A Christmas Carol/variations on a theme.


Which holiday classics we prefer:

A Christmas Carol: many versions. By the lead actor/year made:
Alistair Sim/1951: Very good!
Mr. Magoo/1962: A lot of people like this one, but I didn't so much.
George C. Scott/1984: Good (Viva likes this one)!
Bill Murry/Scrooged: Avoid. Filthy language. Really, really bad language. Not at all what one expects from Dickens. We turned it off. Some magazine article said that Scrooged was a family friendly film. I don't know what kind of family the author was from, but I recommend immediate therapy for all involved. Avoid this movie.
Michael Caine (The Muppet Christmas Carol)/1992: Very good! The Muppets strike a difficult but well built balance between faithfulness to the story and putting in their own twist.
Patrick Stewart (A Christmas Carol): Wow. What an actor. Good film.
Kelsey Grammar (A Christmas Carol: The Musical): digital effects and sitcom actors don't lend themselves to this movie. Too much of an attempt to be "new" and "dramatic," not enough on just telling the story and telling it well. "Charles Dickens wrote a very good book. It's probably good to leave well enough alone." I earnestly desired the end of this film. Don't waste your time with it.

My personal favorites are Alistair Sim (1951) and Michael Caine with the muppets (1992).

Posted: Fri - December 23, 2005 at 03:21 PM           | |

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