Old Marley was as Dead as a Doornail

My next version of A Christmas Carol is titled Scrooge, and was released in 1951 in England. For its U.S. release later in 1951, it was titled A Christmas Carol. It was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and stars Alastair Sim (who many charge with being the best Scrooge) and Mervyn Johns as Bob Cratchit. This is my mother-in-law's favorite version, and I have to say, I'm getting quite fond of it.

Since I summarized the story in my last post, I will go straight into my notes.

This version is much more accurate to the book than Mickey's. This is to be expected, of course, because Mickey's was only 25 minutes, and thus had to cut for time and content. In addition, some of the more scary bits are left out. Much of the dialogue seems to be taken straight from the book. The words are so familiar, I can almost recite them.

There are many scenes in this film that expound the story, and quickly explain visually or vocally more about the situations. For example, on Christmas Eve, Scrooge eats dinner at a meager, dark restaurant. He says, "Waiter! More bread." The waiter tells him, "Ha'penny extra, sir." After considering for the tiniest moment, Scrooge replies, "No more bread." I think this is such a quick and eloquent way to explain how miserly he is - that he won't even spend a half-penny on himself for food. After Marley comes and explains to Scrooge about the chains they forge in life and wear in death, there is a horrific scene outside of Scrooge's window. Dozens of ghosts with heavy chains throw money ineffectually at a crying beggar-woman with a child. She can't see any of them, and they cannot help her. They wail in their defeat. This is truly a harrowing scene, but really presses to both Scrooge and the viewer what he could harvest in the next life.

The great joy of this film, besides the great fear and awe that Sim portrays, is his joy at finding himself still alive and whole and on Christmas morning. It seems so natural, so on the edge of madness, that I wonder if Sim ad-libbed it all. At one point, he spies a chair, grins, laughs, and then says "I must stand on my head," and proceeds to do so, sending the housemaid out of the room screaming at the top of her lungs. The whole sequence is whimsical and wonderful.

Alastair Sim is incredible. He makes you see so clearly what Scrooge feels and thinks, and isn't afraid to get a little wild and crazy in the ending. May we also experience such joy someday.