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A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

List Price: $14.97
Your Price: $10.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best
Review: While growing up, my family and I had only one major Christmas tradition. That was to watch some form or another of "A Christmas Carol". Out of all of the different versions I have been exposed to, I was never more moved than by this one. The acting is spectacular. The story is told with grace and elegance. The visuals are monumental. This is, without a doubt, the best version of the classic I have ever seen.
My family now has a new tradition. We watch a version of "A Christmas Carol" before Christmas, and then we watch this one on Christmas.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best version of this movie so far in over 50 years.
Review: It's Captain Jean-Luc Picard starring as Scrooge. I think that says it all about this version. None of the past, present, and future releases can compete with this one. Like all good things Captain Picard can shift between past, present, and future just like Scrooge. Who better to play this role than him.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Boldly done! Stewart is a Remarkable Scrooge...
Review: I wasn't sure what to expect with Patrick Stewart at the "helm" of yet another adaptation of the now oft-filmed Dickens classic, but Stewart loyalists will not be surprised at his stellar performance; his theatre background is aptly displayed. Even the slightest movements seem unrehearsed -- he is so fluid -- it's as if he really IS Ebenezer Scrooge. A truly brilliant, classical performance.

I also enjoyed the technical aspects of this film -- the ghosts looked very real -- too real for my nerves! And the sets were very well done. Overall, I feel this is worth a buy -- the performances are very, very good and the technology is far more advanced than any other version while still maintaining the purity of the text. You'll definitely want this one in your library of Christmas classics.

Cris Cunningham

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THE ABSOLUTE BEST!!!
Review: I rented the '84 George C. Scott version yesterday and was soooo disappointed! Haltingly, I bought the Patrick Stewart version today (it was on a great sale at the video store) and watched it tonight. Oh my gosh, it is SO PHENOMENAL! I can't tell you how fabulous this one is! I just finished reading Dicken's unabridged book and this movie is almost word for word perfect in remaining true to the source material. If the scene where the Spirit of Christmas Present whisks Scrooge around the world to see people, in the direst of circumstances, celebrate Christmas (with "Silent Night" running through each scene), doesn't get you, then you need a ghostly visit yourself!

Patrick Stewart IS Ebenezer Scrooge, that's all I have to say about his acting.

BUY THIS!!! It is as close to perfect as you will ever see!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The sets are nice...
Review: ... but the performances are weak. It is true to the book in many ways, however Stewart's performance lacks the subtle transformation that Scrooge undergoes as the ghosts visit and he remembers who he really is. It's a gradual remembering, and a wonderful opportunity for a nuanced performance, lacking here. The actor portraying the Ghost of Christmas Present must not have read Dickens' text: a complete and radical departure from the author's characterization. Scrooge's visit to Fred's for dinner on Christmas Day is poetic license from the Dickens text, but a touching and enjoyable scene. All in all I prefer Patrick Stewart's audio performance of "A Christmas Carol" where my imagination has free reign.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: My second favorite version of this classic
Review: Patrick Stewart has spent more time as Scrooge than most other actors, and his decisions as an actor are certainly on display in this production. There is no question that Stewart's Scrooge is definitive, but there are moments that don't make sense. Scrooge's meeting with Marley is an odd scene, for one, but it is followed by the perfectly-cast Joel Grey as the Ghost of Christmas Past, the best ever. Unfortunately, Desmond Barrit as the Ghost of Christmas Present is far too severe, and may be one of the worst ever (see Woodward in the 1984 production for best ever.) Reeves and Grant are good as the young struggling couple, Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit, but Dominic West as nephew Fred is extremely questionable casting. Some of the best moments are at the end, when Stewart adds his own touches to Scrooge's moment of "awakening," and to a wonderful entrance in Fred's dining room at the end. I like the George C. Scott version better for it superior supporting cast, but this is my second favorite, along with the musical version with Alec Guinness and Albert Finney.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "Humbug." - Patrick Stewart
Review: This 1999 adaption of the famous Charles Dicken's Christmas tale is definitely the best along with the 1984 version if not better. I think Patrick Stewart played the better role of Ebenezer Scrooge in this re-make. He was the perfect fit for playing a grump old humbug that hates Christmas.

Patrick Stewart did a tremendous job of acting out the role of Scrooge. His performance was just plain tremendous. The emotion and feeling he put into every scene was excellent. He truly is Ebenezer Scrooge. He beats George C. Scott by a mile!

There are several aspects of this version that makes it better than its highly recognized 1984 predecessor. First, the technology of course is a lot better. So that means that the Ghost of Jacob Marely looks a lot more like a ghost. The scenes of where Ebenezer sees Jacob in the tiles around the fireplace are a lot more scary and more horrifying. The Ghost of Christmas Past is a little better than the woman that played the role in 1984. Also the cast is made of many relatively unknown or unfamous actors but I believe they did a better job than the cast did 15 years ago.

Overall, this adaption is slightly better than the 1984 adaption. Mainly because the technology was better in 1999 and more could be done for the ghosts of the movie. For those who love the tale of "A Christmas Carol", buy this version and you will abolutely love it. Merry Christmas! Ho, Ho, HO! "God Bless Us Everyone," - Tiny Tim.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: mldesignworks
Review: This movie has been a part of our Christmas celebrations since it was first on television. Now our children especially enjoy it, even though they are little. We highly recommend it--worth every penny. You will watch it again and again.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Holodeck Scrooge!!!
Review: I am a huge fan of the "Scrooge" story in general and of Star Trek The Next Generation. What I cannot believe is that this movie seems to be a very unhappy marriage of the two. Stewart acts like Jean-Luc, and every other character is like a holographic image with no soul. I keep expecting him to be called to the bridge and stop "playing around" because the Klingons or the Borg are coming. I have always had the opinion that the difference between Stewart and Shatner in the Star Trek cosmos is that Stewart can really act. This version of the Scrooge story has made me doubt that supposition.

Stewart as Scrooge shows no real emotional change at all before or after the ghostly visitations. His lines change and he starts to say nicer things to people, but there is no real sense of personality change. The weird (and I mean WEIRD) way that he chokes out a laugh after waking up on Christmas morning is one of the most amateur acting displays I have ever seen on film. Before (and after) the "change", I keep expecting him to tell Cratchit to do something followed by "engage" or "make it so".

I hate to be negative here, but really, if you think this is good, what else do you watch? At the end of the movie, Stewart is sitting by the fire drinking what looks like a cup of Earl Grey, and looking very much like Jean-Luc. It would have been a bit more fun to have Troi play his sister Fan, Crusher his old flame, Riker play ghost of the present, Data play Cratchit (he would show as much emotion as the guy who did play Cratchit), Worf play ghost of the future, Geordi play ghost of the past, Q play Marley (that would have been a hoot), and Wesley Crusher play Tiny Tim. I'd pay real money to see all that!


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