For the relatively big budget spent on it, the animation is poor and the changes to the story add nothing at all. Seriously though, why the mice?
However, I nonetheless went in with an open mind and full of hope. Unfortunately, it really is quite terrible. The songs are all lifted from a stage musical, and the transition to film is not a wise one. He just looks like a slightly scragglier version of himself and never really immerses himself into the role. She plays a street urchin at the outset really and also the ghost of Christmas Past, and for a moment, it got so overly tacky that I thought it was actually a 30 Rock style Jackie Jormp-Jomp spoof musical.
Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame plays Marley and appears to be pitched as midway between Beetlejuice and The Penguin, to terrible effect. Horrible cheesy and unaware quite how ridiculous it is, this is most definitely one to avoid. This slick motion-capture animation courtesy of Robert Zemeckis was released in 3D to much fanfare. The opening bravura swoop over a beautifully rendered old London town was a terrific showcase for this new technology, but by about the fourth time the frenetic swooping action is used, it gets a little infuriating.
On the whole, the animation is pretty darn good with a great deal attention to detail going into creating a beautifully rendered Dickensian London at Christmas time.
The film itself is fairly loyal to the original text, and key haunting moments from the book are used well. A Christmas Carol: The Musical Skip to main content area.
Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! A Christmas Carol A TV special narrated by Vincent Price with sets seemingly borrowed from a local school Christmas play, and a cast with decidedly American accents. Scrooge This is arguably the movie version of A Christmas Carol to which all others are compared.
Movies 20 Christmas Movies for Badasses. Scrooged Okay, granted, this is technically not a direct adaptation of A Christmas Carol , rather a Bill Murray comedy which happens to follow a similar plot. A Christmas Carol Another fairly ropey animation that suffers considerably from being rather badly synced.
A Christmas Carol When Tim Curry looks back over his career, I doubt somehow that this charmless and bland animation will be up there with his finest moments. A Christmas Carol: The Movie A most ill-advised definitive declaration in the title of this one. Read more Culture 25 Unsung Christmas Icons. A Christmas Carol 3. A Christmas Carol: The Musical 4. A Christmas Carol: The Movie 5. The Muppet Christmas Carol Scrooge is our first real departure from A Christmas Carol as a traditional adaptation to more of a contemporary re-imagining.
Ebenita Scrooge. Now you could easily dismiss this late 90s TV film as a weird one-off in A Christmas Carol history, but it actually has some brilliant moments, such as a sermon delivered by Scrooge's nephew Reverend Luke Michael Beach that hammers home the difference between sinners and saints during their time on Earth. That being said, the story of Tyson's Scrooge from her traumatic childhood through her isolated adulthood and late-in-coming redemption might not be to everyone's liking.
While the gender and race swap for this version is admirable, there's also an odd attempt to shoehorn racial tensions and gender inequality in the workplace into the story. Those issues are raised but never brought to a satisfactory conclusion, so they fall short, just like Tyson's delivery of Scrooge's redemptive moment at the movie's end. Still, a worthy watch if you're looking for an alternative take on the classic story.
The next animated film on our list is another attempt to embellish Dickens' original tale and depart from the established storyline. In director Jimmy T. Murakami's version, supporting characters get a chance to shine on their own rather than bask in light reflected from Scrooge's central storyline. Scrooge himself Simon Callow is much younger, which gives him a chance to rekindle his love with Belle once he's found redemption.
Oh, and I should mention that Nicolas Cage voices Marley, albeit briefly, which should pique your interest. In addition to Belle and Old Joe getting extended roles, this version introduces a family of dormice that act as expressive go-betweens for younger audiences, but they're not the only new additions.
There's also the well-intentioned Dr. Lambert and the good-natured money-lender Mr. Oh, and then Winslet sings for some reason. But all of these oddities aside, this version does feature a rather nasty take on Scrooge, as seen when he douses an already ailing Tiny Tim with a bucket of water, causing the youngster to catch a cold that leads to his death. That, and a moment where Scrooge is in danger of relapsing into his old ways, make this a version worth watching, as long as you keep in mind that it's an embellished adaptation rather than a straight translation.
The furthest from the silent film both in time and technology is Robert Zemeckis' computer-animated version that starred Jim Carrey as Scrooge and each of the Christmas Spirits.
The huge budget for this production was more than made up for by a few weeks atop the box office charts, but the film didn't quite turn into a worldwide blockbuster the way Disney had probably intended. Personally, I blame the Uncanny Valley effect for this film not being bigger than it was. The character design and effects work are well-crafted and perfectly suited for Dickens' exploration of the supernatural, but much like Zemeckis' previous use of this animation technology in the film The Polar Express , there's just something unsettling about the characters' faces.
However, these visuals work spectacularly well when applied to Scrooge's visits across time and space, specifically during Fezziwig's fantastical Christmas party. And while Scrooge's redemption scene benefits from Carrey's particular brand of over-the-top acting, the fact that Carrey also plays the part of all three Spirits limits their range somewhat. This is a worthwhile and fairly traditional adaptation despite the modern technology, but if the Uncanny Valley effect bothers you, look elsewhere.
But while Knight pays homage to both classic moments in the year-old tale and adaptations gone by, as well as adding his own clever twists and turns to the narrative, neither Scrooge nor the audience is given a chance to breathe free and celebrate joyously. That used to be enough to humanize Scrooge. Now, Knight has to take that idea to extremes. Abuse of all kinds afflicts the young Scrooge in just about every way imaginable. That would be fine if Scrooge was offered the time and opportunity to bounce back in the other direction.
Some of the best moments from other adaptations of A Christmas Carol come while watching Scrooge act like a lighthearted boy once more, despite his advanced age and notorious reputation as a cruel miser and skinflint. His character is taken so far into the darkness that basic empathy and care for another human being is as close as he can get to joy, happiness, and reveling in the Christmas spirit. It plumbs the depths of darkness to the point that even the usually buoyant Cratchit Family is dragged down with Scrooge.
But without a redemptive rise to counterbalance all that darkness, A Christmas Carol misses out on the meaning of the story and the greater meaning of the Christmas season. If you're looking for a great introductory version of A Christmas Carol to show the kids, then look no further than this special.
Not only does it have a fairly short runtime of about 25 minutes, it also features some of Disney's most recognizable toons. And if you're looking for a modern connection to this special, look no further than current chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and DisneyToon Studios, John Lasseter , who's crew listing on this short notes his "creative talent.
Originally named after Ebenezer Scrooge himself, none other than Scrooge McDuck plays the villainous role in this version; could you have it any other way? And while the various Disney creations that pop up throughout the story are as delightful as you'd expect, my very favorite one is the toon that ends up being the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come.
I won't spoil the reveal here, but it should bring a smile to Disney fans young and old. Now we can start getting into the serious stuff! This mostly forgotten animated version doesn't have much to recommend it, but it does feature Clue and Rocky Horror Picture Show star Tim Curry as Scrooge. Granted it's only the actor's voice, but that's good enough. Grant Director: David Jones Betrayal Why it's worth watching: This one, which originally aired on TNT and followed an epic run of one-man stage performances by Patrick Stewart, boasts a gloomy look and a few interesting deviations from earlier adaptations.
But it's mostly worth watching for one simple reason: Stewart as Ebenezer Scrooge. Enough said. But they also went and made all sorts of weird story alterations -- Scrooge gets another chance with the girl that got away -- making this an oddity for serious Carol aficionados. Bah humbug. But when you combine Jim Carrey's maniacal mugging with Robert Zemeckis' devotion to motion-capture and digital animation and very little else you're bound to get a big, flashy, creepy take on Dickens' classic tale -- and one that can also be obvious, loud, and lacking in legitimate heart.
While Carrey can often be hilarious, he's just not right for Scrooge. But what do I know? In 50 years this could be considered the best rendition of them all.
Thus are we treated to one of the most unusual introductions to Ebenezer Scrooge, or as he is in this case, Daniel Grudge, ever to have been committed to film. However, the story of how this mid's re-working of the Carol came to be made in the first place is every bit as unorthodox as the opening we have just witnessed.
For, bizarrely, Carol For Another Christmas was brought to us by no less an organisation than that well known maker of blockbuster movies, The United Nations, who hijacked Charles Dickens immortal story to launch a charm offensive on the people of America, and, as charm offensives go, they made a bit of a hash of it.
It's one thing to get a message across in a subtle and understated fashion, it's quite another to stuff your message into a sock and whack the viewer over the head with it. The programme itself was produced by the Telsun Foundation standing for Television Series for the United Nations , an organisation which had been founded in an attempt to tackle widespread hostility towards the United Nations amongst the American people.
Paul Hoffman, Managing Director of the United Nations Special Fund, felt that a lack of understanding as to what his organisation actually did was at the root of the hostility, and so the Telsun Foundation was formed, with the express intention of educating the public about the activities of the UN.
Unfortunately, for various reasons, NBC and CBS declined to become involved and thus the first of these "Specials" Carol For Another Christmas aired on just one network, ABC, on 28th December , and viewers sat down to watch the aforementioned opening sequence as the spectral voices of the Andrew Sisters drifted through the corridors of the old house that Daniel Grudge, who is evidently a man of extreme wealth, appears to share with nobody but his African-American butler.
And, it has to be said, as opening sequences go, it is gripping and quite spooky. If they'd kept this momentum going we'd have a genuine marrow chiller of a film. But it quickly becomes apparent that scaring the pants off us with a cracking ghost story for Christmas is the last thing on the mind of the programme's writer, Rod Serling, which is a great pity since, as his other achievements include being the creator of the Twilight Zone, as Christmas creepers go, this one most certainly had potential.
As we watch, Daniel heads downstairs to be greeted by his nephew, Fred, who has dropped by to ask "I wonder if we could talk? We then learn that Fred is of a liberal persuasion, and that he is on a mission to right as many of the World's wrongs as it is possible to do whilst wearing a tweed jacket and a wooly pullover. Some perverted mass murderer who's seen the light and wishes to assume his rightful place in society, as an alternative to the electric chair?
A movement to donate the Mississippi to the Sahara Desert? It transpires that Fred is mightily miffed that Uncle Daniel has gone and nobbled a cultural exchange programme whereby one of the professors at Fred's university was due to spend a year lecturing abroad, whilst, in return, a professor from abroad was due to spend a year lecturing in America. It turns out that if there's one thing Uncle Ebenezer, sorry, Uncle Daniel, hates more than the Andrew Sisters, its Commies, and the last thing he's going to stand for is some Eastern Bloc Johnny Foreigner, "whose name, even if I knew what it was, is probably unpronounceable", swapping roles and countries with a homegrown academic in order to poison the minds of impressionable young Americans with his own insidious brand of 18th century European literature.
You don't really expect me to be a party to inviting one of them in here now do you? Man oh man, does old Uncle Dan carry his own low temperature always about with him. He could almost be a card carrying member of the John Birch Society. Daniel then treats Fred to a terrific updating well an updating to and the Cold War years of Scrooge's berating of all and sundry at the beginning of the original Carol.
Your responsibility happens to be your classroom. Do you insist upon making it a better World? Wont you die happy until you do? Do you insist upon helping the needy and the oppressed?
Is that some kind of an itch that you can't stop scratching? Then tell them to help themselves. Let them know the cash draw is closed and make them believe it.
You'll be surprised how much less needy and oppressed the needy and oppressed turn out to be. Having been told to stay out of his uncle's house and life, Fred catches Daniel off guard with a sneaky verbal jab and observes that, although they've never agreed on anything, they both have one thing in common, " The blow evidently lands home, as Daniel recoils at the mention of his dead son, Marley, and we get our first glimpse of where the story's going.
His fine young body turned into a bundle of bleeding garbage I give them a son and they give me back his effects. In the course of the exchange that follows we learn that Marley died on Christmas Eve , and that Grudge keeps his son's room - which is where we first encountered him at the beginning of the film - like a shrine. We also learn that, according to Fred, Daniel "mourns the death of Marley less than you mourn your own personal loss of him. Fred then chides his uncle that he will go on feeling the pain until "you realise the true tragedy of Marley's death.
Not that your son was killed by another man's son, but that mankind still allows such dying to happen. Daniel, though, is having none of this lily-livered liberalism, and his parting "Christmas present" to his nephew is a homily in which he tells him to put all his energies into "developing the fastest bombers and the most powerful missiles on Earth, they'll provide a lot more security for our young, and for the rest of the World's young than all of your debating societies, forums, treaties and other forms of surrender and handout Fred, though is ready for him, "of course you'll grant all other nations an equal right to put their faith and sweat and effort into trying to make their bombs faster and more powerful than ours?
Old Dan, though, is not a man to be trifled with. My God, this man is bitter, and he's so ultra right wing that I bet the blind man's dogs would tug their masters away if they saw him coming towards them in the street.
But Fred has a parting salvo for his uncle. And then you realise, if you've not twigged already, that the purpose of this version of the Carol isn't so much to move and scare you as to preach at you. So, for the next hour, the dialogue is peppered with grim facts and even grimmer statistics that, whilst highlighting the horrors of war, and the threat of an impending nuclear catastrophe, manage to, and I hate to be picky about this, put a right dampener on Christmas.
The central message here isn't so much "God bless us, Everyone" as "God save us, Everyone. So long as you talk you don't fight When we stop talking, we start swinging, and then we bleed.
Then we got problems, like winding up dead.. In all honesty, it is easy to mock the idealism behind Carol For Another Christmas. But to do so is to do so with hindsight and, in many ways, this was a brave piece of programming for Christmas ,when the World was genuinely looking the prospect of nuclear annihilation square in the face.
Over the next 12 months more American sons would start heading off, in ever increasing numbers, to die or be maimed in a foreign country called Vietnam, and parents across the land would be asking the same question that Daniel Grudge is asking. So, the moral of the film was sound and, to an extent, and somewhat depressingly, it still is. It's just that the preachy, self righteous way it goes about making its point starts to grate very early on and you start wishing that Mr.
Magoo would turn up and lighten the mood a little. With Fred having departed, Daniel goes to close the front door and, as he does so, there in the glass he sees a reflection of his dead son, Marley. Hoorah, you think, the sermon's over. Turning, Daniel glances through the door to the dining room, and there he is again, Marley, occupying the place his doting dad has been setting for him at the table for the last 20 years. Except, when he looks again there's no sign of him.
Here come the creepy bits, you think. Suddenly, the plaintive voices of the Andrew Sisters break the silence, and Daniel casts a concerned glance upstairs, just as Charles, his loyal butler, shuffles past, evidently oblivious to the ghostly tones. Marley fails to appear at all. Apparently, the ghost of Marley was meant to have been played by Peter Fonda, which is why the portrait in Daniel's house bears an uncanny resemblance to him.
But, for reasons that have never been explained, his scenes were cut from the finished programme. So, without knowing why it's happening, which, after all, was the reason for Marley's appearance in the first place, poor old Daniel finds himself on board a ship on a foggy night and, without so much as a by or leave - nor, for that matter, a word of explanation - he comes face to face with crooner Steve Lawrence, dressed as an infantryman with the World War One American Expeditionary Force AEF.
Daniel appears as confused as we are. After all, like us, he's not had the benefit of Marley having dropped by to put all this into context. But the exchanges between him and Grudge are so top heavy with UN propaganda and pro-isolationist rhetoric - the latter being clumsily scripted to show the absurdity of such a stance - that you find yourself in the strange position of not being sure whether you should reach for the mistletoe or a missile.
And so we follow Grudge through his Christmas's past and present and on to the future which, as it transpires surprise, surprise , is a post-apocalyptic future where the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, played by Robert Shaw, can't tell Grudge what year they've arrived in because no-one saw the necessity for calendars " As Grudge stands amongst the ruins of the Town Meeting Hall, we are treated to an appearance by the late, great Peter Sellers who - in a scene that is reminiscent of Dr Strangelove which Sellers had made earlier that year and had then managed to fit a heart attack into the narrow gap between the two projects - plays a demagogue who calls himself the "Imperial Me" and who is carried in aloft by his adoring disciples whilst the assembled mob scream hysterically in a manner not unlike the screaming fans that greeted the arrival of the Beatles on American soil that year!
As the final credits roll, you feel utterly drained, as you mutter to yourself that you will try to be a better human being. But, all joking and cynicism aside, Carol For Another Christmas does have a certain nostalgic charm about it and the performances from the various actors are gripping, albeit depressing. You can also watch several clips at the Turner Classic Movie Channel. The editing is a little dodgy in this , animated, re-telling of the story, but it does have a gloomy atmosphere that is not out of keeping with the book, and the Scrooge we are introduced to at the beginning is a delightfully unpleasant incarnation.
There is a bizarre moment early on when Fred, Scrooge's nephew, turns up at the counting house and, for some reason, feels it necessary to burst into song, accompanied by a full orchestra playing from somewhere deep within the depths of Scrooge's counting house! Since it's the only musical number in the whole programme, you can't help wondering if he did it simply to annoy his crotchety old uncle even more!
Scrooge, however, gives as good as he gets and responds with a rasping musical retort, only to be rebuked, in song again, by Fred and his hidden orchestra. At which point, Bob Cratchit - who, by the fawning look he gives him seems to have developed a massive crush on young Fred - interjects with a half-hearted handclap and an encouraging "here, here," whereupon Scrooge brings the ditty to an abrupt halt, and, presumably out of concern for Bob's blood pressure, musical numbers are banned from the rest of the film.
Marley's ghost is particularly spooky, albeit Scrooge seems to black out several times throughout the visitation and, during his conscious moments, manages to, mysteriously, materialise in different parts of the room with such seamless dexterity that it's a wonder the ghost doesn't get fed up of trying to focus on him, call it quits, and tell him to stay miserable for the rest of his life. All in all though, this version makes a good effort at re-telling the story, and its target audience - of which, given the fact is was made in , I was one - would, no doubt, have loved it.
We'd had Oliver and Pickwick and so the time seemed right to give Dickens Christmas classic the full razzle-dazzle musical treatment - they had a head start with this one since Dickens had, after all, written it in staves as opposed to chapters. Thus Scrooge, in the robustly miserable form of Albert Finney, waltzed onto the screen, accompanied by a cast of all singing, all dancing, classically trained authentic working-class cockneys.
The sets really do capture the flavour of Victorian London, although I suspect there would have been a little less singing and dancing in the more poverty stricken parts of the 19th century Metropolis. Alec Guinness drops in as an, initially, quite camp Jacob Marley. In fact, he enters the room with such a convincing mince that you fully expect Scrooge to enquire "are you free Mr. Marley" and then await a spectral "I'm free.
Edith Evans appears as the Ghost of Christmas Past - evidently having forgotten to change out of her Lady Bracknell or Miss Western costumes from previous movies - and playing the spirit as such a sweet old dear that your first thought is that it's the woman from the Gainsborough films topping up her pension in her dotage.
Kenneth More turns in a splendidly jocular portrayal of the Ghost of Christmas Present and proceeds to get Scrooge so drunk on the milk of human kindness which looks suspiciously like red wine that it's a wonder he doesn't wake up on Christmas Morning with the mother of all hangovers and proceed to throw up all over the little boy he shouts down to from his bedroom window.
In this adaptation we even get a brief glimpse of the face of Christmas Yet To Come I won't spoil the surprise who proceeds to give Scrooge an almighty shove, which sends him toppling into his own open grave and plummeting into the pit of hell you know it's hell because the entire set is painted red where we're treated to one of the most surreal sequences ever to have appeared in a film version of a Dickens classic.
In a break with the book, and, for that matter, with other film versions, Marley returns and tells Scrooge that he is to become Lucifer's clerk, whereupon a line of hooded, burly, toned and topless male demons, with oiled bodies, proceed to wrap a chain around Scrooge, binding him to a post. You can't help but wonder, or perhaps it's just me, whether the Ghost of Christmas Present hasn't spiked Scrooge's drink and taken him to a dodgy pool party.
All that aside though, this is a terrific version of the Carol and the songs, although not particularly memorable, are most certainly catchy and you find yourself humming them at the most inopportune of moments. Alastair Sim, provides the voiceover for Ebenezer Scrooge and does an adequate, though not particularly riveting job. Given it's only 25 minutes in length, this is a quick jaunt through the story the chief glory of which is the stunning animation.
The section when Scrooge arrives home is genuinely creepy, and the sequence with Marley's ghost is absolutely terrifying, especially when he undoes the bandage to allow his jaw to drop. Mind you, you do find yourself puzzling how he manages such clear enunciation of his words with his jaw stretched wide open throughout his entire dialogue. Scrooge appears a little confused when the first of his supernatural visitors turns up wearing a dress, with long flowing hair, and with features so very feminine that its a wonder she doesn't take umbrage and give him a good slap when he addresses her as "Sir.
We are treated to a whistle stop voyage through the visits of the Ghosts of Christmas past and present that manages to get the main points of the story in and which, again is beautifully animated. The depictions of Ignorance and Want are truly disturbing and extremely well done.
Again the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come sequence is rushed but, as with the previous visits manages to get the main points of Dickens narrative in.
All in all, whilst not an outstanding version, this is certainly a reasonable adaptation, beautifully illustrated throughout, and it manages to cram Dickens story into a mere twenty five minutes without losing too much of either the atmosphere or the moral of the original. I suppose it was inevitable that, sooner or later, somebody would make a blue film version of the Charles Dickens classic.
The only real surprises are that a it took till and b it's only ever been done once. When my researches revealed the existence of a pornographic adaptation two thoughts immediately crossed my mind. Firstly, how would they spell Scrooge's name and, secondly, what would be the nature of Tiny Tim's affliction. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to provide an answer to either question, nor am I able to supply any insightful comments regarding how faithfully it sticks to Dickens original story, not out of any moral indignation, but simply because it's not available in England.
I have managed to track down one, decidedly un-titillating, clip on Youtube that shows Carol being led into her future by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come ooh matron which, following an excruciatingly drawn out, mist shrouded tour of the flesh pots of what I presume to be Times Square, yields the memorable line "spirit I don't understand any of this, it's just a cheap hooker picking up some creep. This is a lovely retelling of A Christmas Carol with various Disney characters playing the parts.
Scrooge Mc Duck takes on the role of the miserly money lender, upon whom, incidentally, he was originally based, and presents us with the only Christmas bill you'll ever been delighted to see! Mickey Mouse appears as the careworn and abused clerk, Bob Cratchit - whilst Donald Duck splutters his way through an Oscar worthy performance as Scrooge's nephew, Fred. Goofy appears as a delightfully clumsy, and far from terrifying, Marley's ghost, lamenting to his old partner that " Oh you had class Jacob.
All in all, this is a beautifully animated and thoroughly entertaining version of Dickens classic, and anyone who argues otherwise should be boiled with their own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through their heart! Why is it that, whenever you see the words "And Introducing" in the opening credits of a film, you instinctively know that you're never going to hear of that actor, or actress, again?
How many students have, over the years, raced excitedly home from drama school, to burst in on their startled parents, panting, "See, mum and dad, I told you those 4 years of dressing up as a banana and handing out leaflets on the pavement outside ASDA would pay off, they're introducing me in a new film"? Father, meanwhile, nods his approval, and surreptitiously reaches for the local paper in order to peruse the situations vacant columns, on the off chance that McDonalds might be recruiting in the near future.
I only mention this because we are treated to just such an introduction in the opening credits of this television outing of the Dickens Classic, when the words "And Introducing Anthony Walters As Tiny Tim" appear, writ large across the screen. In fairness to him he did go on to play Liam Neeson's son in Shining Through, and the squire's son in the version of Black Beauty, so, as far as "and introducing's" go, he seems to have done alright for himself. In this reworking of the novella, George C.
Scott dominates the screen with a performance that is so masterful that it puts his Scrooge up there with the best of them. The film itself is beautifully shot and, the moment it begins, you are overwhelmed with the sensation that you have been transported back to the 19th century; so much so that you can almost feel the cold of the chilly Christmas Eve engulfing you, as the acrid smoke, swirling through the air, seems to somehow fill your nostrils as your eyes alight upon the snowy, foggy streets of Victorian London, which, given the film was actually shot in Shrewsbury, is, to say the least, somewhat confusing.
Still, it must be said, Shrewsbury makes a terrific bygone London. As the fog swirls around the screen, a solitary bell begins tolling a mourning knell and the sombre funeral procession of Jacob Marley is shown edging its way through the streets. Then, the opening credits roll and, having been informed that we're about to have the honour of being introduced to "Anthony Walters as Tiny Tim", we find ourselves inside Scrooge's counting house, where Bob Cratchit informs us that 7 years have elapsed since the death of Marley.
Wow, you think, that was a long opening credit sequence. Bob then goes to put a coal on the fire, but his employer snaps at him that the human race invented clothes in order to keep warm, and so an additional coal on the fire is unnecessary.
There's no arguing against that sort of distorted logic, so Bob resigns himself to the fact he's going to have to shiver through the few hours of Christmas Eve he has left at work, and shuffles back to his work station. As he leaves the room, Bob meets Scrooge's nephew, Fred, and they proceed to exchange pleasantries - of the "Merry Christmas" variety - before Fred marches into his uncle's office and subjects him to the familiar homily of how good Christmas has always been to him.
Needless to say, Scrooge, old curmudgeon that he is, begs to differ and gives his nephew short shrift, ending the exchange by declining Fred's invitation to come to Christmas dinner the next day. One of the few criticisms I have of this early section of the film is that the performances from both David Warner, as Bob Cratchit, and Roger Rees, as Fred, are a little too cloying and sentimental.
Indeed, you fully expect David Warner to burst in to tears at any moment as he delivers some of his lines. However, this is more than made up for by the wonderfully gruff and menacing performance given by George C. Scrooge then leaves the counting house, pausing to retrieve his top hat from his long-suffering assistant, and informs Cratchit that, in lieu of the fact he'll be taking Christmas Day off, he'd better be at work all the earlier the next day.
0コメント