A Christmas Carol

Starring: Sim, Alastair and Charlesworth, John

Product Description

Dickens' London miser Ebenezer Scrooge meets the ghosts of Christmases past, present and yet to come.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• UPC: 089859850028
• Release Date: January 2007
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Publisher: Music Video Dist
• Director: Hurst, Brian Desmond
• Starring: Sim, Alastair, Charlesworth, John
• Runtime: 1 hour, 26 minutes
• Number of Disks: 2
• Other Video Info: DVD
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.5" x 5.4"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

The classic version of a classic.

Due to the circumstances and choices in the life of Ebenezer Scrooge, he has chosen money over mankind. His partner, now seven years dead, comes back to warn Ebenezer of his afterlife fate if he does not change his ways. To assist in this task are three spirits: Christmas past (his past), Christmas present, and Christmas of things to come. Can or will Ebenezer change his ways? Why should he? There are many versions of this tale floating around out there, including study books and animated movies. Of all these versions, a few stand out. The film is quite s-p-a-r-s-e with DVD extras. Made in the era of black and white, one cannot help but shun any attempt to colorize it. The Alastair Sim version is a product of its day, and he does a very good job of portraying Ebenezer Scrooge. He comes across as mean in his speech of “Are there no workhouses?” and stingy, displayed during his meal, upon hearing that more bread will cost 8 pence extra, he says, “No more bread.” On Christmas morning, he goes overboard with the maniacal laughter. This is probably emphasized to show his change of heart and to allow him to scare the maid. However, it does distract from the story. The story is modified a bit, but unless you have been reading the book, you will not notice this. To tie his childhood memories of his sister to his present-day nephew, they play “Barbra Allen” in the background (nice touch). All in all, this will make a nice addition to your Christmas collection. Well, with all the media adaptations, we finally have Blu-ray. From history, I find that a good remaster and a 50” screen work well enough. However, because I have a Blu-ray player, I chose Blu-ray whenever available at any cost. I am not so sure if the film is really cleaned up or remastered. However, it is quite sharp black & white. You will find the Commentary by Marcus Hern and George Cole (Young Ebenezer Scrooge) under the setup and not the extras. The DVD starts with a long VCI Entertainment a-d-v-er-t-i-s-e-m-e-n-t.