I want to give you my personal thanks for reacting to this version. I've been telling reactors for years that it's the best screen version, but they never try it and, instead watch vastly worse but more recent versions.
@@TedLittle-yp7uj I think you`re being a bit too harsh. It is the best version (for my taste) but that isn`t to say that the other versions aren`t good.
I have this movie on DVD, and I agree that this is the best version of many great adaptations of “A Christmas Carol.” This movie makes me cry. I think Scrooge realizes how much he has lost, and that it is too late for him to get Alice back.
Of course, in the novel, Alice has married and has children. I don't think that would have played very well in the movie and they were right to change it.
@@TedLittle-yp7uj They do show that in some other adaptations. I like that the door is a little open for us to think they could still get together after the close of the story in this version, though.
I am another person who loves this version. It uses more of the original and beautifully written text from the novel, and is more authentic establishing the Victorian atmosphere, customs and traditions. I also love the way it is similar to a “film noir” with the shadows and high contrast lighting, the complex or ambiguous characters and the very moody music and striking sound fx. I think it is the strongest version to emphasize that it isn’t just Scrooge who needs to change, but society as a whole.
And the things it adds are so great. Jorkins and Alice (instead of Belle) working with the poor. The repeating theme of Fred and Ebenezer as the unwitting cause of their mothers' deaths.
My favorite version of this story. Alastair Sim is magnificent, and also slightly resembled my father. I also have affection for several members of the supporting cast. And the “Barbara Allen” song is one of the most reliable tearjerkers for me.
I love that whole Barbara Allen scene at nephew Fred's house. When Scrooge has second thoughts and the maid gives him a nod of encouragement. When he's spotted after opening the doors and the music stops immediately. Then when he apologizes to his nephew and niece-in-law.
Hi Henry, glad to see someone covering reactions to the classics, especially Hitchcock’s films! I noticed that there are still a few missing from your list. It would be amazing if you could plan to review some of his later works, like TORN CURTAIN (1966) and TOPAZ (1969). Both are incredibly suspenseful and happen to be some of my personal favorites. Looking forward to your thoughts on them! Best wishes!
"Spirit, are these yours?" "They are Man's. This boy is Ignorance, this girl is Want. Beware them both, but most of all, beware this boy!" Fun Fact: Glyn Dearman was widely felt to be too tall to play Tiny Tim. Casting Notes Fact: In one of her earliest film roles, Hattie Jacques appears as Mrs Fezziwig. Jacques of course would go on to find fame some years later as one of the "Carry On..." film franchise regulars and the BBC sitcom Sykes (1972). Movie Magic Fact: Sir Michael Hordern was not on-set when the "Marley's Ghost" segment was filmed. He was added later through the use of an optical printer. He only appeared together with Alastair Sim in the two scenes at the end of the Ghost of Christmas Past (Michael Dolan) sequence, the latter of the two being the scene where Jacob Marley dies. This was also true of Michael Dolan, he never actually played any scenes on the set with Sim. Humbug Fact: The word "humbug" provides insight into Ebenezer Scrooge's (Alastair Sim) hatred of Christmas, as it describes deceitful efforts to fool people by pretending to a fake loftiness or false sincerity. Therefore, when Scrooge calls Christmas a humbug, he is claiming that people only pretend to be charitable and kind in an effort to delude him, each other, and themselves. In Scrooge's eyes, he is the one man who is honest enough to admit that no one really cares about anyone else, so (to him) every wish for a Merry Christmas is one more deceitful effort to fool him and take advantage of him. This is a man who has turned to profit because he honestly believes everyone else will someday betray him or abandon him the moment he trusts them.
It's impressive they were able to create the "ghost" effect back in the 1950s. And it's like an actual ghost too, because the actor isn't even there. Ohhh I see. I didn't know "humbug" had that meaning. After reading your description, Scrooge's behaviour is a little more understandable. However, the belief "no one can be trusted except oneself" is a harsh one. It's very likely he adopted this sort of belief after Fan's death and Alice's breakup. Thank you for sharing! 😊
Henry, what an absolutely lovely meditation and self-reflection you have shared with us! I think Dickens would bow his head in humble gratitude at how you've spoken and drawn this story to a lifetime goal. This is my favorite adaptation, though, when I was very young and we would watch it on broadcast tv, it would scare me silly. The adaptation takes a few more liberties with Scrooge's past and a few other items than other versions do, but it's more like an expansion and feels true to the original source. Alastair Sim was primarily a comic actor, but as you can see, he was fully able to go to dark places. And he keeps humor and in character: that weary, deflecting moan as he backs away from the Ghost of Christmas Present, for example, is in complete Scrooge mode, but is darkly funny. One of my favorite moments is when he visits Fred on Christmas morning, but hesitates at the door, looks back at the little maid who's taken his coat, and then she gives him a tiny nod of encouragement. So tiny a moment, and so full. I love how, in the last scenes, we can see that Scrooge has become "younger", more vigorous, less stooped. Christmas Present tells Scrooge that if things remained as they were, none of his brothers would see Tiny Tim; Tiny Tim was slated to die the very next year, and therefore, Scrooge was too. This magic night has saved two lives. The transformation scene on Christmas day has granted our family one of our many catch phrases: "label label label label label!" Marley was our good friend, the supporting player Michael Hordern, another actor who could wring tears from an audience, or make them dissolve in laughter.
I, like many others, think this is the best Scrooge character ever played by any actor, even to this day. Alistair Sim wasn't a well known actor by today's standards but he made this character of Scrooge appear so real and honestly brutal that when you go back to the first argument Scrooge has with Crachit about taking off Christmas day, you can see Cratchet flinch when Scrooge throws his scarf around his own neck because his scarf literally slaps Crachit in the face. I wonder to this day if that was just happenstance or did they want to create that kind of indignance in Scrooge's character for the audience to witness. If so, it was well done. By the way, you can watch a colorized version of this movie which I prefer because they did a great job of colorizing it.
This has always been my favorite telling of the story. As far as I know it's the only one with both Ebenezer and his nephew's mothers dying in childbirth, of the older movies, and Alister Sim's performance as the reformed Scrooge is infectious.🧓🎭📽️💖 Happy Holidays and God bless us, everyone!! ☃️🎄🎀🎁
This movie had changes to the story in which it had Alice (who had a different name in the book) staying single and devoting her life to serving others. But in the book, she married and had a large family. That's why Scrooge didn't seek her out.
The book itself is fairly short - is usually called a “novella” and is usually about 100 pages long. Easy to read during the holidays. Also, there are some lovely audiobook versions read aloud by great actors with wonderfully expressive voices.
Oh, but I think it is also critical to see the many original illustrations that define the story as much as the words. The book has long been in the public domain and easy to find on Google books, including with the color illustrations. (The story makes a bit more sense with the drawings. (But like you, a quick and enjoyable read.)
I just realized you can type: original illustrations a christmas carol into Google and see instantly a bunch of them (also more recent ones but I think once you see the style of them, you can figure out what is what).
It seems to me that, prior to his repentance, no one would borrow money from Scrooge except as a last resort. Therefore, he lends to poor risks and has many defaulters. This costs him money in lost payments and legal fees. Afterward, people would go to Scrooge by preference and he would actually become richer.
When he's eating dinner in the restaurant (3:57), he orders more bread. The waiter says "ha-penny extra" (a half-pence or 1:480 of a Pound), so he refuses. [The Closed Caption creator didn't know what a ha-penny was.] So Scrooge is not a GREEDY rich man in the spendthrift sense. He's a miser. Lives in constant fear of going without. And to be sure that that doesn't happen, he hoards, and therefore... goes without.
Best version, agreed. And I hadn't seen it before, so I watched the movie before this video. Cool double special effect when Scrooge and the spirit of Christmas past witnesses Fan visiting young Scrooge. The spirit is transparent but Scrooge is not, and Fan walks through the solid looking man. And I enjoyed the overacting by Michael Hordern (Jacob Marley) as a ghost, but not when playing the living Marley. Also, Scrooge seems more sad and afraid from the start of the movie rather than just an evil greedy man like in several other adaptations. Great reaction and review, Henry. You look cute in your costume, but don't wear it when visiting Sweden. We eat reindeer here. 😋 Merry Christmas and a happy new year! 🎉✨🎆
I'd be sad and afraid too if a ghost of a friend told me I would suffer the same fate after death, and then be told that I would be visited by three unknown spirits. Thank you! Oh no, please don't eat Rudolph 😱 Happy New Year 🎊
The liquid food that Scrooge is sipping when Marley shows up, I believe was specified as "gruel." I used to think it was watered down oatmeal that poor people eat (or sip) but actually if you add enough milk and sugar, it really is quite nice. Marley has a bandage wrapped around his head, like he has a toothache. But in death, the jaw muscles go limp and the jaw drops down. (I understand morticians normally saw the lips shut.) Marley and the two ghosts of Christmas present and future are illustrated in the book so we know what Dickens had in mind. The first ghost is not shown in an illustration, and is described as both young and old looking, which is hard to figure out what to do with it. At the end of this visit, Scrooge takes a large conical device, like a big megaphone, and presses down on over this ghost, sort of like using an old-fashion candlesnuffer. Some movies depict this ghost as a large candle with its face in the flame. The ghost of Christmas is shown in the book to be a large men with a full beard and a crown of holly on his head. He wears a fur-lined robe, open at the top to expose his chest. The book had hand-colored illustrations and this ghost's robe is green. Except for the color, this depiction was responsible in large part for our modern day version of Santa Claus. The third ghost appears like the grim reaper. In many versions, his fingers are not flesh but skeleton bones.
Henry, if you liked this, you should watch THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS, which is a recent (within the last 10 years) movie about how Dickens wrote A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Being a feature film, it did take some dramatic license but it is mostly accurate and is a great Christmas movie in its own write.
Not only a great Christmas movie but just a great movie in general. Almost perfect. (I say, "almost perfect," because there is a blooper. I will not say what it is because once you see it, you cannot un-see it. And I'd never knowingly ruin a great scene in a great movie.) Alistair Sim was a great actor in general but in this, he really shined. And the whole cast was great. The nephew's maid, who was uncredited, never said a word but I love that scene so much. She is a good example of the axiom, 'There are no small roles..." Good reaction and much appreciated.
When you said 'blooper', I thought one of the actors made a silly mistake or something. What @timetravellingone pointed out, I already noticed it the first time. It doesn't ruin the scene for me 😂
I think Henry might be missing the point of the story. It is not a secular "ghost story" about how to better yourself but a Christian religious story of redemption, forgiveness and learning to live with Christ in your heart.
I love this version so much! I would've never knew about this whole story if it wasn't for my school that taught me this whole thing! Literally 1 of my fav movies, btw for your next Christmas movie reaction can you watch Home Alone it can be any part lol I'm new btw 🫶 (btw my b-day was last weekend so it would be nice if you said happy birthday or smth)
i don't think alice was ever his wife. he broke it off before they were married. and tiny tim's leg didn't just get better. scrooge paid for the operation to fix his leg. this is definately the best film version of this story. and "mr. magoo's" is the best animated version. sure would make my day to find someone KIND! i'm tired of being abused, harrassed and defrauded everyday of my life. thanks for video.
You must remember that in Dickens' time, it was not possible for poor people to educate themselves and get better jobs, because the Victorian British class system set up social barriers that kept people stuck in whatever social class they were born into. Both wealth and poverty were generational, passed down from parent to child over centuries. A person could easily slip down, like Dickens' father, but it was almost impossible to rise up. If rich people didn't donate to pay for schools in poor communities, there would be no way for poor people even to learn to read as children, let alone get higher education or career training. Even with such education, a person could only rise so high. It would be the difference between the Cratchit family or Mrs. Dilbur versus literally starving. That's why Dickens emphasized charity and compassion so much in this story. He was arguing that charity and caring for others around us are moral duties. "Mankind was my business! Their common welfare was my business!"
Everybody says their favorite version is the best version. Of course, what do they know, the BEST version is Scrooge with Albert Finney. 🧐 Seriously though, this one with Alistair Sim is the most iconic and book-accurate version. The musical with Finney takes more liberties, but spends more time with Scrooge after his reformation. We see him spending more time making amends, forgiving debts, patching things up, and so on. Another character similar to Dickens' father is Micawber from David Copperfield, who had a huge brood of children but was constantly in trouble because of money, and optimistically believed that something was just around the corner.
I've heard about the version with Albert Finney too. Maybe I'll check it out in the future 👌🏻 I see there are two David Copperfield movies. One from 1935 and one that's more recent in 2019. I'll pick one to watch when I explore more of Dickens' adaptations. Also, thanks for sharing! 😊
In the book (and thus most movie versions), her name is Belle, and the first ghost shows Scrooge what he has lost by showing her with her husband and several children.
I believe it is the best version. I have watched it every year for over 50 years!
Same here, every year without fail.
I want to give you my personal thanks for reacting to this version. I've been telling reactors for years that it's the best screen version, but they never try it and, instead watch vastly worse but more recent versions.
I hope you enjoyed the reaction! 😊
@@henryellow I did, as always. Thank you!
This is definitely the best version of A Christmas Carol - all others pale by comparison. Henry, thank you for your research and great reaction.
The others are fluff.
@@TedLittle-yp7uj
I think you`re being a bit too harsh.
It is the best version (for my taste) but that isn`t to say that the other versions aren`t good.
This is my absolute favorite version!!! I watch it several times during the Christmas season.
Several times! Wow 😎👍🏻
I have this movie on DVD, and I agree that this is the best version of many great adaptations of “A Christmas Carol.” This movie makes me cry. I think Scrooge realizes how much he has lost, and that it is too late for him to get Alice back.
Of course, in the novel, Alice has married and has children. I don't think that would have played very well in the movie and they were right to change it.
@@TedLittle-yp7uj Belle in the novel.
@ I agree.
@@TedLittle-yp7uj They do show that in some other adaptations. I like that the door is a little open for us to think they could still get together after the close of the story in this version, though.
I am another person who loves this version. It uses more of the original and beautifully written text from the novel, and is more authentic establishing the Victorian atmosphere, customs and traditions. I also love the way it is similar to a “film noir” with the shadows and high contrast lighting, the complex or ambiguous characters and the very moody music and striking sound fx. I think it is the strongest version to emphasize that it isn’t just Scrooge who needs to change, but society as a whole.
And the things it adds are so great. Jorkins and Alice (instead of Belle) working with the poor. The repeating theme of Fred and Ebenezer as the unwitting cause of their mothers' deaths.
Indeed, thanks for pointing them out 😊👍🏻
I can't believe it took this long for a reactor to watch this version. Thanks!
it has always been my favourite
My favorite version of this story. Alastair Sim is magnificent, and also slightly resembled my father. I also have affection for several members of the supporting cast. And the “Barbara Allen” song is one of the most reliable tearjerkers for me.
I love that whole Barbara Allen scene at nephew Fred's house. When Scrooge has second thoughts and the maid gives him a nod of encouragement. When he's spotted after opening the doors and the music stops immediately. Then when he apologizes to his nephew and niece-in-law.
Absolutely, his sincere apology to his niece-in-law (and the look on his face) brings tears to my eyes.
Also my favourite version, released the year I was born.
Hi Henry, glad to see someone covering reactions to the classics, especially Hitchcock’s films! I noticed that there are still a few missing from your list. It would be amazing if you could plan to review some of his later works, like TORN CURTAIN (1966) and TOPAZ (1969). Both are incredibly suspenseful and happen to be some of my personal favorites.
Looking forward to your thoughts on them! Best wishes!
You're right, I haven't watched those two yet. I might not watch them anytime soon. But when I do, you'll find out through my community post 😊👍
"Spirit, are these yours?"
"They are Man's. This boy is Ignorance, this girl is Want. Beware them both, but most of all, beware this boy!"
Fun Fact: Glyn Dearman was widely felt to be too tall to play Tiny Tim.
Casting Notes Fact: In one of her earliest film roles, Hattie Jacques appears as Mrs Fezziwig. Jacques of course would go on to find fame some years later as one of the "Carry On..." film franchise regulars and the BBC sitcom Sykes (1972).
Movie Magic Fact: Sir Michael Hordern was not on-set when the "Marley's Ghost" segment was filmed. He was added later through the use of an optical printer. He only appeared together with Alastair Sim in the two scenes at the end of the Ghost of Christmas Past (Michael Dolan) sequence, the latter of the two being the scene where Jacob Marley dies. This was also true of Michael Dolan, he never actually played any scenes on the set with Sim.
Humbug Fact: The word "humbug" provides insight into Ebenezer Scrooge's (Alastair Sim) hatred of Christmas, as it describes deceitful efforts to fool people by pretending to a fake loftiness or false sincerity. Therefore, when Scrooge calls Christmas a humbug, he is claiming that people only pretend to be charitable and kind in an effort to delude him, each other, and themselves. In Scrooge's eyes, he is the one man who is honest enough to admit that no one really cares about anyone else, so (to him) every wish for a Merry Christmas is one more deceitful effort to fool him and take advantage of him. This is a man who has turned to profit because he honestly believes everyone else will someday betray him or abandon him the moment he trusts them.
In the Wizard of Oz, the wizard is later labelled as a humbug.
It's impressive they were able to create the "ghost" effect back in the 1950s. And it's like an actual ghost too, because the actor isn't even there.
Ohhh I see. I didn't know "humbug" had that meaning. After reading your description, Scrooge's behaviour is a little more understandable. However, the belief "no one can be trusted except oneself" is a harsh one. It's very likely he adopted this sort of belief after Fan's death and Alice's breakup.
Thank you for sharing! 😊
@@henryellowIT'S AN ACTUAL GHOST???😨
Well, when they're shooting the scene, Alastair Sim would be talking to thin air. So it would look like he's talking to a ghost, no? 😂
Henry, what an absolutely lovely meditation and self-reflection you have shared with us! I think Dickens would bow his head in humble gratitude at how you've spoken and drawn this story to a lifetime goal.
This is my favorite adaptation, though, when I was very young and we would watch it on broadcast tv, it would scare me silly. The adaptation takes a few more liberties with Scrooge's past and a few other items than other versions do, but it's more like an expansion and feels true to the original source. Alastair Sim was primarily a comic actor, but as you can see, he was fully able to go to dark places. And he keeps humor and in character: that weary, deflecting moan as he backs away from the Ghost of Christmas Present, for example, is in complete Scrooge mode, but is darkly funny. One of my favorite moments is when he visits Fred on Christmas morning, but hesitates at the door, looks back at the little maid who's taken his coat, and then she gives him a tiny nod of encouragement. So tiny a moment, and so full. I love how, in the last scenes, we can see that Scrooge has become "younger", more vigorous, less stooped. Christmas Present tells Scrooge that if things remained as they were, none of his brothers would see Tiny Tim; Tiny Tim was slated to die the very next year, and therefore, Scrooge was too. This magic night has saved two lives.
The transformation scene on Christmas day has granted our family one of our many catch phrases: "label label label label label!"
Marley was our good friend, the supporting player Michael Hordern, another actor who could wring tears from an audience, or make them dissolve in laughter.
Why, thank you! 🙏🏻
I agree, Scrooge looks younger at the end of the movie.
Sir Michael Hordern was your friend? That's awesome 🤩
Thanks for sharing! 😊
@@henryellow I so much wish he'd been a friend, but no, just a general familiarity with his work, which is always wonderful.
very nice thoughtful reaction. This is my favorite version
This is, without a doubt, the very best version. All others fall short of it. Some very painfully so.
I, like many others, think this is the best Scrooge character ever played by any actor, even to this day. Alistair Sim wasn't a well known actor by today's standards but he made this character of Scrooge appear so real and honestly brutal that when you go back to the first argument Scrooge has with Crachit about taking off Christmas day, you can see Cratchet flinch when Scrooge throws his scarf around his own neck because his scarf literally slaps Crachit in the face. I wonder to this day if that was just happenstance or did they want to create that kind of indignance in Scrooge's character for the audience to witness. If so, it was well done. By the way, you can watch a colorized version of this movie which I prefer because they did a great job of colorizing it.
I didn't even notice the scarf lightly slapping Crachit in the face! Thanks for pointing it out 😊
Thanks!
Thank you! 😊🙏🏻
This is my favorite version. It's tradition in our house that we watch this film on Christmas Eve. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
I did! 😄
This has always been my favorite telling of the story. As far as I know it's the only one with both Ebenezer and his nephew's mothers dying in childbirth, of the older movies, and Alister Sim's performance as the reformed Scrooge is infectious.🧓🎭📽️💖
Happy Holidays and God bless us, everyone!! ☃️🎄🎀🎁
Happy Holidays! 😊
My favorite version! Thank you for posting! Merry Blessed Christmas to you all 2024!
Merry Christmas! 🎄😊🎉
This movie had changes to the story in which it had Alice (who had a different name in the book) staying single and devoting her life to serving others. But in the book, she married and had a large family. That's why Scrooge didn't seek her out.
I agree this is the best version.
The best version of "A Christmas Carol" is Dickens written version!
That is true but people are undoubtedly referring to movie versions. Every year, I watch this movie and read the novel.
This is the definitive version!
Yes ... this is the version that rises above all others. A very nice review.
Thanks, I hope you enjoyed it! 😊
Alistar sim is the king!.
The rest are paupers. 😊
The book itself is fairly short - is usually called a “novella” and is usually about 100 pages long. Easy to read during the holidays. Also, there are some lovely audiobook versions read aloud by great actors with wonderfully expressive voices.
Oh, but I think it is also critical to see the many original illustrations that define the story as much as the words. The book has long been in the public domain and easy to find on Google books, including with the color illustrations. (The story makes a bit more sense with the drawings. (But like you, a quick and enjoyable read.)
I just realized you can type:
original illustrations a christmas carol
into Google and see instantly a bunch of them (also more recent ones but I think once you see the style of them, you can figure out what is what).
Thanks, I'll check it out sometime 😊👍🏻
Some other great Alistair Sim movies are the St Trinians movies and The Green Man
I'll add those two movie to my list. Thanks for your suggestions! 😊
The George C Scott version is very good, too, and has the one and only Edward Woodward as the ghost of Christmas Present.
Excellent reaction to a classic British film. Love your channel x
Thank you! 😊
It seems to me that, prior to his repentance, no one would borrow money from Scrooge except as a last resort. Therefore, he lends to poor risks and has many defaulters. This costs him money in lost payments and legal fees. Afterward, people would go to Scrooge by preference and he would actually become richer.
Is that so? Sounds like a risky business plan. He's got to have a lot of capital to weather the first few years.
When he's eating dinner in the restaurant (3:57), he orders more bread. The waiter says "ha-penny extra" (a half-pence or 1:480 of a Pound), so he refuses. [The Closed Caption creator didn't know what a ha-penny was.] So Scrooge is not a GREEDY rich man in the spendthrift sense. He's a miser. Lives in constant fear of going without. And to be sure that that doesn't happen, he hoards, and therefore... goes without.
The subtitles I got for this movie isn't that good 😂. Yes, he's a miser with his wealth, and a miser with his cheerfulness too. Thanks for sharing 😊
Best version, agreed. And I hadn't seen it before, so I watched the movie before this video.
Cool double special effect when Scrooge and the spirit of Christmas past witnesses Fan visiting young Scrooge. The spirit is transparent but Scrooge is not, and Fan walks through the solid looking man.
And I enjoyed the overacting by Michael Hordern (Jacob Marley) as a ghost, but not when playing the living Marley. Also, Scrooge seems more sad and afraid from the start of the movie rather than just an evil greedy man like in several other adaptations.
Great reaction and review, Henry. You look cute in your costume, but don't wear it when visiting Sweden. We eat reindeer here. 😋
Merry Christmas and a happy new year! 🎉✨🎆
I'd be sad and afraid too if a ghost of a friend told me I would suffer the same fate after death, and then be told that I would be visited by three unknown spirits.
Thank you!
Oh no, please don't eat Rudolph 😱
Happy New Year 🎊
Thank you for this excellent reaction.👍
I wish you a very Merry Christmas.
A very Merry Christmas to you too! 😊🎉
The liquid food that Scrooge is sipping when Marley shows up, I believe was specified as "gruel." I used to think it was watered down oatmeal that poor people eat (or sip) but actually if you add enough milk and sugar, it really is quite nice.
Marley has a bandage wrapped around his head, like he has a toothache. But in death, the jaw muscles go limp and the jaw drops down. (I understand morticians normally saw the lips shut.)
Marley and the two ghosts of Christmas present and future are illustrated in the book so we know what Dickens had in mind. The first ghost is not shown in an illustration, and is described as both young and old looking, which is hard to figure out what to do with it. At the end of this visit, Scrooge takes a large conical device, like a big megaphone, and presses down on over this ghost, sort of like using an old-fashion candlesnuffer. Some movies depict this ghost as a large candle with its face in the flame.
The ghost of Christmas is shown in the book to be a large men with a full beard and a crown of holly on his head. He wears a fur-lined robe, open at the top to expose his chest. The book had hand-colored illustrations and this ghost's robe is green. Except for the color, this depiction was responsible in large part for our modern day version of Santa Claus.
The third ghost appears like the grim reaper. In many versions, his fingers are not flesh but skeleton bones.
I did not know morticians sewed the lips to keep them shut 🤐
Thanks for sharing the description of the ghosts in the book 😊
Love this! My favorite version. (The animated Sim one was good too.)
Loved this movie
Henry, if you liked this, you should watch THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS, which is a recent (within the last 10 years) movie about how Dickens wrote A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Being a feature film, it did take some dramatic license but it is mostly accurate and is a great Christmas movie in its own write.
Agreed! Its a fun movie. I think it might be better appreciated after Henry sees a couple more versions of the story so he's more familiar with it.
Interesting, I'll add it to my list! Thanks for the suggestion! 😊
great reaction
3:58 The subtitle was wrong, he said "That's ha'penny extra, sir". In other words he'll have to pay another half penny if he wants more bread.
Ohh, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying that subtitle 😊
Not only a great Christmas movie but just a great movie in general. Almost perfect. (I say, "almost perfect," because there is a blooper. I will not say what it is because once you see it, you cannot un-see it. And I'd never knowingly ruin a great scene in a great movie.)
Alistair Sim was a great actor in general but in this, he really shined. And the whole cast was great.
The nephew's maid, who was uncredited, never said a word but I love that scene so much. She is a good example of the axiom, 'There are no small roles..."
Good reaction and much appreciated.
Thanks for not revealing the blooper then 😂
Was it the scene where "Fen" runs through Scrooge's ghost, you can see the film edit as she passes.
@timetravellingone Why ask that?
When you said 'blooper', I thought one of the actors made a silly mistake or something.
What @timetravellingone pointed out, I already noticed it the first time. It doesn't ruin the scene for me 😂
@@henryellow Yeah. But the blooper I mentioned is not that. It is something else entirely.
This is possibly the best version, but I'm warming to the 1984 version with George C Scott.
When Fann ran through Scrooge at 7:37, that was pretty painful to see.
I think Henry might be missing the point of the story. It is not a secular "ghost story" about how to better yourself but a Christian religious story of redemption, forgiveness and learning to live with Christ in your heart.
I love this version so much! I would've never knew about this whole story if it wasn't for my school that taught me this whole thing! Literally 1 of my fav movies, btw for your next Christmas movie reaction can you watch Home Alone it can be any part lol I'm new btw 🫶 (btw my b-day was last weekend so it would be nice if you said happy birthday or smth)
Welcome! I'll save Home Alone for some other time 😉
Happy Belated B-day 🎂 Merry Christmas 🎄 and a Happy New Year! 🎊😊
i don't think alice was ever his wife. he broke it off before they were married. and tiny tim's leg didn't just get better. scrooge paid for the operation to fix his leg. this is definately the best film version of this story. and "mr. magoo's" is the best animated version. sure would make my day to find someone KIND! i'm tired of being abused, harrassed and defrauded everyday of my life. thanks for video.
You must remember that in Dickens' time, it was not possible for poor people to educate themselves and get better jobs, because the Victorian British class system set up social barriers that kept people stuck in whatever social class they were born into. Both wealth and poverty were generational, passed down from parent to child over centuries. A person could easily slip down, like Dickens' father, but it was almost impossible to rise up. If rich people didn't donate to pay for schools in poor communities, there would be no way for poor people even to learn to read as children, let alone get higher education or career training. Even with such education, a person could only rise so high. It would be the difference between the Cratchit family or Mrs. Dilbur versus literally starving. That's why Dickens emphasized charity and compassion so much in this story. He was arguing that charity and caring for others around us are moral duties.
"Mankind was my business! Their common welfare was my business!"
I see. Those were tough times where access to education is not readily available (or affordable). Thanks for sharing 😊
That's a great print you found. For some reason all the ones I've seen were a bit washed out.
There's a good quality one on UA-cam. The subtitles (captions) are not accurate though.
Everybody says their favorite version is the best version. Of course, what do they know, the BEST version is Scrooge with Albert Finney. 🧐
Seriously though, this one with Alistair Sim is the most iconic and book-accurate version. The musical with Finney takes more liberties, but spends more time with Scrooge after his reformation. We see him spending more time making amends, forgiving debts, patching things up, and so on.
Another character similar to Dickens' father is Micawber from David Copperfield, who had a huge brood of children but was constantly in trouble because of money, and optimistically believed that something was just around the corner.
I've heard about the version with Albert Finney too. Maybe I'll check it out in the future 👌🏻
I see there are two David Copperfield movies. One from 1935 and one that's more recent in 2019. I'll pick one to watch when I explore more of Dickens' adaptations.
Also, thanks for sharing! 😊
Well, we can always imagine that he does go see Alice at some point in the new year.
In the book (and thus most movie versions), her name is Belle, and the first ghost shows Scrooge what he has lost by showing her with her husband and several children.