Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is just the type of dramatic, heart-warming holiday story that begs to be filmed. And it has been. Dozens of times. Ebenezer Scrooge, the hard-hearted miser who believes that prisons and workhouses are suitable substitutes for holiday charities has been portrayed as everything from a TV executive (Scrooged) to a cantankerous duck (in the Disney version of the tale). Performers from Henry Winkler to Susan Lucci have tackled the role.

With so many versions to choose from, it is only natural that every fan of the story has his or her favorite. My father, for instance, swears by the 1938 film starring Gene Lockhart as Bob Cratchitt and Reginald Owen as Scrooge. My mother enjoys the George C. Scott remake.

But as for me, Ebenezer Scrooge will always be Alastair Sim.

The Plot

Released in 1951, this version of A Christmas Carol, sometimes also known as Scrooge, closely parallels its source.

Ebenezer Scrooge (Alastair Sim, best known for his ability in comic roles) is a hard-hearted business man who abuses his clerk, Bob Cratchitt (Mervyn Johns) and cuts off his nephew (Brian Worth) who has married against his wishes. Asked to contribute to a Christmas charity, he responds that people who cannot or will not go to prisons or workhouses should simply die in order to “decrease the surplus population.”

Returning to his home on Christmas Eve night, Scrooge is stunned by a visit from the ghost of his business partner, Jacob Marley (Michael Hordern), who warns him that the path he is choosing will lead to a miserable after-life. Marley himself is bound to wander the earth in chains as punishment for the way he treated his fellow human beings when he was alive. Mindful of his friend’s well-being, Marley arranges for Scrooge to be haunted by three spirits to show him the error of his ways.

The Spirit of Christmas Past (Michael Dolan) reminds Scrooge of his unhappy childhood and of those who showed kindness to him as an adult. The Spirit of Christmas Present (Francis De Wolff) brings Scrooge to witness joyful Christmas celebrations. Scrooge is especially touched as he watches the family of his clerk Bob Cratchitt pool its meager resources to improvise a Christmas feast. Scrooge also notices Tiny Tim, Cratchitt’s youngest son, who is frail and walks with a crutch. He asks the spirit if there is any hope for Tim’s survival, only to have his own words thrown back at him: “If he is like to die, then he’d better do it and decrease the surplus population.” Chastened, Scrooge is visited by the final specter, the Spirit of Christmas Future (C. Konarski), who leads him back to the Cratchitt family to witness their grief over Tiny Tim’s death. The spirit then shows Scrooge his own death, and Scrooge sees that his unkindly ways have made him so disliked that there is not a soul on earth who will mourn him.

Awakening a different man, Scrooge vows to change his ways, and becomes “as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old city ever knew.”

The Acting

Although some fine performers have portrayed Scrooge, I still believe the acting in this film raises it head and shoulders above its competitors.

Alastair Sim turns in a masterful performance as Scrooge, navigating the overnight transition from bad guy to good guy so smoothly it almost seems plausible. Sim plays his newly transformed Scrooge with exuberance (“I must stand on my head!” he cries at one point, to the horror of his housekeeper), and also a touching vulnerability. Especially moving is the scene where he accepts his nephew’s invitation to Christmas dinner. Nervous about how he will be received after his years of coldness to his nephew, he pauses at the door, excitement and fear struggling across his face as he debates whether or not to enter the room at all. As soon as he does, he goes directly to his nephew’s wife and says, “Will you forgive a pig-headed old fool for having no eyes to see with, no ears to hear with, all these yeas?” Few actors could pull off a line like that. Sim does.

Equally remarkable is George Cole in his role as the young Ebenezer Scrooge. In other versions of the movie, the character of young Ebenezer is generally portrayed as somewhat bland, but Cole brings a burning intensity to the unloved boy growing into an insecure young man who “fears the world too much.” The scenes between Ebenezer and his fragile older sister, Fan (Carol Marsh) are especially moving. “You must live forever,” he tells her at one point, eyes ablaze. “Nobody else ever cared for me. Nobody else ever will. You must live forever.” Indeed, it is Fan’s death giving birth to his nephew that turns him against the world for once and all.

Delightful in a bit part is Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge’s housekeeper. Ms. Harrison’s job in this movie is to provide comic relief, and she does so very well. She also gets some of the funniest lines in the film. At one point, for instance, describing the condition of the dying Jacob Marley she remarks, “’E’s breathing very queerly…when ‘e does breathe at all.” At another moment, convinced that the newly-transformed Scrooge has gone mad, she attempts to flee the house. Scrooge catches her, apologizes for frightening her, and offers her a coin as a Christmas present and asks her if she knows what the gift is for. “To keep me mouth shut?” she guesses suspiciously.

Mervyn Johns is perhaps a little old for his role as Bob Cratchitt, but he plays the part well. He is especially touching in the scene where the Spirit of Christmas Future shows Scrooge Tiny Tim’s death. Trying to keep a brave face for his family, Cratchitt reminds them that Tim is at peace now, so they mustn’t be sad. In the middle of his speech, however, he breaks into uncontrollable tears. “Oh, Tim, my Tiny Tim,” he sobs as his wife tries helplessly to comfort him. No matter how many times I see the movie, the scene never fails to bring tears to my own eyes.

Problems?

No movie is perfect, and this one, like any other, has its minor imperfections. But they are minor.

For instance, although Glyn Dearman is charming in the role of Tiny Tim, he’s simply a little too old for the part. He looks more like a teenager than a young child.

Also, towards the end of the movie, during Scrooge’s time with the Spirit of Christmas Future, there is a scene where the dead Scrooge’s former employees all arrive in an unsavory section of London to sell off his wordly belongings. The point, well taken, is that Scrooge’s behavior inspires no loyalty or affection, but this scene is too long, and it does drag a little. Furthermore, the broad humor in it seems inappropriate so soon after the sadness of Tiny Tim’s “death.”

Purists may also object that the movie has added a few scenes that weren’t in the original story, and has enhanced a few subplots that were only hinted at in the book (for instance, the relationship between Scrooge and his sister). However, since these additions ultimately do not alter the storyline and, in fact, make the character of Scrooge more easily accessible, I don’t object to them.

In Summary

People tend to be almost as loyal to their favorite movie version of A Christmas Carol as they are to their religion, so I don’t expect to win any converts with this review. I do hope, though, that if you have not yet seen this charming movie, you will give it a try. The script is solid, the acting is superb, and the story is a touching reminder of what it means to be a caring human being.




Recommended: Yes