A musical retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about an old bitter miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.

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(based on "A Christmas Carol" by), (screenplay)
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Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 6 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Laurence Naismith ...
Michael Medwin ...
...
...
Tom Jenkins
...
Isabel Fezziwig
Frances Cuka ...
Derek Francis ...
...
Tom - Friend of Harry's
...
Mary Peach ...
Paddy Stone ...
Kay Walsh ...
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Storyline

In 1860, cranky old miser Ebenezer Scrooge hates Christmas; loathes people and defends the decrease of the surplus of poor population; runs his bank exploiting his employee Bob Cratchit and clients, giving a bitter treatment to his own nephew and acquaintances. However, on Christmas Eve, he is visited by the doomed ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley that tells him that three spirits would visit him that night. The first one, the spirit of Christmas Past, recalls his miserable youth when he lost his only love due to his greed; the spirit of Christmas Present shows him the poor situation of Bob's family and how joyful life may be; and the spirit of Christmas Future shows his fate. Scrooge finds that life is good and time is too short and suddenly you are not there anymore, changing his behavior toward Christmas, Bob, his nephew and people in general. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Christmas musical based squarely on Charles Dickens' immortal holiday classic See more »


Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

5 November 1970 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Скрудж  »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(70 mm prints)| (35 mm prints)

Color:

(colour) (Technicolor) (as Technicolor ®)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Alec Guinness' big musical number was cut from the film, although the lead-in remains intact. It was called "Make the Most of This Life" and was restored when "Scrooge" was adapted into a stage musical with Jon Pertwee as Marley and Anthony Newley as Scrooge. See more »

Goofs

During the reprise of "Thank You very Much" at the end of the movie, the crowd sings and dances their way past the booth of the Punch and Judy man and the camera stops to focus on him. If you look just to the left of his booth, you can see the actors stopping and turning back since they are now "off-camera." But, the next shot after the Punch and Judy man shows them continuing down the street. See more »

Quotes

[Scrooge is covertly watching Harry's Christmas party]
Tom - Friend of Harry's: Harry, I've visited you every Christmas for the past five years, and to this day I can never understand this extraordinary ritual of toasting the health of your old uncle Ebenezer. I mean, everyone knows he's the most miserable old skinflint that ever walked God's earth.
Ebenezer Scrooge: [glaring] Who's he?
Ghost of Christmas Present: Oh... just a friend.
Nephew Fred: My dear Tom, it's very simple. He is indeed a despicable old miser, worse than you could ever possibly imagine.
[...]
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Crazy Credits

The phrase "Merry Christmas" appears at the end of the movie. See more »

Connections

Referenced in From the Top: Episode #2.6 (1986) See more »

Soundtracks

I Like Life (reprise)
(uncredited)
Music by Leslie Bricusse
Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Performed by Albert Finney
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Unbeatable!
20 December 2004 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

I have just read a negative comment about this movie. I believe it's the first I've ever encountered. Yes, I was a bit scared when I was young, but I had reassuring parents and saw that in the end, it was upbeat and fun.

One favorite part is while Bob Crachit and his kids are getting last minute things for Christmas Eve (During Christmas Children), there is such an obvious display of the differences between the rich and the poorer classes. The rich pick up their things and he, a poorer man, picks up what he can with his 15 schillings - yet stays upbeat, thankful and loving. It's really a beautiful scene.

I love to watch this movie at any time of the year. Albert Finney really nails this character. It's hard to believe that he was only 34 when he made this film. My kids (4 and 7) could not believe that was really him in the Christmas Past scenes.

The rest of the cast indeed are incredible. Bob Crachit was outstanding and so tender and the ghost of Christmas Present was so fun.

I attempted to watch the latest musical version with Kelsey Grammar, I really tried. It was a painful 15 minutes. You just can't create another musical version of this story that tops this one!


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