"What's your fave film/TV version of "A Christmas Carol" ?" Topic

Okay, for years it was the "Alistair Sims" version and I still like that one, but over the past decade I have finally decided that the

Reginal Owen / Gene Lockhart (and Clan) version to be the best, even though I considered it somewhat silly for awhile.

A relatively short film, but I think it tells not only the story by the spirit of the tale to perfection.

(And it has a young, un-credited, just coming out of her ugly duckling stage June Lockhart. Her mother was a very handsome woman, her father…well…his face was much like mine, it had a lot of character to it, but together those two came up with some of the best genes ever to be passed down to future generations).

Richard Williams' animated 1971 version: imdb.com/title/tt0068373

This version is very short, but the mood is perfect, and it has stuck in my mind through the years (and was responsible for leading me to Dickens' novel).

"God bless us, every one!"

Ron

The BBC TV version with Michael Hordorn, John Le Mesurier et al.

Scrooge! (the musical version) is good.

"Thank you very much! Thank you very much!
That's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me…"

A delightfully funny song that has a chilling subtext, to which Scrooge is oblivious, but the viewer is not…

YouTube link

When Joannie and Chachi taught Mister T and Colonel Klink "the true meaning of Christmas".

Muppets!!!!

The George C. Scott version.

Scrooged w/ Bill Murray

In order of preference:
1) George C Scott
2) Patrick Stewart
3) Michael Caine (Muppets)
4) Henry Winkler (An American Christmas Carol)

The one in which Jules Verne goes back in time and kills Charles Dickens, creating a parallel universe where none of his works ever existed. God bless us, every one!

Seriously, I despise Dickens and everything he wrote.

That said, Michael Caine does an excellent job in the Muppet Christmas Carol, a movie which creates the only good portrayal of Scrooge totally messing up his life by choosing money over love. Every other production makes this a minor side story that gets in the way of the important message of ACC, the true measure of the worth of a human being is not money, it's whether or not a lot of people like him.

… and I do not cry every time ghost Scrooge sings the duet with past Belle … and you can't prove it, no matter what SWMBO says.

The one in which Jules Verne goes back in time and kills Charles Dickens

How does this work, exactly?

Ron

Blackadder.

link

Scrooged

Okay, nods to Blackadder, but I FORGOT…

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol is one of the very best I've every seen too!

I second The Muppets.

Scrooged for me, Mr Magoo's for my Lady.

Mr Magoo for me

Muppets for me.

There are none which I dislike – I have favorites,
of course, mostly due to theme (dramatic or semi-comedy)
and lead.

Leads – George C. Scott, Patrick Stewart and Alistair
Sims

Theme – Muppets, Winkler's _An American Christmas Carol_
and Bill Murray's _Scrooged!_

muppets and Scrooged!

1) The Alistair Sim version (approved by the Dickens family, no less!)

2) Michael Caine with the Muppets.

3) The remainder.

The one in which Jules Verne goes back in time and kills Charles Dickens

How does this work, exactly?

Well, Dickens, Verne, and Wells were all contemporaries, of a sort. Dickens started writing when Verne was about 4 or 5, so unless a toddler Verne offs him (not a completely bad idea), he would have to use some sort of time travel to erase of all his works as I suggest.

I could put the task to Wells, who pretty much invented intentional and directed time travel in the late 1880's (after Dickens died), but I don't think he would be of the temperament to murder someone for the betterment of mankind (solely my opinion of CD), nor do I think he would be of the temperament to think killing Dickens would be for the betterment of mankind. The other obvious candidate would be Samuel Clemens, but again temperament and a lack of seriousness to see the job through seems to disqualify him as well.

From there, Verne seems a good candidate. He could cope with the idea of a time machine, even if his meticulously researched style of science fiction wouldn't create it (as opposed to the type of fantastic wonderment it takes to create time travel). And again, dedication and seriousness makes him a reliable agent.

Not that I've thought this through in any great detail, mind you.

The Alistair Sim version and the Muppets versions first. An American Christmas Carol with the Fonz was good too!

Alistair Sims version is still my favorite followed by Scrooge, which is on TMC tonight.
Kelsey Grammer's musical version is also very good.

I'd forgotten the Blackadder one.

I like the one from 1938 with Reginald Owen.

George C. Scott is my favorite over any other version by far.

It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.

Alistair Sims & Mr. Magoo…

Now for the BEST Marley?…

Michael Hordern…

Charlie

Alistair Sims by a good long while.

Another Carol for Another Christmas is an interesting take.

I basically watch them all though.

Another vote for the Owen/Lockart version. It just seems right.

Mr. Magoo here, too. Love the songs.

Yup, Mr. Magoo.

Hate all of 'em except Blackadder!

(What? Bah, humbug? Me?…….)

Then there's the numerous episodes of some TV series(The Real Ghostbusters,Back To The Future,etc.) which uses the Dickens tale as the basis for the episode plot.

"Scrooge" with Albert Finney. "I Hate People" is beyond questionn the best Christmas song ever.

I thought the Patrick Stewart version was excellent.

John

That one with DeNiro as Scrooge! That rocked!

"What, you want to go home early on Christmas Eve? Are you ing kidding me? What, are you ing stupid or something? Huh? You ing stupid? I'll send you home alright, you ing prick!"