Scrooge is the definitive Christmas story. Ebenezer Scrooge is a wealthy businessman in Victorian London and a miser. One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his ex-partner Jacob Marley, as well as three Christmas spirits who gradually convince him of the error of his ways. As a result, he awakens on Christmas morning transformed into a veritable champion of the season and all that it stands for.
This 1951 version of A Christmas Carol (Scrooge) remains the best for an important reason: of all the versions made before or since, this is the only one that got it absolutely right.
The story--as so many have misread it--is not about an evil tightwad who hates everything and is suddenly scared into being a saint by the spirits of Christmas. It is, instead, about a good man whose life has turned him in on himself--made him bitter and miserable--primarily through the death of his beloved sister, Fan. He is not, therefore, changed in the end, but rather, restored to himself, his innate good nature emerging renewed from its cocoon of self-imposed misery.
Of course, the Spirits of Christmas must do the job for him since Scrooge can't rely on his own sense of reason and fair play to save him from himself; his position is technically valid. The opening scenes demonstrate how everyone is expecting something from him in the name of Christmas, but not in the name of what's fair: A debtor wants more time to pay--in the name of Christmas. A charity wishes him to donate money--in the name of Christmas, and Cratchit wants the day off , with pay--in the name of Christmas. As Scrooge points out, if he were to dock Cratchit's pay half a crown for a day without work, Cratchit would feel ill-used, but it's perfectly alright to ask for a day off--with pay--from Scrooge. That it is all done in the name of Christmas hardly counts as an argument, either, since Scrooge has lost sight of what Christmas is all about.
That is Scrooge's illness, and A Christmas Carol recounts this classic Dickens tale of the cure.
Thanks to Alastair Sim's wonderful performance, we can almost feel sorry for Scrooge. He suffers more from his miserly nature than anyone else. We are introduced to a reasonable man who simply wants to be left alone and we can empathize with him--in part at least. We see him, a man of great wealth, deny himself a piece of bread simply because it would cost an extra half-penny. Lit by a single candle and warmed by a meager fire, he sits alone and lonely on Christmas Eve in his large and empty house. Sim also adds a wonderfully droll sense of humor to his portrayal, thus making Scrooge more of a character than a villain, and therefore much more sympathetic from the outset.
Come Christmas morning, we celebrate with Scrooge because we know him. In spite of ourselves, we liked him even before his rebirth, and now are delighted that he is finally happy. His acts of humility and generosity come from a familiar soul and we are touched by them.
I first watched this film in 1955 on television, Christmas day. I have not missed a Christmas in the fifty-plus years since then and always find it wonderfully entertaining and inspirational. Aided by a wonderful cast and careful adherence to Dickens' original dialogue and concept, it has deservedly become a Christmas classic. I can't imagine that there is someone who hasn't seen it, but if you haven't, I certainly recommend it.
This 1951 version of A Christmas Carol (Scrooge) remains the best for an important reason: of all the versions made before or since, this is the only one that got it absolutely right.
The story--as so many have misread it--is not about an evil tightwad who hates everything and is suddenly scared into being a saint by the spirits of Christmas. It is, instead, about a good man whose life has turned him in on himself--made him bitter and miserable--primarily through the death of his beloved sister, Fan. He is not, therefore, changed in the end, but rather, restored to himself, his innate good nature emerging renewed from its cocoon of self-imposed misery.
Of course, the Spirits of Christmas must do the job for him since Scrooge can't rely on his own sense of reason and fair play to save him from himself; his position is technically valid. The opening scenes demonstrate how everyone is expecting something from him in the name of Christmas, but not in the name of what's fair: A debtor wants more time to pay--in the name of Christmas. A charity wishes him to donate money--in the name of Christmas, and Cratchit wants the day off , with pay--in the name of Christmas. As Scrooge points out, if he were to dock Cratchit's pay half a crown for a day without work, Cratchit would feel ill-used, but it's perfectly alright to ask for a day off--with pay--from Scrooge. That it is all done in the name of Christmas hardly counts as an argument, either, since Scrooge has lost sight of what Christmas is all about.
That is Scrooge's illness, and A Christmas Carol recounts this classic Dickens tale of the cure.
Thanks to Alastair Sim's wonderful performance, we can almost feel sorry for Scrooge. He suffers more from his miserly nature than anyone else. We are introduced to a reasonable man who simply wants to be left alone and we can empathize with him--in part at least. We see him, a man of great wealth, deny himself a piece of bread simply because it would cost an extra half-penny. Lit by a single candle and warmed by a meager fire, he sits alone and lonely on Christmas Eve in his large and empty house. Sim also adds a wonderfully droll sense of humor to his portrayal, thus making Scrooge more of a character than a villain, and therefore much more sympathetic from the outset.
Come Christmas morning, we celebrate with Scrooge because we know him. In spite of ourselves, we liked him even before his rebirth, and now are delighted that he is finally happy. His acts of humility and generosity come from a familiar soul and we are touched by them.
I first watched this film in 1955 on television, Christmas day. I have not missed a Christmas in the fifty-plus years since then and always find it wonderfully entertaining and inspirational. Aided by a wonderful cast and careful adherence to Dickens' original dialogue and concept, it has deservedly become a Christmas classic. I can't imagine that there is someone who hasn't seen it, but if you haven't, I certainly recommend it.