Dec. 19, 2018, Happy 175th Birthday Mr. Scrooge, Mr Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and Everybody Else!
On December 19, 1843, Charles Dickens published the first edition of his short story entitled "A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas." This enduring classic, better known as "A Christmas Carol,” has seen many adaptations for stage, film and television since. It celebrated its 175th anniversary on December 19, 2018.
"A Christmas Carol” remains relevant to today despite much of the story being anachronistic. The Poor Law at that time financed the poorhouse, the Treadmill, and debtor prisons by taxing businesses. The taxes that Scrooge paid to finance these establishments have been repealed and faded into the past. In 1843, Christmas was not an official holiday in England, but a half day of business unless it fell on a Sunday, according to Royal Exchange rules. Hence the reason for Scrooge saying to Cratchit the statement about expecting the “All day tomorrow” off.
Dickens was an avid advocate for stronger copyright laws in England and internationally. He vehemently disliked people adapting and modifying the plot of his book; he did not receive royalties from these pirated adaptations, which frequently added characters and made significantly changes to the story.
Of these film and television adaptations, which do you believe Dickens would most approve?
Discuss your opinions, as Dickens did write in the final chapter of the book, “... Over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop ...”!
"A Christmas Carol” remains relevant to today despite much of the story being anachronistic. The Poor Law at that time financed the poorhouse, the Treadmill, and debtor prisons by taxing businesses. The taxes that Scrooge paid to finance these establishments have been repealed and faded into the past. In 1843, Christmas was not an official holiday in England, but a half day of business unless it fell on a Sunday, according to Royal Exchange rules. Hence the reason for Scrooge saying to Cratchit the statement about expecting the “All day tomorrow” off.
Dickens was an avid advocate for stronger copyright laws in England and internationally. He vehemently disliked people adapting and modifying the plot of his book; he did not receive royalties from these pirated adaptations, which frequently added characters and made significantly changes to the story.
Of these film and television adaptations, which do you believe Dickens would most approve?
Discuss your opinions, as Dickens did write in the final chapter of the book, “... Over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop ...”!
List activity
170 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
17 titles
- DirectorRonald NeameStarsAlbert FinneyAlec GuinnessEdith EvansA musical retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about an old bitter miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.While the score has few memorable songs to it, its major sin is the scene of Scrooge and Marley in hell. In that scene, Marley is out of character from the way Dickens wrote him. Dickens never wrote a scene of Scrooge in hell.
- DirectorDaniel PetrieStarsThe Four LadsJohnny DesmondBasil RathboneThis is a musical version of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". Ebenezer Scrooge is given a chance to reform and save his soul. He is visited by 4 ghosts and is shown visions of his past life and the consequences of his life on others.While it is not certainly the first musical adaptation, it certainly had one of the best memorable scores to it. This crude one hour TV play was later expanded into a Broadway play. Several of the stars recorded the songs from the play which were hit songs back in that day. Its main faults is that it deleted many of Dickens’ scenes in order to fit the story into the one hour time slot, had Scrooge's living quarters in the same building as his business office (but I can see where they got idea from since Scrooge lived in only three rooms of his house and leased the rest out as offices), added a ragpicker character, expanded Mrs. Dilber's part, and in a song, it mentions "Santa Claus" when, in 1843, England, it should have been "Father Christmas" (a historical cultural inaccuracy). Also it had Scrooge calling workhouses, the treadmill and prisons “Worthy institutions”. Scrooge never says that in the book. Dickens had Scrooge calling them “Useful”, not “Worthy” . Why? Maybe because, since it was England’s first attempt at welfare, it was also a means for businesses to forcefully collect their debts owed to them by forcing debtors to work off their debt if they didn’t have the money to pay their debts.
- DirectorJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsWalter MatthauTom BosleyTheodore BikelThis version of the story is told from the perspective of B.A.H. Humbug. After Ebenezer Scrooge refuses to assist the poor or have Christmas Dinner with his nephew, he is visited by the ghost of his one time business partner and friend, Jacob Marley. Marley tells him to change his ways and Scrooge refutes this as madness. He is then visited by three ghosts, all who show him what his future will be like if he doesn't change his ways.The Rankin and Bass animated remake of the 1955 version.
- DirectorArthur Allan SeidelmanStarsKelsey GrammerJesse L. MartinJane KrakowskiAn old bitter miser is given a chance for redemption when he is haunted by ghosts on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorAbe LevitowStarsJim BackusMorey AmsterdamJack CassidyThis musical adaptation of the classic tale by Charles Dickens stars Magoo as the cold-hearted old miser, Ebenezer Scrooge.The story may start out in modern times, but the play within a play technique tells the Carol in 1843.
- DirectorBrian HensonStarsMichael CaineDave GoelzSteve WhitmireThe Muppets present their own touching rendition of Charles Dickens' classic tale.IMHO, this, plus "The Stingiest Man In Town" have the two best scores for a musical adaption of "A Christmas Carol ..." But it includes characters that Dickens did not write and splits Marley's ghost into two characters.
- DirectorRichard WilliamsStarsAlastair SimMichael RedgraveMelvyn HayesAn old bitter miser is given a chance for redemption when spirits visit him on Christmas Eve.With Alastair Sim Reprising the role as the voice of Scrooge, and the animation is drawn in the style of John Leech who illustrated the very first edition of "A Christmas Carol", the TV animated version won the Oscar (?) for "Best Short Subject, Animated Films - Richard Williams"(1973). It stays faithful to Dickens’ story.
- DirectorBurny MattinsonStarsAlan YoungWayne AllwineHal SmithThe classic Disney animated characters play the roles in this animated retelling of the Charles Dickens masterpiece.Nominated for an Oscar, this version introduced a new Disney character, Scrooge McDuck, to the world. Yes, we can thank Dickens for inspiring Disney artists to create Scrooge McDuck.
- DirectorBrian Desmond HurstStarsAlastair SimJack WarnerKathleen HarrisonEbenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly, miserly businessman, has no time for sentimentality and largely views Christmas as a waste of time. However, this Christmas Eve, he will be visited by three spirits who will show him the error of his ways.This is probably the worst offender of the lot. But yet, this is considered the definitive version of the Carol. Why? While it definately relates to the audience how Scrooge did involuntary support "the Tread Mill Law", The Poor Law, the workhouses, poor houses and (debtor's) prisons through taxes on his business, and that, back in 1843, Christmas was considered a half day of business if it fell on a Monday through Saturday, (Sunday's was a day off with no business by the Royal Exchange in the city of London ), the film includes a lot of scenes and characters in the Ghost of Christmas Past section that Dickens did not write. However, the extra material was based on single sentences that Dickens did write. This got the character of Scrooge right as being more as stingy or frugal and hurting damaged goods man and being more indifferent to the poor than what the other films portray him as. He wants to be left alone. He does lie about not knowing the plight of the poor. Scrooge makes the comments about Cratchit trying to take care of a family on Cratchit's low (but was actually the average wage for a clerk in that period of history in London, England ) wages. Scrooge, in Stave three, The Spirit of Christmas Present, that there was an attempt to close down bakeries that were helping to cook meals of poor families on Sunday, the only day they were said to eat well at all, as Scrooge says it. Also, as a clerk under Fezziwig, Scrooge was so poor himself that he slept under Fezziwig's counter. This film makes sure the audience does see that. This film gets Scrooge's character right. But what the film gets wrong is the fate of Belle, Scrooge’s fiancee. The film has Belle going on to be a spinster helping other poor people. That is not what Dickens wrote. He wrote a scene of her as a mother with children and a family that could have been Scrooge’s but he lost that chance.
- DirectorDavid Hugh JonesStarsPatrick StewartRichard E. GrantJoel GreyAn old bitter miser who makes excuses for his uncaring nature learns real compassion when three ghosts visit him on Christmas Eve.The only film I remember that includes the bit about the Dutch tiles in Scrooge's fireplace. It is performed by an actor, Patrick Stewart, who is an authority on Dickens and "A Christmas Carol". He also did it as a one man play on Broadway and won awards for it. However, it shows Scrooge being thrown into the grave and entering hell. Dickens never wrote that.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsJim CarreyGary OldmanColin FirthAn animated retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.This film, with an excellent supporting cast, sets the pattern of emphasizing damaged hurt parts of Scrooge's character. But it makes the same sins by including scenes and characters that are not in Dickens’ book and excluded other scenes from the book. It greatly explains upon Fred's character and his wife. It does show Tiny Tim’s dead body being waked in the upstairs bedroom. Dickens did write that and it is one of the few films to show it.
- DirectorEdwin L. MarinStarsReginald OwenGene LockhartKathleen LockhartAn elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorJ. Searle DawleyCharles KentAshley MillerStarsMarc McDermottCharles OgleWilliam BechtelBased on the story by Charles Dickens: Ebenezer Scrooge is well known for his harsh, miserly ways, until he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, and then by three other spirits.The original silent screen version.
- DirectorClive DonnerStarsGeorge C. ScottFrank FinlayAngela PleasenceA bitter old miser who rationalizes his uncaring nature learns real compassion when three spirits visit him on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsBill MurrayKaren AllenJohn ForsytheA selfish, cynical television executive is haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve.Suggested by Act_1. An updated retelling of the story.
- DirectorBharat NalluriStarsDan StevensMark SchrierPatrick Joseph ByrnesThe journey that led to Charles Dickens' creation of "A Christmas Carol," a timeless tale that would redefine Christmas.Suddested by Urbanmovies. The story behind the writing of the book. One scene in this movie is slightly wrong, but only slightly. The scene in the lawyer’s office. That is what happened when Dickens filed an affidavit to obtain an injunction to the stop publication of “Parley’s Illuminated Library” when they published a plagiarized version of “A Christmas Carol” as “A Christmas Ghost Story reoriginated from the original by Charles Dickens Esquire and analytically condensed for this work”. Dickens had won the case. But when Dickens sought to get damages from the publication, they declared bankruptcy in order to pay Dickens his royalties as was demonstrated in the film.
- DirectorCatherine MorsheadStarsRay FearonRoss KempShezwae PowellAn unscrupulous loan shark who makes excuses for his uncaring nature learns real compassion when three ghosts visit him on Christmas Eve.Suggested by Act_1
This is another updated retelling of the story with Scrooge as a loan shark.