Movie Review: A Christmas Carol (1984)

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Seriously, everything

Cons: Not a thing

The Bottom Line:

Ultimate version

None others can measure up

My family agrees

If You Only See One Version of A Christmas Carol, Make It This One

From my mom, I have inherited a love of Charles Dickens's story A Christmas Carol. Every December, I enjoy it in a couple of different forms. I have even watched some of the recent modern takes on the story, and mostly enjoyed them. But if I am looking for a serious film interpretation of the book, I look no further then this 1984 made for TV movie.

The story told here has literally been told countless times on stage and screen. Ebenezer Scrooge (George C. Scott) is a miserable miser who desires nothing more then money. He has no friends, pinches every penny, abuses his poor clerk (David Warner), and won't even consider giving to the poor.

One Christmas Eve, he is haunted by four spirits who attempt to show him the error of his ways by showing him his past, present, and future. Is there any hope for Scrooge? If there is, will they get through to him?

Now I will admit my biases to this film up front. I have seen it just about every Christmas since it first aired. Yet I think this truly is a great film version. For starters, it sticks very close to the original novella. While not a deal breaker, the fact that they tried to be faithful really enhances my love for it. There are a couple minor changes, but nothing to get upset about. Yet this doesn't make the movie boring. It moves from one scene to another quickly. Just a few seconds are enough to get my glued to my seat for the remainder of the film.

Then there is the look of the movie. One glance and you are easily transported to 1800's London. The sets and costumes are beautiful and authentic. The special effects are impressive, even by today's standards.

And we can't leave out the acting. The only possible bad note is Anthony Walters who seems a little stiff in his first scene as Tiny Tim. And I feel like a grump for pointing that out because everything else is wonderful. Everyone hits all the right notes, and by the time I am done I feel like I have been on the same emotional journey with Scrooge.

One word of warning for parents. The scenes leading up to the appearance of Marley's Ghost could be scary for young kids. I will admit those scenes still give me chills, and used to scare me every year, even as an early teen. My younger brother, on the other hand, never had a problem with it. Nothing else about this tale should be that scary, but you might want to preview it and judge it against your kid's reactions to things yourself.

The DVD is a bare bones release. While some extras would have been nice, they certainly weren't necessary. The picture and sound are sharp, which is amazing for a 20 year old film. They certainly look better then the copy I taped off TV.

If you want to find a film version of A Christmas Carol, look no further. It is sure to become a family Christmas tradition.