Thursday 9th July

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

Director: Brian Desmond Hurst
Year: 1951
Stars: Alistair Sims, Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns

I admit I did watch this last Christmas, when it was on TV on Christmas Eve. I've always loved A Christmas Carol and one version or another of it is on every year. For me, it's one of the best things about Christmas. However, I also recorded this particular version because I was at home in Exeter over Christmas and wasn't sure I'd get the chance to watch it. Although I did, I was surrounded by family and wanted to be able to sit down and concentrate on what I was watching properly.

So, being in the mood for something fun, and remembering my attempt to watch older films, I thought "why not watch A Christmas Carol in July?". So I did. For those who don't know the story (Really? Are there any of you out there?), Scrooge is a mean old miser who hates Christmas and, well, people. On Christmas Eve he is visited by three ghosts who try to change his ways...

I may well have seen this version as a child, but can't say I really remember it. I was not disappointed though. Other than that fact that Tiny Tim is horribly miscast (this Tim is clearly not all tiny), this has to be one of the best film versions of the book out there. The dialogue is fantastic, often taken directly from the book, and, unlike a lot of other versions, doesn't talk down to the viewer in any way.

The film did exactly what films are meant to do - made me feel sad, or happy, or even delirious, along with the characters. Admittedly, my love of A Christmas Carol makes me a little biased, but I could watch this version every year and never tire of it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

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About Me

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I live in Bristol with my husband Dan (who I married in July 2007), my son Joe (born 2012) and daughter Jess (born 2015). I work at UWE (the University of the West of England) in Bristol as a Research and Open Access Librarian. I'm orginally from Exeter, so moving back to Bristol is a bit like coming home - especially as I studied for my undergraduate degree here (also at UWE). I love travelling and movies, although I get to do a lot less of both since the birth of our children. Although we have still managed to fit in holidays to the Isles of Scilly, Chamonix and a summer in California since Joe was born.