Rating: 
Summary: Christmas Carol
Review: I have seen the various versions over the years. For the last 50 years I have watched the Alistair Sim version. It has become a Christmas tradition with my family (now to the third generation). We watch it each Christmas Eve. For us it is as important as our tree. And we say "God bless us everyone."
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Bunch
Review: Every year, for several years, this has been the one Christmas movie that I never fail to watch during the holidays (at least once). This is the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol that I have ever seen. Alastair Sim provides an excellent portrayal of Scrooge. The black & white filming adds to the whole "Classic" feel of the movie (avoid any colorizations). Buy it on DVD to ensure many, many years of quality viewing.
The only downfall to the DVD (unless I'm missing something) is that the listed "Special Features" don't seem to be there. There is no introduction by Patrick Macnee or Bonus Technicolor cartoon feature. The Cast Bios consist of Alastair Sim only. Don't worry about that small lack of quality. The movie is worth owning if your a Scrooge fan. Buy it. You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best versions
Review: This is one of the best versions of Scrooge out there. A must have for any collection. Allastair Sim is perfect in the role.
Rating: 
Summary: Which one do I buy?
Review: As usual with films that are in the public domain, trying to figure out which one to buy can sometimes be a trial.There are two companies putting this one out: United Home and VCI. VCI put out the 50th anniversary edition as well as the colorized version (which - now don't get confused - includes the black and white version). United Home puts out the black and white version. However, the packaging for the United Home and VCI versions are identical. And the 50th anniversary edition is no longer available. So. Given that the quality of whatever is shown on TV every year gets worse and worse, I took a shot at the VCI colorized/B&W edition since they had also put together the 50th anniversary edition (shows a certain fondness for the film). And since I had the opportunity to watch this film on TV on Christmas Eve, I'm in a position to make an almost side by side comparison. The result is that I am impressed with what VCI was able to do with this material. I have no idea what their source material was. And it doesn't look or sound as though they went through the whole restoration process. However, the improvement in sound and picture is remarkable, maybe not 5s, but at least 3.5 to 4 on the sound, and at least 4 on the picture. And given the price, this is far more than one might expect. They don't show these old films so much these days at Christmas time: Miracle on 34th Street, Pocketful of Miracles, White Christmas, Holiday Inn, and so on. And when they do show them, they often use ratty old tapes or film stock. Therefore, buy these DVDs now in preparation for next year, if available, and see them when and as often as you like. DVDs do get withdrawn from circulation, and you'll be sorry if you let the opportunity to pick up this version of A Christmas Carol go by.
Rating:
Summary: The One And Only!!
Review: I'm a purist. It's almost sacrilegious to tamper with Dicken's timeless Christmas story, as the Reginald Owens version of the movie did, and if they had wanted to shoot the 1951 version in color, they would have done so. Of all the versions of "A Christmas Carol", this is the only one to do the book justice. Alastair Sim is the perfect Scrooge, just as Dickens wrote him. The black/white version shows us, far more than the god-awful washed-out colorization, the dank and dark atmosphere lit only by the good-will of the season. Scrooge's regeneration at the end of the film ("Will you forgive a pig-headed old man...") would melt a heart of adamant. I watch this movie every Christmas season. It just doesn't seem like Christmas without it.
Rating: 
Summary: FANTASTIC Movie but an AWFUL DVD!
Review: The 1951 Alastair Sim movie actually is fantastic and deserves more than 5 stars but the DVD put out by vci is awful, the menu is unreadable and they must have used an old damaged print of the film to transfer on the DVD, the picture is grainy and there are annoying lines and flickers that look like when a movie projector skips or like they badly edited damaged film that was too damaged to copy. I'm sure they didn't do it but the quality is so bad it looks like someone could have stuck a video into a VCR took a camcorder aimed it at their TV and hit record! I bought the movie on video a number of years ago and the quality was better then this DVD! This movie is a classic and should be fully restored. I hope someone gets a hold of a film of this movie and restores it and gives it the proper treatment, Criterion could do it justice but their DVD's are expensive and I don't care about having tons of extras but I care more about the quality of the film and hope soeone will put some effort in restoring the classic and making a quality DVD!
Rating:
Summary: The best version, by far
Review: This is the standard by which all other screen adaptations of "A Christmas Carol" should be judged. The other reviews here have spelled it out as well as I could, so I'll just add this: I disagree with those who insist that the B/W version is the only one to watch. The colorized version (on DVD) is proof that colorization *can* improve an old classic. The audio is clearer, the images are crisper and the color adds to the enjoyment.
Rating:
Summary: A Holiday Tradition
Review: A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim has been watched by myself and now my family every holiday season for as long as I can remember. I rate this version side by side with the 1984 George C. Scott version. Each has its charms and idiosynchrasis. The Ghost of Jacob Marley in the 1951 edition is superbly done with many of the original Dicken's lines used or paraphrased. However the 1984 Ghost was even better, particularly, in my opinion, when he says" Man of the worldly mind do you beleive in me or not?" The character of Scrooge himself is portrayed admirably by both Sim and Scott although Scott plays him more arrogantly it seems and therefore more lifelike. I love his "arguing" with the spirits who "sometimes even (I) forget the rules, after all I don't come around that often." ( Ghost of Christmas Present) The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is done the best in the 1951 edition. Note if you look carefuly at the scene with Scrooge at the window of the Crathcits you can actually see the face of the actor behind the black guaze. The Ghost in the 1984 was perhaps more frightening but that screeching sound he made when he moved and the lightning flashed when the scene changed were annoying.
Rating:
Summary: Why, oh why?
Review: This great movie, the best version, is ruined by the colorizing. All it really adds is ... colors that are pale and out of place, as with all colorized versions of any movies. The old B&W scenes add a touch of old London in the 19th century to the whole movie watching experience. Either find the B&W version or try to turn off the color on your TV.
Rating:
Summary: Film - 5* - Transfer 3* Baah Humbug to the transfer
Review: You cannot argue with the acting of Alastair Sim and Mervyn Johns, this version is the "classic" of this timeless holiday story but what a disappointment the transfer to DVD is ( I actually have a VHS version of this film that is much better ). The case has no liner notes inside (always a plus for additional info on the artists etc. )One would expect the 50th. anniversay edition to be loaded with extras -- this one is strictly bare bones.(Keep your fingers crossed that the Criterion Collection can get their hands on this gem and do it justice - they apparently are THE people to treat a classic like a classic ).
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