A Christmas Carol (1910)

Based on the story by Charles Dickens: Ebenezer Scrooge is well known for his harsh, miserly ways, until he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, and then by three other spirits.

Writer:

Charles Dickens (short story)

Stars:

Marc McDermott, Charles Ogle, William Bechtel

Cast

Cast overview:
Marc McDermott	...	Scrooge
Charles Ogle	...	Bob Cratchit
William Bechtel
Viola Dana
Carey Lee
Shirley Mason

Storyline

Based on the story by Charles Dickens: The day before the Christmas holiday, Ebenezer Scrooge refuses to contribute to the Charity Relief Committee, and then rudely rejects his nephew when he visits Scrooge in his office. When Scrooge returns home, he sees the ghost of his former business partner Marley, who warns him of the punishment he will suffer in the next life if he does not change his ways. That night, Scrooge is visited by three more spirits, who show him his past, the present, and the future that awaits him.

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Plot Keywords:

spirit | business partner | ghost | nephew | future | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 December 1910 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edison Manufacturing Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

11 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Worldview Entertainment and the Killiam Collection has released a set of nine early movies about Christmas collectively called "A Christmas Past," with an original score by Al Kryszak. This movie is the eighth one, and has a running time of 11 minutes.

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Connections

Version of John Grin's Christmas (1986)

User Reviews

Historically interesting

As someone who has an interest in the film history of A Christmas Carol but only a modest knowledge of silent films, I appreciate the previous reviewers remarks about this short film. Given its length, the movie well captures the essence of the Dickens' story although I did miss Tiny Tim. I thought the special effects were pretty good especially given the production date of the movie. This is one of those movies that is interesting to me only because of its historical significance and that it was an early filming of a beloved story. I wonder if even audiences at the time of the movie's release liked this movie unless they were already familiar with the Dickens story and viewed this film as a curiosity. Comedy was much better suited to one reelers than was drama. Nonetheless, I'm glad I saw it.