Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This is the most heart wrenching and inspirational version of Charles Dicken's tale I have ever seen on the screen. Alistair Sim should have won an Oscar for his portrayal of Scrooge. If you can keep a dry eye when Scrooge revisits his dying sister's bedside--or when he asks his nephew's bride to "please forgive an old man..." than you might be as cold as old Scrooge was himself! And the scene on Christmas morning is glorious--you will find yourself mimicking the dialogue to your family!
Rating:
Summary: THE Scrooge to watch
Review: Christmas is just not the same without this wonderful movie. Alistair Sim is believeably evil in the beginning, yet there is a vulnerability that always shines through. And his transformation at the end, complete with mischevious laugh, is spectacular! All of the acting is superb.I can recall a couple of years ago, a local station on Long Island ran this movie at 7AM on Christmas morning and that was a simply wonderful way to start the best day of the year! Yes, the audio and video qualities are not great, but those are minor flaws in an otherwise great movie. This is a MUST see at holiday time!
Rating:
Summary: Cannot be topped . . .
Review: Let me echo the chorus of praise for this version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". A thousand years from now, people will still be rightly hailing Alistair Sim's performance as Scrooge as THE definitive portrayal. Look for performances by Patrick Macnee (as Young Marley), Peter Bull ("Dr. Strangelove"), and Hermione Baddeley ("Mary Poppins"). Funny stuff to watch for:
--- Patrick Macnee's opening and closing. It seems as though Patrick was hitting the cognac a little hard between takes! Look at his eyes and listen to him speak - I swear he's got half a bag on!
--- The Morning After - As Scrooge dances around his bedroom in the presence of the maid, look closely as he goes to the mirror. There appears to be another presence in his "room", the Ghost of Renown Pictures Corp. Ltd., complete with suit & tie!
Rating:
Summary: A good edition of a great film
Review: In case you're one of the 31 people in the world who haven't seen the Alistair Sim edition of this story: This is definitely the best-acted version of "A Christmas Carol", aka "Scrooge". For the rest of the planet, you already know this is a good movie, and the question is whether *this* edition of the movie is worth getting. This "50th Anniversary Edition" claims to be made from the original film, and certainly it seems to be of higher quality than the other versions I've seen on tape or DVD. The "extras" on this disc are not much. But then, I didn't want the extras, I just wanted a clearer version of this classic movie. This edition delivers that. There is one thing that I don't know if was due to my DVD player, or the DVD itself. It seems that if you start up the DVD, it will keep playing the movie (over and over again) until you stop it. For this movie, that behavior could be considered a good thing...
Rating:
Summary: Still the Standard
Review: There are two superb film adaptations of this Dickens classic; this one and the 1984 TV film starring George C. Scott. Both do justice to the original novella far beyond any other dramatizations. However, it is this 1951 British version that got there first and no doubt inspired the 1984 remake. Both Alastair Sim and Scott breath life into the character of Scrooge and make him a three-dimensional personality whose life and fate take on far greater meaning than they do in the hands of other actors who have taken on this role. Sim, of course, became the definitive Scrooge by first taking the character seriously and by portraying Scrooge as more than a simplistic cardboard cutout. For those of us who were raised on this version of the film, Sim will always "be" Scrooge. That does not detract from Scott's performance at all and he was quoted as saying he knew from the start that he could never hope to match Sim's effort. Nonetheless, he succeeded in carving out his own highly credible, compelling portrait of Scrooge which stands beside that of Sim's, like two magnificent paintings sharing the same wall. Both films should be enjoyed and appreciated as the fine, individual achievements that they are and both will stand as "definitive" for a very, very long time. We are the richer for having such a marvelous choice.
Rating:
Summary: A Christmas Carol with Alistar Sim
Review: This is THE BEST version of the story! Watching Scrooge as his bah humbug self, then going through all the pain and loss he suffered in his life to make him the way he is is wonderful. I love this movie! My family and I, every year on Christmas eve, sit down together to watch it. After the 3 ghostly visits, when scrooge wakes up on Christmas morn, and realizes its not too late to change, it just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling all over. I have seen every version of this film, and I will never watch any one of them again.
Rating:
Summary: No Contest - The Best Scrooge Ever!
Review: Warm the eggnog, gather the family together, and enjoy the absolutely best version of A Christmas Carol ever produced...period.
A true classic...timeless!
Rating:
Summary: Too Good For Only Watching At Christmas time
Review: This is easily my favorite of the many screen adaptations of Charles Dickens' classic tale. As Leonard Maltin put it, it's simply too good to only be watched at Christmas time. Alistair Sim at his finest!!
Rating:
Summary: Alastir Sim is the ultimate Scrooge in this classic tale
Review: This is my favorite adaptation of "A Christmas Carol". Alastir Sim is a wonderful character actor and no one else comes close to being as tight, greedy and on Christmas morn, "giddy as a school boy". Sim was a stage actor and his portrayal of Scrooge displays his talents from the medium of theatre. Mrs. Dilbar also stole the show, as his housemaid who stole the bedcurtains in the 'future' and the chemistry between she and Scrooge was a delight. This version of Dicken's classic is truly worthy of being added to a home DVD collection, and will be a loved tradition in your family, year after year. (I have already watched it once since Halloween in anticipation for the holiday season). A 5 star movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Benchmark for Redemption
Review: This is the best version of A Christmas Carol ever made. The acting is superb, led by what would today be an Oscar-winning performance by Alistair Sim. The darkness of the film is brightened by the facial expressions and animated behaviour of Scrooge as he is confronted by his past and future. His redemption at the end demonstrates that happiness comes in sharing time and riches with those around us and no man is alone who has a friend.
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