Rating: 
Summary: The first sound version of the story
Review: Although I've seen and treasured some of the other film versions of Charles Dicken's 'A CHRISTMAS CAROL', I still have some heart to this, the first sound version. It bolsters some fine performances by Donald Calthrop as Cratchit and Sir Seymour Hicks as Ebenezer Scrooge (Hicks had also played the role in a silent film, and at sixty-four, is probably the oldest of the many screen incarnations). The photography and production gives out a convincing Victorian atmosphere to the proceedings, and while I didn't like the idea of making Jacob Marley an invisible ghost, the cinematography does give some interesting touches to the visuals, like Scrooge's head superimposed on a large shadow of himself in the 'Christmas Yet to Come' sequences (For some reason, although Scrooge is dressed in pajamas when first visited, the ghostly journeys have him in his business clothes!). It's too bad that most of the video versions edit this film from its 78 minute length to an hour, removing several key scenes (Christmas Past continuing his presentation to Scrooge of how others celebrate Christmas, Tiny Tim saying 'God bless us, everyone!', etc.). Still, an interesting adaptation.
Rating: 
Summary: Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
Review: Did not like this tape at all. It is difficult to hear and understand. Sorry I bought it. There is another one, much better sound quality; I bought that one too thinking they were different versions of the same movie, they are identical except for recording time. It is called simply "Scrooge", made in Canada by "Platinum". Same story, scene, actors. I would recommend that one.
Rating:
Summary: Creaky, Short, But Good
Review: I can say that I never saw a Scrooge I didn't like, although some are just better. Sir Seymour Hicks' version shows its age definitely, but be forgiving here-it's from the depression era. This extends to Marley being invisible, Christmas Past being only a light, and Christmas Future only a shadowy hand. Hicks makes up for it by making the viewer concentrate on him and his emotions instead. Only Christmas Present is seen-although being clean shaven, fat and too serious instead of the "jolly giant" of Dickens make him a little disappointing. Hicks does not show himself as a young man in the Past, and therefore his lost fiance is shown as middle aged instead of the pretty girl of the book. However, Hicks puts his all into being Scrooge, and the photography is a wonderful example of vintage black and white. The scene in Old Joe's is especially effective, where his customers appear to be the "obscene demons" as described by Dickens. My own complaints are really few: Was the Lord Mayor's celebration scene really necessary? (Sure, it shows a grand event, but it's a distraction from the story.) And why is this short film cut even more for video? This is the only way I've been able to see it and it's very noticeable when the Spirit of Christmas Present reminds Scrooge of his opinion about "the surplus population" because he didn't say it earlier in the film. (Or is this only a scriptwriter's goof?) We need a fully restored edition. Still--watch it and enjoy! It still has plenty of "Spirit" and will make you want to say with Scrooge at the end, "God bless us--every one!"
Rating: 
Summary: Best print you will probably ever see
Review: I own both the edited version Marengo DVD and complete 78 minute version Front Row DVD of this classic and I can say that this new release by Image Entertainment (from the Blackhawk Collection) is by far the best print available. Strangely, the Front Row DVD (while good) says that it is from the Blackhawk Films collection (not on the box but on an opening screen prior to the beginning of the film). However, this new Image Entertainment edition states on the box that the print is from the Blackhawk collection and it is clearly in much better shape than the Front Row release (as well as the Marengo release). So if you want the complete 78 minute version in the best quality to date, you need the Image Entertainment DVD. If you're more concerned about price you can usually find the (still complete but now out of print) Front Row DVD on eBay for only a few dollars.
Rating:
Summary: Good!
Review: I saw Scrooge starring Seymour Hicks on television when I was a little girl, I believe it was on Christmas Eve and I remember sitting on the livingroom floor in front of the TV and liking this movie so one day I was in a store and found this movie on video and I purchased it but the tape's quality was awful and it was cut down in length from about 80 minutes to 60 minutes so it made an already short movie even shorter and very choppy so I'm hoping to buy the DVD that has the restored length and better film quality!
Rating:
Summary: Good!
Review: I saw Scrooge starring Seymour Hicks years ago on TV when I was a little girl, I believe it was on Christmas Eve and I remember sitting on the livingroom floor in front of the TV and liking this movie so one day I was in a store and found this movie on video and I purchased it but the tape's quality was awful and it was cut down in length from about 80 minutes to 60 minutes so it made an already short movie even shorter and very choppy so I'm hoping to buy the DVD that has the restored length and better film quality!
Rating:
Summary: Scrooge!
Review: I thought this old black and white movie of Scrooge will be better but the sound is weird and the images are kind of fuzzy sometime but still it's a good movie of Scrooge, it put you in the atmophere of Christmas and black and white movie got charm. The acting of Bob Cratchit get on my nerves, he act too silly and the hair of Scrooge are all mess-up, okay he don't like to spend money but mostly in all the other movies of Scrooge at lest he take care of himself but in this movie Scrooge look like a crazy old drunken man. Some scenes seem missing, the movie past too fast, they go to fast to one situation to another. But overall it a nice movie if you like black and white one and Scrooge is a good story to put you in the Christmas Spirit!
Rating: 
Summary: Review of The Video which Needs To Be Restored!!
Review: I'm reviewing the abridged video not the DVD! I saw the 1935 Scrooge movie starring Sir Seymour Hicks on TV when I was a little girl and I remember liking it, I bought it on video and I was very disappointed, it is a poorly made tape and there are distortions, white flecks that I guess are dust and dirt spots and has annoying bubbles and lines that shows that the film source they chose to use to copy it onto video is damamged by age and neglect and is very short and abrupt, I felt like scenes were missing and I see by reading another review that they cut it from about 78 minutes to just an hour. They need to restore this movie on video, clean it up enhance it, add the scenes they cut out and make it the proper 78 minute length again! I'm reviewing the abridged video tape not the DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Lackluster production values
Review: One of the reasons Alister Sim and Albert Finney work so well as Scrooge is that you are able to witness a transformation of a person throughout their lives. This truncated version does little to convey the whole story. It is also a horrible transfer and the original print has faded to dull tones of grey.It is interesting to see the censorship laws at various times throughout our cinematic history in the choices made when producing "A Christmas Carol." The Patrick Stewart version is perhaps the best-filmed version but the heavy-handed script writing destroys the illusion of 19th Century England. Stewart's one-man stage play is a much better version by far. Seymour Hicks is very good at being nasty but that's not what Scrooge is about. Scrooge is a guy who has had a tough life and he chose to value money above people to get through the day. Hicks can never seem to rise above the nastiness. He is never subtle like Finney or giddy like Sim, he's always just there. For a completest, you should get this DVD; other folks should enjoy Albert Finney's musical version and Alistar Sim's B&W triumph.
Rating:
Summary: Lackluster production values
Review: One of the reasons Alister Sim and Albert Finney work so well as Scrooge is that you are able to witness a transformation of a person throughout their lives. This truncated version does little to convey the whole story. It is also a horrible transfer and the original print has faded to dull tones of grey. It is interesting to see the censorship laws at various times throughout our cinematic history in the choices made when producing "A Christmas Carol." The Patrick Stewart version is perhaps the best-filmed version but the heavy-handed script writing destroys the illusion of 19th Century England. Stewart's one-man stage play is a much better version by far. Seymour Hicks is very good at being nasty but that's not what Scrooge is about. Scrooge is a guy who has had a tough life and he chose to value money above people to get through the day. Hicks can never seem to rise above the nastiness. He is never subtle like Finney or giddy like Sim, he's always just there. For a completest, you should get this DVD; other folks should enjoy Albert Finney's musical version and Alistar Sim's B&W triumph.
|
