He’s wrong.
A Christmas Carol 2010
Using motion capture animation first introduced by Zemeckis in The Polar Express allows this most recent adaptation plenty of opportunity for beautiful panoramic views of and journeys over and through (3D anyone?) Victorian London. Jim Carey is surprisingly good as Scrooge (and sounds a little like Victor Meldrew) and as the three ghosts (although once I knew this I couldn’t keep a straight face whilst watching the Ghost of Christmas Past.)
The story is strangely the most faithful to the book with the exception of the horse chase scene (3D anyone??) It’s also the most scary which may come as a surprise. But for all its visual impressiveness some of the charm is missing, a fact which is felt more dearly in the second half where things become quite dark. The animation is as perfect as you can get before you end up with real actors which leaves it looking a little too precise and a bit odd. Nevertheless the visuals of London are great, the soundtrack is good and it’s an enjoyable watch that seems to grow on me year after year. Oh, and listen out for Gary Oldman as the voice of Marley and inexplicably…Tiny Tim. The revelation of the latter led to an evening of furious IMDB searching and a questioning of everything I held to be true.
A Christmas Carol 1938
Only watch this film if you’ve eaten so much blue cheese and Quality Street that your judgement has become severely impaired. It is hilarious though. At least it is if you’re in a state of Christmas delirium. This version is American which immediately explains everything that’s wrong with it. Tiny Tim is more Mickey Mouse Club than cockney urchin and Reginald Owens as Scrooge walks around squatting, as if he’s about to lay an egg. Every dark element has been replaced with saccharine American cheer and Tiny Tim never seems in any real danger because you just can’t ignore that fact that he’s probably got great health insurance.
If I get time I may review some others, but let’s face it, I probably won’t, it takes me about a year to roll out one post as it is. So for now Merry Christmas and enjoy your chosen version, whichever that may be!
Musings on the Madness 