Touches You

Boring

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I've seen them all and none measure up to Alastair Sim.I first saw this movie on TV as a child around 1958. I have to watch this movie every year otherwise I can't begin to catch the Christmas spirit. As I got older I'd have to scour TV Guide every year to find out when it was airing. Finally I bought a DVD as soon as it was available. Now I have a .avi file I can watch anywhere. Alastair Sim's portrayal of Scrooge's metamorphosis and redemption rings so true you experience it with him Also watch it to see Kathleen Harrison (Mrs Dilber) imho deliver one of the most moving two word lines in film history in her scene with Scrooge on the stairs.

This 1951 version of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is considered by many to be the best and most authentic of the many cinematic versions of the tale. Alistair Sim's interpretation of Ebenezer Scrooge is unparalleled.Set in 1830s London, the story is of Scrooge, a hated miserly financier who's partner Jacob Marley (Michael Hornden) had passed on seven years earlier whereupon Scrooge had seized Marley's assets and taken over control of their company. Scrooge works his poor meek clerk Bob Cratchit (Mervyn Johns) to the bone depriving him of a heated work station and reluctantly giving him Christmas day off each year. Cratchit has a young son Tiny Tim (Glyn Dearman) who is crippled and may soon die.On Christmas Eve night Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley who warns him that his fate will befall Scrroge if he doesn't mend his ways. He foretells of three spirits who will visit Scrooge that very night and disappears. At midnight the first spirit appears, the Spirit of Christmas Past (Michael Dolan) who takes Scrooge (George Cole) back to his youth and shows his relationship with his sister Fan (Carol Marsh) and her premature death giving birth to her son. He is also reminded of his love for the kindly Alice (Rona Anderson) whom he discards in favor of his miserly ways. We see Scrooge apparently content working for Mr. Fezziwig until he is tempted by Mr. Jorkin (Jack Warner) to join him in business. It is there that he meets young Marley (Patrick MacNee) and the two ultimately take over Fezziwig's firm and later that of the bankrupt Jorkin.The second spirit, the Spirit of Christmas Present (Francis de Wolff) , shows Scrooge Cratchit happily celebrating Christmas with his wife (Hermoine Baddeley) and family on the meager resources provided by Scrooge. He is then shown the Christmas happy celebration by his nephew Fred (Brian Worth) his wife and friends. Scrooge had these many years, blamed Fred for the death of his beloved sister Fan.The third spirit, that of Christmas yet to come (Czesalw Konarski) shows Scrooge what will happen if he fails to change his ways. Scrooge awakes Christmas morning and turns over a new leaf by helping out the Cratchits,, giving Bob a raise in salary and joining his nephew Fred for Christmas dinner.There are true elements of horror contained within the story. Michael Hornden's portrayal of Marley's ghost is particularly scary. The third ghost itself is scary as are the things he points out to Scrooge. The housekeeper Mrs. Dilber (Kathleen Harrison) is comical as she "picks the bones" of the old miser in the future segment and her reactions to Scrooge when he does a ninety degree personality change at the film's climax.A true classic in every sense but you must watch it in it's original black & white in order to feel the atmosphere of Victorian England. Avoid the colorized version.

British author, Charles Dickens' novella 'A Christmas Carol', is one of the stories most often made into a film that there is hardly any reason for me to explain the plot, but if you been living in a rock and haven't hear of the story for some reason. Here is your chance! The novel tells a bitter old business man, named Ebenezer Scrooge whom given a chance for redemption when he is haunted by three ghosts on Christmas Eve in Victorian England. This version of the story, can be found in films as early as the silent era with films like 1916's 'The Right', to the Talkie Golden Age of cinema of the late 1930s with 1938's 'A Christmas Carol', and can also be found in the Blockbuster era of the 1980s & 1990s with films such as 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol; and others. Even recently as 2009's with Disney 'A Christmas Carol'; it has been remade into a film. There is just so many various versions worthy to watch. With all say, I have to agree with most of the critics in saying, that 1951's 'A Christmas Carol' is by far, the best one, so far. While, I wouldn't call it, the most 'merry' version of the novel. There is just something very charming and eerily with this film. It really does match, the dark tone of the novel, so very well. The black and white nightmarish imagery, the haunting Gothic horror like music by Richard Addinsell, the use of large noises, and even the look of the ghosts, were all fine in the way, its portrayal. If anything, can be said, about the movie, it might be a little too grim. I can hardly see, any modern family wanting to put this deeply dark film on Christmas Day, over something, a lot more jollily. Another problem with the film, is how dated, it is. Some of the visuals effects in this film, are indeed laughable to the modern viewer. For the time and the budget, it somewhat works, but let me say, that I have saw, way better effects in films, years earlier when this film was made. So, that isn't much of an excuse, but I can't complain, too much about it. Most of the changes that director Brian Desmond-Hurst & writer, Noel Langley indeed change from the source material were for the better, for the most part. Things like young Ebenezer Scrooge (George Cole) being the cause of his mother's death, and being corrupt by an unscrupulous mentor in the new character, Mr. Jorkin (Jack Warner) made for better character development within the story. It serves to explain how Scrooge transforms from a good-hearted young man into a cold blooded old man now played by Alistair Sim. However, there were some jarring changes, the filmmakers did, created when adapting this source material that wasn't well-deserve. A good example is like cutting the scenes where Ebenezer Scrooge is berating Bob Crachit (Mervyn Johns) for wanting more coal. It's so strange, because toward the end, Scrooge would indeed tell Crachit to run out and buy a new coal. In this version, that request really seem to come out of nowhere. It seems like a bad cut. Other changes, such as giving more scenes to a minor character like Mrs. Dilber (Kathleen Harrison) weren't needed. It felt like time-wasters. For the most part, besides that, the movie is very well-paced; as there was hardly any slow moments. From all the actors, that has portray Scrooge over the years, Alastair Sim is by far, the best actor for the Ebenezer Scrooge role, I ever saw. Alastair Sim really does looks and feels like he came from that time. He really looks so sickly and cold from the holiday. I love the way, his facial expression tells the story, from showing disgust, fear and even a side of stingy. There is hardly any bad scenes with him. I just wish, the supporting cast were the same, as Alastair Sim, but there were no match. I never got the idea that they were truly into the Christmas spirit, themselves with their one-dimensional caricatures. The 19th English slang is so thick with some of them that it's really hard to understand, what certain characters are really saying. The kid actors in the film, are some of the worst. They were written way too Shirley Temple jolly to be, taken seriously. Yes, I know that Tiny Tim (Glyn Dearman) supposed to be, cheerful, but at least, make his character, seem a little worn down. The actor didn't even show, any sign of sickness. The worst acting in this film had to be Michael Hordern as Jacob Marley, who portray his character like an over-the-top cartoony Shakespearean actor. My God, was his ghost scene, somewhat laughable. I like how Michael Hordern got better, toward the end, but gees… that scene in the beginning, ruin it for me. If anything, I did like the supporting actors that portray, Bob Cratchit (Mervyn Johns) & Young Ebenezer Scrooge (George Cole) & Mr. Fezziwig (Roddy Hughes). They were all well-acted. Although this film is widely regarded as the best film version of Charles Dickens' story, I have to say, don't watch the colorized version of this film. First off, it has an introduction and closing segments filmed by actor Patrick Macnee that wasn't really needed, since it doesn't help push the movie plot, but second off, a lot of the nightmarish scenes filmed in black and white, lose its flavor, due to the lack of shadows. Overall: The original black and white film is the best rendition of timeless classic. A must-watch for anybody, looking for the true meaning of Christmas.

Generally feeling a bit Scroogey myself, I cannot fully embrace the Christmas season until I see this movie (sometimes twice) and transform along with Scrooge. For me, Alistair Sim IS the definitive Scrooge bar none. I can't say enough about his performance so I won't even try. An excellent supporting cast just adds more with the only remotely off note being Michael Hordern's slightly melodramatic Marley's ghost scene in the beginning of the movie. Mervyn Johns is perfect as Cratchit as is the rest of the actors portraying his family. Kathleen Harrison seals the deal as Mrs Dilber. One of my favorite supporting roles of all time. She owns her role as completely as Sim's Scrooge. In fact, she amplifies his effectiveness by being so completely believable as Scrooge's downtrodden cockney maid, Mrs Dilber - bad teeth and all. Her last powerful and moving scene with the transformed Ebeneezer on the staircase alone makes the movie worth watching. When Ebeneezer gives a terrified Mrs Dilber a Guinea as a Christmas present she is dumbfounded and asks plaintively, "For me?" It nearly brings me to tears as with those two words she coveys the heartbreakingly sad conviction that NO ONE, especially Scrooge, would care enough about her to give her a Christmas present and by doing so,lights her up and renews her Christmas spirit not to mention her sense of self worth.