Christmas Carol : A Fine Movie to Ring in the Holidays

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 watching movies: Go to the movie theater or watch a movie on TV.  So, Christmas time was extra special because the TV stations would re-air great movie holiday classics.  One of my favorite holiday classics was (and still is) Christmas Carol.

This is the classic story written by Charles Dickens of a miserly old business man, Ebenezer Scrooge , that discovers the meaning of Christmas, love, and happiness all in one night after having been visited by the ghost of his former business partner and three spirits.  The story reveals glimpses of Christmas present, as presented by the first spirit, whereby he discovers how others react on Christmas day. A second spirit presents glimpses of Christmas past showing how Scrooge once lived a troubled boy-hood, and an act of kindness on behalf of his father changed things.  We also learn he was in love, had a great working relationship with his old boss, and how he once enjoyed life.  We then learn that as Scrooge became deeply entrenched in his business, he lost grasp on life and became cold.  Finally, a third spirt shows a glimpse of the future.  The sad death of Tim, his employee's son, due to the lack of medical attention the family could not afford.  We also see how people react to Scrooge's own death - it is implied his name is mocked due to this heartlessness.

Throughout the years, this classic story has been portrayed in movies countless times, with various twists on the plot and characterization.  This version is my favorite.  This is primarily due to the excellent acting of Alistair Sim who plays Scrooge.  He does not over-act the part, as many other actors do for this role.  He is believable, and his facial expressions add to the story. 

Sims is the only notable actor that I know of that went on to great success in the movies, with the exception of one other: Patrick McGee.  McGee plays the young version of Marley, Scrooge's business partner.  McGee went on to play Mr. Steed in one of my favorite television shows: The Avengers.

The movie does an excellent job of moving along.  It does not contain any boring flat spots.  Each scene is as entertaining as the next.  The movie also does not go to deep into any particular area.  It just gives viewers the information they need to understand what is going on.  The actors all fit their parts very well. 

I especially liked the portrayal of spirts numbers two and three.  Spirit number two, the ghost of Christmas past, had a great sense of humor and appeared to be a golly fellow - the type of guy you would not mind drinking a couple of beers with at a bar.  Spirt number three, the ghost of Christmas yet to come, is spooky.  This spirit does not speak, he only makes hand gestures to communicate.  He allows Scrooge to interpret the events on his own.  We also do not see this spirit's face.  He remains cloaked in a hooded cape.  We do get to see his boney hand, and believe me, it is spooky!

The movie is dated 1951 and it does have some drawbacks.  First, it appears to be somewhat of a low-budget production.  This is eviedent in the sound and film quality.  Also, the movie stars were virtually all unknown at the time, and many of them left acting after this movie. Also, some of the special effects are low-budget and do not add to the movie (for instance, the scene outside Scrooge's window of spirits wandering aimlessly about, after Scooge is visited by the ghost of Marley).  All in all, these drawbacks are minor.

The DVD version I own contains a special narration by one of the stars, Patrick McGee.  This is a delightful suprise and he provides some insights about the film.  He appears both in the beginning of the film, and he also provides a Christmas greeting at the end.

More important then anything else, however, is the message this movie gives.  We humans are only on earth for a relatively short time.  We should all cherish life and live with peace, love, and genoristy with one another.  This movie nails this message and it will bring tears to your eyes in a delightful way.

I would highly recommend this movie to anyone!  Both my 5 and 8 year old son and daughter watched the movie with us recently and they were captivated.  Also, my 80+ year old parents re-watched the movie with us and still love.  The movie is available in most stores that sell DVDs, as well as on the internet.  Thank you for reading my review and best wishes for a joyous Christmas season!

Mike