Rating: 
Summary: Alastair Sim as the quintessential Ebenezer Scrooge
Review: The 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol" comes down to the performance of Alastair Sim (To set the record straight, this film was released as "Scrooge" in the United Kingdom and as "A Christmas Carol" in the United States). Other versions have better known supporting casts and are in color, but this one has Alastair Sim. This British actor did other films: "The Belles of St. Trinian's," "The Millionairess," and "The Ruling Class." But you probably do not remember noticing him. There have been lots of great Scrooges, from George C. Scott and Mr. MaGoo to Scrooge McDuck and Patrick Stewart, from all of them had other roles. George C. Scott will always be Patton and Patrick Stewart will never stop being Jean-Luc Picard, no matter how many times he plays Professor X. But Alastair Sim was "only" Ebenezer Scrooge.This is not to diminish the rest of the cast. Michael Hordern is the match of Alec Guiness as Jacob Marley and his ghost, Hermione Baddeley is as fine a Mrs. Cratchit as we have seen, Francis De Wolff is a boisterous Ghost of Christmas Present, and Glyn Dearman is a perfect Tiny Tim. But we keep coming back to the point that Alastair Sim is Scrooge. This film is only 85 minutes long, but it covers the entire classical story by Charles Dickens. Screenwriter Noel Langley sticks close to the original (he would adapt "The Pickwick Papers" the following year), but tampering with this one is not advised. Director Brian Desmond Hurst's film is in black & white, but that hardly seems important (and colorization is a clear cut case of heresy) given C. Pennington-Richards's beautiful cinematography and Ralph Brinton's gorgeous art direction recreating old London town. But we keep coming back to Sim in a performance that sometimes has you wondering why anybody ever dared to essay the role again. Whether he is playing the heartless boss of Bob Crachit, the stingy miser who wants the poor to hurry up and die, the terrified old man confronting the ghost of his dead partner, the remorseful old man looking back at the happy days of his youth, the sobered figure looking at his own grave, and the giddy soul who keeps Christmas in his heart all the rest of the days of his life. You can enjoy many different versions of "A Christmas Carol," but this one remains extra special, and we all know who gets the credit.
Rating:
Summary: Still the best of the best
Review: I consider myself a student of "A Christmas Carol" of sorts, having sought down and seen or heard every version I know of. This tale is the most retold, in part or in whole, of any piece of literature outside of the Bible and Shakespeare. It has appeared in at least 25 film/animated versions, has been adapted to countless TV shows, and has been referenced even more than that. Alastair Sim's Scrooge is among the very best portrayals, and the film on the whole is the best film version I've seen. I am reviewing the other versions individually, so I won't rehash them here, but this one is the best and my favorite film version. Give me this one along with Patrick Stewart's solo performance and I'd be a very happy camper. I've even grown fond of the errors in the film, like the stage hand that appears in the mirror reflection on Christmas morning. A tremendous cast and a wonderful atmospheric quality make this film so memorable and re-watchable.
Rating:
Summary: The only one to see!
Review: The best "Scrooge" ever! Be taken back in time to when Christmas was more personal. Alastair Sim plays the lonley and shrewd "Scrooge" like none before & none after him. This "classic" Christmas movie needs to be part of your holiday DVD collection along with your "Charlie Brown" & "Rudolph" DVD's. Watch this DVD & learn one of the great values of the holiday season!
Rating:
Summary: B&W & Color in this DVD, a must for the family film library
Review: At the bottom of this review, there is a tiny bit of trivia, and I hope you'll like what I discovered. It's just some trivial tidbit stuff, that's all... So now, the review: If you are changing to the DVD format from VHS, throw away your OLDER VHS tape and purchase this! The much older VHS tapes hadn't been remastered from the original print, which was discovered in England. The picture quality is so much better than those older 3rd- and fourth- generation tapes and broadcasts we've seen where everything seems like "Scrooge" was filmed in a fog. The contrast in the DVD is sharp and brilliant. The darks are deep yet the whites aren't at all washed out. Trust me, purchase the remastered version (I'm sure they also have released a remastered version in VHS, but I have converted to DVD). The DVD has something for everyone, God bless us all. I watched the colorized version, but it seems... colorized. It simply doesn't have that warm, saturated, natural tone of movies filmed with color stock. Some may feel that younger people might in some way enjoy the colorized movie better, but try showing it to them in B&W first. Give them the chance to see the original which has stood the test of time, and for good reason. I still admire any DVD producer that takes advantage of the versatility of the options that can be pressed into the DVD format, and VCI Entertainment gave the consumer the choice. The black & white version is on one side, and just flip the double- sided disc over for the color version. There are added features including a Max Fleischer cartoon of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Although it was filmed in Technicolor, there was a very noticable color shift that occured in the original print. The audio wasn't that great, either. And honestly, it's not nearly as enjoyable as the animated puppet version that we used to see on CBS television with the Charlie Brown cartoon. Also included is an introduction by Patrick Macnee, who you remember as John Steed in the TV series "The Avengers." I didn't understand at first why he was introducing the movie until I found that he played a bit part in "Scrooge (Macnee failed during his introduction to say whom he played)." So, I'll tell you: Look for him as the young Jacob Marley, early in the film, when Scrooge (Alastair Sim) is guided by the Spirit of Christmas Past (Michael Dolan). There is a 4- page color pamphlet included. One page shows a repro of an cute, yet quirky little original movie poster. Another has chapter stop and movie info. The inside pages are devoted to other DVD movie titles. Okay, now the tidbit! What people liked about "Scrooge" is that the characters produced some more spontaneously funny moments that break the otherwise dark and gloomy tone of the story. Those of you who have watched "Bride of Frankenstein" have probably noted the similarities that I will describe! There are two characters in the "Scrooge" movie that I could have sworn mimicked two other characters in a different flick. The maid, Mrs. Dilber (Kathleen Harrison) in "Scrooge" seemed so much like the maid, Minnie (Una O'Connor) in "Bride of Frankenstein." Watch the similarities in how the characters play off each other in the different movies (Mrs. Dilber with Mr. Stretch, the undertaker [Ernest Thesiger] in "Scrooge;" Minnie with Dr. Pretorius [also played by Thesiger!]) I actually just discovered that Thesiger played in both movies! Maybe the producer and/or director of "Scrooge" tapped some ideas from the light moments between Mrs. Dilber and Mr. Stretch from the Frankenstein flick, but it worked. (I love that name, "Stretch!") Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: One of my top 10 faves.
Review: Alistair Sims is PERFECT. No other version of this film holds a candle to this one. George C. Scott's performance, in my opinion, is overblown, overacted. The emotional payoff at the end is thrilling, deeply moving. I watch this at least once a month, love it! Also recommended: Hoffman, with Peter Sellers, another gem.
Rating:
Summary: Scrooge And Rudolph on a Great DVD
Review: Alastair Sim is the perfect miserly "Hum Bug". He IS "Scrooge" in this wonderful version of the classic Christmas based on a story by Charles Dickens. He is a bitter old man who "Will keep Christmas in my own way" Which is not al all. People cringe when they see him coming. Dogs cower. But that is all about to change.
You know the story.....Scrooge visited by the ghost of his deceased partner, Jacob Marley, dragging the chains he has forged for himself in life, now learns that it is not too late for him. He can redeem himself!
He is visited by three more spirits that Christmas eve. His past, his present and his future. Each take him on a fantastick journey,through time and space, showing him how
his ways are wrong, and what will happen if he doesn't change.
Sim does an excellent portrayal of Ebeneezer Scrooge. His transformation from a bitter man to a really caring human being is wonderful to watch. In the end we know that he changes not just so he can have a better after life,but because he really cares about life and humanity. It's a joy to watch ANYTIME of the year. It also stars, Kathleen Harrison, Jack Warner, Mervyn
Jones, the always wonderful Herminoe Baddeley, be sure to look for a young Patrick MacNee, who plays a young Jacob Marley on the visit to the past. MacNee also introduces and closes the film. It is also a joy to have this original black and white version on this fully restored and remastered(from the original 35mm negative discovered in England) DVD. The film is 52 years old and barely shows its age. transfer. The images are clear, and the sound is very good, always clear and distinguishable. The Tech infor here says it is in Dolby Digital 2.0. My
DVD did decode it in Dolby Digital, but in 1.0. But I have no complaints, it sounded fine. The DVD has some prodution note, bios of many of the actors, AND if you think you're done having fun when the film is over...you're not...also included is Max Fleischer's wonderful Technicolor Cartoon "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer", which runs about 8 minutes. It's well worth owning this one. enjoy and keep Christmas all through the year!...Laurie
Rating: 
Summary: Sorry, but Alistair Sim is NOT the ultimate Scrooge!
Review: I know this is considered the classic version of the Dickens story, but there are at least two other versions of "A Christmas Carol" that are, in my opinion, far better than this one. I would recommend either the George C. Scott version or the Michael Caine and the Muppets version. Either one features a Scrooge portrayal that comes a lot closer to the spirit of the book (not to mention the season!) Alastair Sim is relatively effective in the role, but he just seems like Mr. Potter from "It's a Wonderful Life": too stupid and lost to be worth redeeming anyway.
Rating:
Summary: BAH HUMBUG if you don't like this classic film..............
Review: Alastair Sim is Ebenezer Scrooge!! This is the BEST version of all the Christmas Carols ever produced. I greatly enjoy the moody black and white version not the colorized one. It was a smart move to put both versions on this DVD because I know there are people who don't like black & white films (shame on them!)
This is a true classic that can be watched over and over again (and not just at Christmas time either). God bless us--Everyone!
Rating:
Summary: I May Be the Only One to Watch This Outside of Christmastide
Review: [This review is of the original black-&-white film, which is available on DVD as the 50th Anniversary Edition. This is not an endorsement of the colorization ....] The character of Scrooge, in the context of Dickens's classic but strangely little-heeded tale, has been a little easy for actors who enjoy current fashion to "use." Alastair Sim genuinely creates Dickens's character, his performance here is masterful and a delight, and brings forth the complete character of Scrooge, and not merely a caricature. I live in New England, and I have been working in a bank for seven years, but I watch this, and I wonder that the people around me (who would be horrified by the suggestion, I am sure) don't take the message ... there are many here who, though they have been "taught to" despise Scrooge, actually emulate his methods, and if they saw the character without the cultural baggage of the name "Scrooge," would say, "Why? What's wrong with him? He's just doing good business ...." Scrooge's repentance and rebirth on Christmas morning, are made perfectly convincing by Alastair Sim here. All through the movie, you had really believed he was the hardened old miser who had buried deep any vestige of humane compassion; and you really believe that he has cast off those shackles on Christmas morning, and that his spirit is singing -- and you really believe that he is going to do otherwise, now, and for the good of others. Rightly appreciated in all its depth and ramifications, this book is one of the most marvelous literary products of nineteenth-century England. And this film does it COMPLETE justice, not least in its feeling like a Carol, a song which is also a dance, celebrating a season of Joy.
Rating: 
Summary: Sorry, but I am a fan of Dickens' Scrooge... the character.
Review: I know most folks just love Alastair Sim's Scrooge, but good grief. He completely misses the character that Dickens wrote. Sim makes him a whiney, spineless insect, who keeps complaining instead of learning. And what's with "Alice"? The whole point in Dickens is that the girl who has the strength to leave him- and thus turn her back on a life of wealth in favor of the possibility that money isn't everything- goes on and has a life with a wonderful family and happiness, not that she becomes some martyr-esque thing in the poorhouses of London. And what's with the whole series of Scrooge in business? There is so much in the original novelette, why add so much unnecessary evil? And the scene with Fan's death? Isn't it enough that Fred is his nephew- shouldn't the bond of blood be enough to remind us of the responsibilities of family (and its rewards) without making Scrooge a complete deadbeat? Besides, Sim's reaction to the scene is downright melodramatic, making him seem even whinier. Being a great fan of the book, I find this version badly acted, badly adapted, and in bad taste. There are worse versions. But this one misses the spirit of the Dickens characters, and the real messages Dickens was trying to communicate- messages that are still relevant, and were relevant in 1951 as well: the importance of family, the need for social responsibility and sensibility, the joys of the season, and interconnectedness of humankind.
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