A Christmas Carol (Colorized Version)

5-star -- My favorite Scrooge.Alistair Sim plays the definitive Ebenezer Scrooge in the British 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol." All other Scrooges are just words on paper paling in comparison when placed next to Sim's portrayal of the villain who becomes reformed, no, transformed after visitation by three Christmas spirits.I last saw the movie in January of this year, but I have watched it just about every Christmas season since 1965.I have seen all the major characterizations including Seymour Hicks (1935), Reginald Owen (1938), George C. Scott (1984), and Patrick Stewart (1999), but none can hold a candle to Alistair Sim's performance.I gave this movie 5-stars because -- (a) it is my favorite version of "A Christmas Carol" since childhood, (b) this version has the most dramatic transformation of Scrooge from mean to joyful that leaves you wondering "I don't deserve to be so happy, but I can't help it!", and (c) the actual scenes in the original black and white version seem to most closely resemble the real London of the times.I believe that the granddaughter of Charles Dickens was actually present during filming and said that her grandfather would have liked Alistair Sim's portrayal, and that the Dickens family heartily approved of the film as most closely representing what Dickens envisioned for his story.After the movie's release, Alistair Sim was forever linked to the role of Scrooge for the rest of his career, and enjoyed when fans approached him calling him Scrooge. I think the reason that George C. Scott and Patrick Stewart don't quite make it as Ebenezer Scrooge, even though they modeled their portrayals after Sim's, is that they appear to be *acting* the role of Scrooge, whereas Alistair Sim actually *becomes* Scrooge.The movie score, consisting of classical and dramatic music interspersed with Christmas carols, has been heard played by philharmonic orchestras on local classical radio stations. One time hearing it on WFLN (Philadelphia), I could actually picture the whole movie scene by scene as the score was played in its entirety.This version was the favorite family holiday movie when I was growing up. This movie was originally filmed in black and white and should be watched as such, not the recent colorized version. In the late 1960's, we had an old hand-me-down black and white television. My father decided to get us a color TV for Christmas. It was delivered to the house in the middle of us watching the subject movie.The delivery man turned off the old set to replace it with the new color one. "What channel do you kids want?" "Channel 11" (to go back to our movie). Delivery man says, "Hmmm, something must be wrong, there's no color." "No, no, the movie is black and white." "Figures, you get a brand new color TV to watch a black and white program. Kids!"There are numerous great quotes throughout the movie. Here is a smattering of some of my favorites --Scrooge responding after Cratchet wishing him a Merry Christmas:"You, a clerk on five shillings a week with a wife and a family talking about a Merry Christmas... I'll retire to bedlam."Scrooge to solicitors, then later quoted by the Spirit of Christmas Present:"Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?"Spirit of Christmas Present:"You've never seen the likes of me before, have you?"Scrooge:"Never, and I wish the pleasure had been indefinitely postponed."Spirit of Christmas Present admonishing Scrooge's indifference to his reclamation:"Mortal! We Spirits of Christmas do not live only one day of our year. We live the whole three-hundred and sixty-five. So is it true of the Child born in Bethlehem. He does not live in men's hearts one day of the year, but in all days of the year. You have chosen not to seek Him in your heart. Therefore, you will come with me and seek Him in the hearts of men of good will."Fred to his guests (during the Spirit of Christmas Present tour with Scrooge):"...I personally haven't very much faith in these newlywed housekeepers. Have you, Tupper?"Mr. Tupper:"Alas, as a bachelor, I'm a wretched outcast, with no right to express an opinion on such a tender and delicate subject. Have I, dear, distant, unmovable, Miss Flora?"Miss Flora:"Oh, you really are quite incorrigible, Mr. Tupper, quite beyond hope." [fanning herself][But when the music starts, Miss Flora joins Mr. Tupper in a dance.]Scrooge celebrating upon his awakening Christmas morning:"I don't know anything. I never did know anything. But now I know that I didn't know, anything at all."Scrooge to Cratchet after he arrives 15 minutes late the day after Christmas:"You're a little behind your time."Tiny Tim: "God bless us, everyone!"---I love the whole movie, but I have to say that my favorite scene is the day after Christmas after Scrooge raises Bob Cratchet's salary and sends him off to buy another coal scuttle before he dots another "i", Bob Cratchet.Scrooge:[gruffly to himself] "I don't deserve to be so happy."[laughing teary-eyed] "But I can't help it."[throwing his feather pen over his shoulder which you can see dropping behind him] "I can't help it."---A couple of sidebars.Tiny Tim's medical condition -- A wikipedia article has speculated that Tiny Tim was afflicted with RTA-Type 1 (renal tubular acidosis) or rickets, both of which would have been treatable during his time. However, when I investigate each of these, it turns out that RTA was not medically described until 1935 and its treatment would not have been known in the mid-1800's, whereas symptoms of rickets had been reported during ancient Greek times and defined as a specific medical condition in the mid-1600's. Although its specific treatment was probably not known, it probably fell into the same category as scurvy, experience showing that eating certain foods (coicidently containing vitamin C for scurvy or vitamin D for rickets) reduced or treated the condition. So in my humble opinion, I think Tiny Tim had rickets, not RTA.Ever-optimistic Fred (Scrooge's nephew) -- At the beginning of the movie (Stave 1), Fred goes to Scrooge's office to invite him to Christmas dinner. Scrooge declines and persists in arguing with Fred. Finally, Fred says that he's never had any quarrel that he's been party to, that he came there in the spirit of bright good will and won't let Scrooge dampen it, so a Merry Christmas to him anyway. On his way out, Fred asks Bob Crachit about his family with the small talk focusing on Crachit's family chomping at the bit for the holiday and Tiny Tim's health. As Fred departs, Crachit eyes follow Fred's exit as he looks wistfully probably thinking about the cheer that Fred just conveyed compared to Scrooge's negativism (accentuated by the orchestral bassoon in the background).Patrick Macnee as the young Jacob Marley -- For most of my life, I thought that Patrick Macnee played Fred (the cheerful nephew), but Macnee actually plays the young Jacob Marley who Scrooge meets when he enters the employ of the Amalgamated Mercantile Society (owned by Mr. Jorkin played by Jack Warner) after quitting Fezziwig's. For the Special Edition DVD, which contains both the black and white and colorized versions, Patrick Macnee gives a nice introduction and closing comment for the movie. I rather think of Macnee as Jonathan Steed in the original Avengers.Mr. Jorkin, president of the Amalgamated Mercantile Society -- Jack Warner plays his character role to perfection. Mr. Jorkin is the jaded and sarcastic officer of the Amalgamated Mercantile Society who woo's Scrooge away from Fezziwig's and eventually buys out Fezziwig's company. At the board meeting, it is revealed that Mr. Jorkin embezzled from the company leaving its book value insolvent. Mr. Jorkin's remarks in downplaying his misdemeanors, in pointing out the imprudence to go public with the information, and his comments about Scrooge and Marley as the two make their proposition to the company are priceless.Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge's housekeeper -- Kathleen Harrison plays the downtrodden housekeeper of Scrooge's, Mrs. Dilber. The scene in which Mrs. Dilber is startled by Scrooge's transformation and rushes down the stairs to leave the house has perfect comedic timing.--Come back, Mrs. Dilber!Scrooge intercepts her at the steps. Mrs. Dilber is screaming not knowing what's going on.--Shhhh, please, please Mrs. Dilber. I'm not mad, even if I look it.As Scrooge puffs his hair like a monster.--Don't be violent, Mr. Scrooge. You'll force me to scream for the beadle!--The beadle, madam, ha! A fig for the beadle.Scrooge places a coin in Mrs. Dilber's hand.--A guinea? What for?--I'll give you one guess.--To keep me mount shut?--To keep your mouth shut? Oh no. No, no, no, Mrs. Dilber. It's for a Christmas present.--A Christmas present? For me?--Of course, for you! A Merry Merry Christmas.Scrooge kisses her on the forehead.At the end of our story, Scrooge "...became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old city ever knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world. And it was always said that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge."

Product arrived sooner than expected - a credit to the seller. DVD and bluray were in excellent condition. If you care anything about A Christmas Carol, this version is about the best you can do.

Another great adaptation of A Christmas Carol to ever appear on screen. Alastair Sim did a fantastic job as the bitter miser who later redeemed himself and loved Christmas.

This is the one and only Scrooge movie that everyone should see. It is classic and a favorite and honestly, it is the best version! Alistair Sim is perfect for the role. No one else does Scrooge like he does. He is the master! Whether in black and white or color, this is a classic movie!

I received my copy of the 60th Anniversary set today via Amazon (and kudos to Amazon, which refunded me a total of $7 from the pre-order price I had paid back on Oct 2, charging me a mere $10.99 for this 2-disc set, ie: at their Nov 2 price).I haven't watched the entire movie, but spot checks of the film on the BluRay disc reveal the best-ever VCI transfer. It's even better than the BluRay version that was released in 2009. Also, it seems to me like the picture contains more along the edges than it has before. I'm wondering if VCI has been clipping the left & right sides of the film image all these years due to deterioration, but were somehow able to restore those edges with the new computer software they said they used on the film this time around. I did notice that a restoration credit is given to a firm called "Blair & Associates" that isn't VCI, with a copyright date of 2011. Perhaps they finally decided to send the thing out of house and get it done right.I can't imagine why VCI isn't hawking this version more aggressively, because it does seem to fulfill - finally - the promises VCI has made over the years about just how painstaking their restoration efforts have been. Those promises have always led to a bit of disappointment in the past. Not this time.Also, the soundtrack is absolutely quiet, at least when played in the original mono. I haven't tried the 5.1 surround sound yet, and I don't know that I will. I'm something of a purist in this matter.I watched the Leonard Maltin intro, and it was very good and professional, supplying info I didn't know (such as the fact that Glynis Johns is the daughter of Mervyn Johns, who plays Bob Cratchet).I have only ONE very small complaint, and it seems almost ridiculous to point out, but the subtitles come up a second or so before the lines are actually delivered on the screen. They're not synced precisely to the beginning of each new phrase in the dialogue. That's really not a problem as I never watch the entire film with subtitles. At least these subtitles are in white, rather than the hard-to-read red of the Ultimate DVD Edition. And, the point size of the subtitles is a bit smaller than it was on the 2009 BluRay version.The set also includes a hardcopy "Abridged American Pressbook" that I assume represents what was sent out to American film houses when the film was released in 1951. It's a very nice touch, and something that I haven't seen in earlier releases. The little booklet is a 3-page gate fold that unfolds into a two-sided promo kit that pictures the posters and lobby posters that were available to promote the film. I especially love the tie-in promotion to the Classics Illustrated "Volume 53," "A Christmas Carol." Fascinating stuff!I did not know that the film was retitled from "Scrooge" to "A Christmas Carol" for its initial US release. Hey, I'm learning all the time!I watched a couple of the bonus features on Saturday, and they are well done and supply interesting information.Edited 12/7/11: I watched this BD in its entirety last night, and it is just amazing how clean and, well, wonderful it all is. The picture is rock steady, except when there are fades moving from one scene to another, ie: movement that appeared from Day One on this film and was usual for films made in this period. What you won't see is the picture nervously moving off its axis. It is as solid as if it were done digitally. The detail and depth to the picture is the best I have ever seen on this film. And, yes, that reaction shot from Fred's wife that was missing from the UCE has been restored. Less than a second and a half of film, but oh so meaningful.The sound is also remarkable. What's nice is that almost all of the old-movie static has been effectively removed, so the voices and the film score register beautifully. I first watched with the original mono track playing, and it is very fulsome and vivid. I later went back and watched the entire movie in surround sound. Funny, but the surround process seems to be less-clean than the mono track! The movie sounds its age more in surround than in mono. That said, the orchestral score registers more effectively in surround, and that's important, as the musical score for this film is one of its glories. And, yes, I noticed that total sound drop out in the scene where Scrooge visits Fred for Xmas dinner in the surround track. The drop out lasts about 4 seconds. Very unfortunate.Still, definitely worth getting.

thanks.

While growing up this was one of the three core Christmas Carol movie traditions. This one, the 1970 Albert Finney musical adaptation, Scrooge; and the 1984 George C Scott. None really, I think, meet the vision of the book (hence the four star), but this one has such a great look and feel and just works; the season just can't be complete without it. The colorized version is nice but I personally prefer the nostalgic feel of the black and white. I would say that if you are new to the Christmas Carol tradition, this is the best first move to watch. Note, there are older versions and they are fantastic, but just don't work for me as well.

It’s part of my tradition to watch this movie every Christmas Eve. You can never be sure when it’s going to be on tv or if it’s on a streaming service but with the Blu Ray I can watch it at the time of my choosing. It has to be the original black and white and not a colorized abomination.

Mein Lieblings Film zu Weihnachten.Da er leider nicht im TV läuft. Jetzt auf bluray, wann immer ich , ihn sehen will.

I`ve just bought the Eine Weihnachtsgeschichte German version of Scrooge A Christmas Carol. I bought it as it is on Bluray to replace the DVD version I`ve had for years, and managed to break it.I was dubious at first, but I have to say, It`s marvellous. The menu is in German, but if you scroll down there is the English soundtrack, with a marked improvement in picture quality, compared to the DVD.Further down the menu you find the colourised version, which is in German. If you go into the sound settings on your Bluray player, you get the English sound track.As I say, don`t be put off buying this. I paid £11.50 for the Bluray, where the DVD is around £16.My all time favourite Christmas movie, I`ll be watching a few times before the big man comes.

si, ha cumplido mis espectativas, una gran pelicula

Enjoyed watching it