Christmas Carol

Pros: Alistair Sim, Story, Moral, Sets and costuming

Cons: More people need to see this

The Bottom Line: This Dickens classic is a perennial favorite spreading holiday cheer among all. Must see!

Review: A Christmas Carol (1951) This tale was one of Charles Dickens' most beloved; a story that tried to distill the true spirit of Christmas and renew people's hearts every time they heard the tale, or in the case of film, saw it.  ...

Pros: Alastair Sim's interpretation of Scrooge , character backgrounds, positive and eternal message of Christmas

Cons: Not much. Perhaps a few cheesy bits and some unneeded scenes.

The Bottom Line: MUST see for the A Christmas Carol fan. Actually, it should be a required reading and viewing in school.

Review: I'm supposed to be un-decorating the tree. I should pack away my stuffed gingerbreads and moose. I could be storing the holiday dinnerware. Yet, I can't burden my heart with these sobering tasks. As far as I'm concerned, the magical season isn't over ...

Pros: Superb acting

Cons: A few scenes ring slightly false

Review: Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is just the type of dramatic, heart-warming holiday story that begs to be filmed. And it has been. Dozens of times. Ebenezer Scrooge, the hard-hearted miser who believes that prisons and workhouses are...

Pros: Sim is a wonderful Scrooge, interesting extrapolations on Dickens characters

Cons: Some so-so acting

The Bottom Line: A must see.

Review: Welcome to Review Three in my series of dissertations on the various and sundry interpretations of Charles Dickens truly incredible novel, A Christmas Carol. I’m a bit out of order here, since I have already reviewed the 1984 and 1999 versions,...

Pros: Well told story, great acting, terrific holiday message.

Cons: None, really

The Bottom Line: "God bless us - every one!"

Review: When I was a young boy, we did not have hundreds of cable or satellite tv stations, video tapes, DVDs, or movies on demand from computers.  We could not watch movies whenever we wanted to like we can do today. Basically, we had two choices for ...

Pros: Superb casting, direction and generous characterizations by all.

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: Virtually any serious version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is worth watching and learning from. The 1951 version is, I believe, the cream of the crop!

Review: When I was a child growing up in the suburbs of New York City, there was a program on TV named "Million Dollar Movie". In the pre-cable days of the 1950's and 60's, each movie ran for one week and was shown three times daily. The opening music for this ...

Pros: direction, sets, cast, costumes, script

Cons: the stingy suffer in purgatory

Review: "A Christmas Carol" has to be Charles Dickens' most famous work. There are countless versions and parodies, but all of them, this version is probably the best.

It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge (Alastair Sim), an elderly...

Pros: Superb acting, wonderful scenery, costumes and music.

Cons: Tiny Tim is still a wimp.

Review: The 1984 Twentieth Century Fox version of A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott is in my opinion the best adaptation of this classic tale. Scott makes an excellent Scrooge whose change from Humbug to Believer is gradual and entirely compelling....