A Christmas Carol (1984 film)

Infobox Film |
name = A Christmas Carol


caption = "A Christmas Carol" DVD cover
director = Clive Donner
producer = Geroge F. Storke
writer = Charles Dickens (novel, A Christmas Carol)
Roger O. Hirson
starring = George C. Scott
Frank Finlay
David Warner
Susannah York
Edward Woodward
Roger Rees
distributor = 20th Century Fox
released = 17 December 1984 (U.S. release)
runtime = 100 min.
country = USA/UK
language = English
amg_id = 1:9515
imdb_id = 0087056

"A Christmas Carol" is a 1984 television movie adaptation of Charles Dickens' famous 1843 novella. It was directed by Clive Donner (who had been an editor on an earlier film version of the story, 1951's "Scrooge") and stars George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge.

The movie was filmed on location in Shrewsbury, England. It originally aired on CBS on December 17, 1984 in the United States (sponsored by IBM), but was released theatrically in Great Britain. The film was marketed with the tagline "A new powerful presentation of the most loved ghost story of all time!" Scott was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for his portrayal in "A Christmas Carol".

The movie has run in syndication on local American channels since it debuted in 1984, earning a loyal fanbase, but was not released to VHS until 1995 and to DVD in 1999. On November 25, 2007 it returned to national television on AMC for the first time since its debut, earning a rare 4/4 star rating from the network. The network ran the movie throughout the Christmas season. It remains one of the most beloved adaptations of "A Christmas Carol."

Plot summary

In the Victorian period, Ebenezer Scrooge is a cynical and embittered old man whose greatest concern is money, and who regards compassion as a luxury he cannot afford. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley, his former business partner, who arranges for Scrooge to be visited by three spirits in an attempt to show him the errors of his ways — the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come. The spirits force Scrooge to examine the failings of his own life, as well as the bravery and optimism of his loyal but ill-treated employee Bob Cratchit. Scrooge reforms, learning to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in his heart, ultimately becoming a well-loved and respected man.

Main cast

* George C. Scott - Ebenezer Scrooge
* Frank Finlay - Jacob Marley
* Angela Pleasence - Ghost of Christmas Past
* Edward Woodward - Ghost of Christmas Present
* Michael Carter - Ghost of Christmas Future
* David Warner - Bob Cratchit
* Susannah York - Mrs. Cratchit
* Roger Rees - Fred Hollywell
* Caroline Langrishe - Janet Hollywell
* Lucy Gutteridge - Belle
* Nigel Davenport - Silas Scrooge (Ebenezer and Fan's father)
* Mark Strickson - Young Ebenezer Scrooge
* Joanne Whalley - Fan Scrooge-Hollywell (Ebenezer's sister and Fred's mother)
* Timothy Bateson - Mr. Fezziwig
* Michael Gough - Mr. Poole
* John Quarmby - Mr. Harking
* Peter Woodthorpe - Old Joe
* Liz Smith - Mrs. Dilber

Trivia

* Caroline Langrishe previously co-starred with late greats Anthony Perkins and Richard Jordan in Lord Grade's production of "Les Miserables."
* Liz Smith who plays Mrs. Dilber played the same role in the 1999 version starring Patrick Stewart.
* The United States broadcast was originally sponsored by IBM.
* Two of Susannah York's real-life children portrayed two of the Cratchit kids on-screen.
* Angela Pleasance is Donald Pleasance's daughter.
* Joanne "Fan" Whalley would later marry American actor Val Kilmer, shortly after co-starring with him in "Willow".
* Roger Rees went on to co-star as the Sheriff of Rottingham in Mel Brooks's "."
* Michael Gough went on to portray butler Alfred Pennyworth in all four "Batman" movies (1989--1997).
* This is, perhaps, the only version of ACC in which Scrooge wears trousers, shirt and a vest (with a period correct dressing gown over them) instead of merely his nightgown, slippers and cap. (Rumor has it that George C. Scott openly reeled at the very thought of portraying Scrooge under such conditions...especially in mid-winter England.) Scott's costume agrees with Dicken's description in the novel.
* Several of the actors had appeared in previous adaptations of Dickens, most famously Rees in "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby". Scott had played Fagin in a television version of "Oliver Twist" two years previously, and Timothy Bateson, who played Fezziwig, had appeared as Mr. Dick in a 1974 television production of "David Copperfield".
* The church where Scrooge is shown to be buried is St. Chad's Cathedral (R.C.) in Shrewsbury, England. Today, if you visit the cathedral, the actual gravestone prop is still there, fully intact.

See also

* List of A Christmas Carol adaptations

External links

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