My Top 5 Favorite Versions Of A Christmas Carol
In a previous post I talked about my need to watch Christmas movies during the holiday season. No other movie screams yuletide than A Christmas Carol.
Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843, and given its popularity it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that it’s been adapted to stage and screen almost more times than I can count. And I’ve seen just about all of them…
I didn’t feel it was enough to just list my favorites, but to try and nail down WHY these are my favorites.
SPOILER ALERT
If you have never read A Christmas Carol, or haven’t seen any of the dozen movie adaptations…seriously, where have you been? Click this link, pick it up from Amazon, and read it. Really. I’ll wait.
To me, a good adaptation of A Christmas Carol needs to have three elements:
It has to be (relatively) faithful to the source.
No book can ever be 100% faithfully adapted to the screen. There are internal monologues in nearly every book that would rip a moviegoer right out of a film. Understanding that liberties need to be taken a GOOD adaptation should still maintain the spirit of the source material.
It should be dark…
A Christmas Carol is, first and foremost, a ghost story. And good ghost stories are dark. We should grow to hate Scrooge. We should feel his terror as the spirits take him through past, present, and future. We should feel his sense of hopelessness as he realizes the mistakes he’s made.
…Right up until it isn’t.
A Christmas Carol is a ghost story, sure, but it’s also a story of hope. Hope that it’s never too late to change our lives for the better. While the ghost story elements should give us a true sense of despair, the ending should leave us uplifted that everything is, indeed, going to be alright.
So, without further ado, my all-time favorite versions of A Christmas Carol:
5. A Christmas Carol – 2009
Ebenezer Scrooge – Jim Carrey (voice)
This is, to my knowledge, the most recent adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and I ended up really enjoying it. It ranks low on my personal list because of the over the top visual effects. It’s definitely revved up a bit for kids, but it still manages to be true to the original.
4. Scrooge – 1951
Ebenezer Scrooge – Allistair Sim
This is perhaps the most famous film version of A Christmas Carol and, to a lot of fans, Allistair Sim is THE metric against which all Scrooges are measured. Beside being a good adaptation, this movie is just plain good. It manages to convey the darkest themes in the source while not becoming completely depressing.
3. Scrooged – 1988
Ebenezer Scrooge (Frank Cross) – Bill Murray
Remember how I said faithfulness to the original work is one of my criteria for judging A Christmas Carol adaptations? I’m leaning heavy on the “one of” part of that sentence. Because, Bill freakin’ Murray.
This movie is a modern take on the themes in the original A Christmas Carol, and unlike many attempts ahem Ebbie ahem actually manages to update the setting in a well thought out, believable way. Bill Murray’s brilliance aside, this movie just “feels” right. I do believe Dickens would be proud of this one.
2. A Christmas Carol – 1999
Ebenezer Scrooge – Sir Patrick Stewart
I have to admit, there was a period of time when I considered this my favorite version of the story. While that feeling dissipated, the greatness of this version of the movie hasn’t. This is a made for TV movie that may well be the most faithful adaptation ever. Patrick Stewart brings an authenticity to Scrooge that is hard to beat.
My only hangup: the movie is a little too made for TV. Taken on a whole, this version has an almost sterile feel. Despite obvious attempts at authenticity there’s something about this version’s London that doesn’t quite feel right.
Which brings me to my number one…
1. A Christmas Carol – 1984
Ebenezer Scrooge – George C. Scott
Whatever Patrick Stewart’s version of A Christmas Carol lacked in authenticity this version more than makes up for. This movie was filmed entirely on location in Shrewsbury, England, a production decision that gives it a gritty, 19th century feel. The settings are so wonderfully created so as to almost become characters themselves.
Along with brilliant sets, George C. Scott portrays probably the most cruel version of Scrooge I’ve ever seen. It’s a version of the character you can truly come to hate, which makes his inevitable transformation that much more satisfying.
Honorable Mention #1 – Mickey’s Christmas Carol – 1983
Ebenezer Scrooge – Scrooge McDuck
Seriously, have you seen it? This version is absolutely exceptional. It is appropriately dark during Scrooge’s trials with the ghosts, while remaining kid friendly in a balance that only Disney can bring to the table. True to the source and taking comedic liberty at the same time I highly recommend you give this version a try.
Honorable Mention #2 – A Christmas Carol – 1843
Did you seriously think that I would let a roundup post about A Christmas Carol go by without mentioning the original, and best version? If you haven’t read the classic Dickens…seriously, where have you been? Go get it. Now.
The best part is that the work is now in the public domain, meaning there are a TON of placed online where you can download a copy for free. I even picked up a Kindle version on Amazon, gratis.
I’m a nut for Christmas movies, A Christmas Carol in particular. What’s your favorite version?