domain-5
Hello!Though I have visited the IMDb.com site for many years, this is my very first review here, because I felt a strong moral obligation to warn others about this movie.I have seen perhaps 15 movie versions of "A Christmas Carol".Without a doubt, this awful piece of garbage ranks dead last, even after bad half-hour animated versions.Everything is so appallingly bad, that it's difficult to point out anything in particular.Kelsey Grammar, who I have not hated before this movie, turns in one of the most dreadful performances I have ever seen, anywhere, in any movie! I was stunned by the ham ridden, exceptionally poor performance, in what should have been a drama. Don't expect much more from the other "actors", many of whom act as if they are on drugs (I blame this on the director, Arthur Allan Seidelman. SO many actors can't have turned in such bad performances, without the director being hugely at fault!).The script has been dramatically changed from the original story, every time, making this movie worse, and worse, and worse. Now, I understand that most stories or novels can't be translated directly into a movie without alterations, HOWEVER, that doesn't excuse the butchery of the original story that was done in this movie, with no point. AND, "A Christmas Carol", by Charles Dickens, READS almost as a screenplay. Many adaptations have stayed very close to the original source material, with sometimes very great results.The music varies from inane, to horrible. I know that Alan Menken has done decent stuff before, but this certainly has to have been one of his poorest efforts.Rather than continuing to harp on the vast shortcomings of this unwatchable piece of crud, I will list the versions of "A Christmas Carol", that I consider best, in order:1. "A Christmas Carol", George C. Scott, 1984, long version. 10 star movie. Brilliant performance by Scott, probably the best of his entire career, even better than in "Patton". He portrays Scrooge as a textured, real person, rather than the over-the-top performances you see by most actors. ALSO, this version is closest to Dickens original story "A Christmas Carol", of any of the movie versions that I have ever seen (and I sometimes READ the story, along with the movie, while it is going on!) Also, this movie has the strongest supporting cast of any of the movie versions. Particularly memorable, is Edward Woodward as the Ghost of Christmas Present.2. "A Christmas Carol", George C. Scott, 1984, 101 minute version. Almost as good as the longer version.3. "Scrooge", Alastair Sim, 1951. Sims puts in a good performance as Scrooge, but not as good as Scott's.4. "Scrooge", Albert Finney, 1970, UK version, 120 minutes. I consider this the best musical adaptation of "A Christmas Carol". Finney, unfortunately, was too young for this role in 1970. He's probably the right age now, and I would suspect he would put in a better performance, now (2011)!5. "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol", Jim Backus, 1962, animated musical. I consider this the best version for children. The story has been simplified a bit for children, BUT, does not pull any punches. It also focuses on the children in the story a bit more. Good music by Jule Styne, that I understand was originally written for a Broadway show that fell through, but it found a good home here. Better music, I think, than in the Finney "Scrooge".6. "Scrooge", Albert Finney, 1970, US version, 113 minutes. The seven minutes cut from the UK version really butchers the ending.7. "A Christmas Carol", Patrick Stewart, 1999. 2nd best supporting cast out of any version I have seen. Unfortunately, Patrick Stewart was the weak link, here. He really did not seem to understand the character of Scrooge at all, and put in a remarkably flat and dull performance.My 2 cents worth.Hope this was helpful.Karl
Jackson Booth-Millard
I had seen five or six versions of the classic Charles Dickens story, then I spotted this TV made musical movie with one or two good names, including of course the lead, so I thought why not, from director Arthur Allan Seidelman (Hercules in New York). You know the story, Ebenezer Scrooge (Kelsey Grammar) is the miserable rich old man who doesn't give money to anyone, keeps to himself and despises Christmas. So on Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner Jacob Marley (The Return of Jafar's Jason Alexander) who tells him that he will be visited by three spirits who will attempt to change him. So the Ghost of Christmas Past (30 Rock's Jane Krakowski), who Scrooge also recognises as the Streetlamp Lighter, shows him his childhood, finding love with the beautiful Emily (Jennifer Love Hewitt), and the death of Marley which shaped him into what he is now. Next the Ghost of Christmas Present (Jesse L. Martin), also the Ticket Seller, shows him what all the people he knows and what their opinions are of him, including the house of his employer Bob Cratchit (Edward Gower), with his sick boy Tiny Tim (Jacob Moriarty). Finally Scrooge recognises the Ghost of Christmas Future (Geraldine Chaplin) as the Blind Beggarwoman who shows him what will come to be if things don't change, including of course Tiny Tim dead, and the gravestone with his name. That is when he wakes up, and has seen the error of his ways, and he wants to make a difference as soon as possible, so Scrooge gives to charity, gives generously to the three people he recognised, and raises Cratchet's salary, ultimately becoming a very good man for the town. Also starring Emily Deamer as Grace Smythe and Brian Bedford as Mr. Fezziwig. Grammar was pretty dull, the supporting cast, apart from a sexy looking Krakowski, are also tedious, the songs aren't catchy or melodic, and the Christmas stuff doesn't really resonate, it's just a pretty boring seasonal fantasy musical. It won the Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction, and it was nominated for Outstanding Choreography. Okay!
slasheuse
With music from the composer of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, it's not hard to see why this striking reworking of the classic is such a success. I can't over-emphasise how great the music in this film is; strong, dependable themes with some of the best lyrics I've ever heard in a musical.Visually, some of the filmmakers' decisions are very bold (the costumes of the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come), but it's important to remember that most of what we think of as "normal" for the ghosts' costumes in musical versions of the novel have NOTHING to do with Dickens' version anyway. In the actual book, the first Ghost is an old man; usually on film it's played as a child and Jane Krakowski's version is a fully-grown woman. In fact, this adaptation is actually MUCH closer to the book than the better-known film versions; the two children Ignorance and Want are included, and the book's religious (don't worry, it's not too heavy) and social messages are brought to the fore. The reworking of Scrooge's early life surprised me a bit, but it was very plausibly done, presumably to reflect Charles Dickens's own early experiences. Jennifer Love Hewitt is unexpectedly brilliant as Emily (though I don't get why they changed her name).And... I was holding my breath, preparing to be appalled by the accents, but Grammar is fine. His wig is awful, but he's pretty good, and sings well. Most of the accents are brilliant, and there are lots of strong British ensemble stars such as Ruthie Henshall. The music is fab. My mum bought this for me as a possibly-ironic Christmas present, and our whole family loved it. Give it a try!
