A Christmas Carol (1984)

Don't Believe the Hype

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This movie has become a Christmas tradition in our household. George C. Scott is amazing as Scrooge and every British actor in the movie is spot-on for The Victorian English tale. My favorite smaller role would have to be the ghost of Christmas present who is hilarious in his wit and retorts to Scrooge's dourness. It is as realistic as this story can get and does not downplay the seriousness of Scrooge's situation as well as not over indulging in the sweetness when Scrooge has his revelation. By far my favorite Christmas story!

This a great movie. Not to many movies are better the A Chritmas Carol (1951). And this movie is better then A Chritmas Carol (1951). This movie has a great story line. It also has great acting. It also has great special effects. It is one of the scariest movie ever. It is scarier then The Exorcist. And that is not easy to do. 7.9 it a good ratting. But this is such a great film that 7.9 is underrating it. See this movie. It is a great movie. This movie has great special effects. It is very scary. I need more lines and I am running out of things to say. This a great movie. See it. I give 10 out of 10. It is no 7.9 it is better.

Ebenezer Scrooge (George C. Scott) is an old miser who hates Christmas, is generally uncaring and unfeeling toward both his own family and his employee Bob Cratchit (David Warner). Scrooge receives a visit from the ghost of his friend and former business partner Jacob Marley who warns Scrooge that he will receive a visit from 3 ghosts (past, present, and yet to come). Initially, Scrooge is sceptical, but in each subsequent visit from the ghosts he starts to see the effect that his behaviour has on everyone around him and starts to realise that he needs to change his ways....We all know that in this day and age that Christmas is far too commercialised... I mean don't they start advertising for Christmas now before we've even got Halloween out of the way?? A Christmas Carol works so well because it does help to remind us of what Christmas is really about and the 'commercialism' of Christmas that we see is given a positive spin which is great to see.The story arc here sees Scrooge being visited by 3 ghosts (past, present, and yet to come) and at every stage in the story Scrooge is shown little insights into what could have happened by him not changing his ways and what will happen if he doesn't change his ways - clearly the latter hits home with him more than the former. As a piece of escapism, it is enjoyable enough, but I really liked the narrative arc and in some ways found it to be a sort of voyage of self-discovery for Scrooge.There was one really powerful scene where Scrooge is abandoned by one of the ghosts in an area that he doesn't know and he quite literally becomes isolated. Prior to this moment, Scrooge had always been calm and assured whilst he figuratively walks round wearing his rose-tinted spectacles. The scene where he is abandoned gives him a general idea of how the people he condemns must feel; alone, frightened and vulnerable. It's a strong moment in the film made great by a fine performance by George C. Scott. This is just one example of excellence from Scott, but across the whole film he is brilliant - hard-faced and miserly at the start, he's able to bring a sort of humility to Scrooge in the later stages and seemingly does the impossible by allowing the audience to be able to identify with this man. His wealth is treated as a negative at the start, but again this is given a positive spin at the end which is another strength with this film.A Christmas Carol is clearly a morality tale that highlights that Christmas is a time for giving, a time for sharing and a time for caring and in all fairness the film does a wonderful job of conveying this message to the audience (without being preachy, sentiment or heavy-handed) which is a feat in itself.A Christmas Carol is very much worth checking out as it does remind us of the true meaning of Christmas whilst simultaneously providing an enjoyable piece of escapism and as mentioned George C Scott was also terrific.

This TV movie of "A Christmas Carol" is one of only three films of the Dickens classic to receive major award nominations. George C. Scott was nominated for an Emmy award for his portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge. The 1999 TV movie starring Patrick Stewart received an Emmy nomination for cinematography. The other film, the 1970 musical version "Scrooge," received four Academy Award nominations. This 100-minute production has a good rendition of the Charles Dickens story. While Scott's Scrooge is very good, he gives a nuance to the character that doesn't seem quite right. He smiles at times when making a put down or derisive comment. That becomes more striking, in retrospect, with his late conversion, which then seems much less convincing. One can understand why fine actors (of which Scott is one) would want to play Scrooge and remake the story on film in succeeding decades. It's a true testimonial to the brilliant and timeless book by Dickens. And, it is also evidence of the love great actors have for the theater, and of the challenge they have to tackle stories and roles that already have achieved excellence. The rest of the cast are OK, for the most part, but no other performances are notable. Some things that take away from the film. The most bothersome is the musical score. At times, it is much too loud and heavy, and at other times it just doesn't suit the scene. The setting doesn't seem quite real. Scrooge's home is very neat and tidy. The street sets, especially of the town, seem too clean and unreal – sort of a feel one gets from CGI. Still, this is a decent portrayal and film, and one worth watching. It's the best movie of "A Christmas Carol" made for TV. But it's not one to keep in place of the 1938, 1951 or 1970 films.