Movie Review: A Christmas Carol (1984)
Synopsis: A bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, sees Christmas as nothing more than a "humbug" and makes sure everyone around him knows that. However, the ghost of his former business partner arranges for the three Christmas spirits to visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve and force him to see why he is wrong.
Who's in it? The movie stars George C. Scott, Frank Finlay, Angela Pleasence, David Warner and Edward Woodward.
Review: It is way too cold outside today, cold enough to leave me a bit breathless just walking from my car to the grocery store. So, since the Green Bay Packers had a later game and I had the house to myself, I decided to re-watch this version of A Christmas Carol.
I've seen quite a few versions of this film, but this one is easily at the top of my list of favorites. I think part of the reason for this is Scott (despite not having a strong British accent) was very convincing as Ebenezer Scrooge. He had a strong presence in the film that was both believable and somewhat intimidating, even when he goes through the final transformation at the end.
I also like this movie's versions of the Christmas spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Woodward) is easily one of my favorites, partly because of his towering form, while the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Michael Carter) is just scary enough to get the point across without being too scary for the kids.
The actor who really impresses me in this movie, however, is Anthony Walters as the famous Tiny Tim. I've seen plenty of portrayals of that character, some good, some not so good. This is one of the few that is very convincing as far as Tiny Tim's health is concerned.
Walters' version of Tim looked as sick as everyone was describing, with the pale skin and bags under his eyes, making it much easier to believe he was facing certain death. It's much more moving than some of the other versions that only show a crutch and goes a long way in convincing us Scrooge would be willing to change, in no small part, to help save his life.
Of course, the thing I like most about this movie is it is one of the versions of the film that isn't a musical. I don't dislike musicals, but I think this is a story that just works better without a bunch of random song and dance numbers throughout (the Muppet version of this movie being one of the lone exceptions).
Final Opinion: There are quite a few versions of this movie, and they are only as good as the actors who play the most important characters. This movie is one of the better ones as a result of that and one of the versions I would recommend.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other Christmas movies:
Movie Review: A Wish for Christmas (2016)
Movie Review: Saving Santa (2013)
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