Scrooge (1970)

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.

Director:

Ronald Neame

Writers:

Charles Dickens (based on "A Christmas Carol" by), Leslie Bricusse (screenplay)

Stars:

Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Edith Evans

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Albert Finney	...	Ebenezer Scrooge
Edith Evans	...	Ghost of Christmas Past
Kenneth More	...	Ghost of Christmas Present
Laurence Naismith	...	Mr. Fezziwig
Michael Medwin	...	Nephew Fred
David Collings	...	Bob Cratchit
Anton Rodgers	...	Tom Jenkins
Suzanne Neve	...	Isabel Fezziwig
Frances Cuka	...	Ethel Cratchit
Derek Francis	...	1st Gentleman of Charity
Gordon Jackson	...	Tom - Friend of Harry's
Roy Kinnear	...	2nd Gentleman of Charity
Mary Peach	...	Fred's Wife
Paddy Stone	...	Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Kay Walsh	...	Mrs. Fezziwig

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.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | spirit | nephew | 1860s | ghost | 

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Taglines:

What the dickens have they done to Scrooge?... They've put him in a big, big musical.

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Скрудж

Filming Locations:

Black Park Lake, Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Center Films, Waterbury Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Mono (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (colour) (Technicolor) (as Technicolor ®)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Following the film's premiere at the Dominion Theatre, 200 special guests of Cinema Center Films gathered at the Café Royal for an end of evening party. The Dockland Settlements, the Chasers and Variety's Heart Fund benefited by some £18,000 raised from the event.

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Goofs

The wires connected to Alec Guinness's harness and chain to give the effect of floating are often visible.

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Quotes

Ebenezer Scrooge: [to Bob] You still don't recognise me, do you Cratchit?
Bob Cratchit: Yes. No. Er... Father Christmas?
Ebenezer Scrooge: Heh heh!
[pulls down his mask briefly]
Mrs. Cratchit: Mr. Scrooge? He's gone mad!
Bob Cratchit: No, no, my dear, I'm sure there's an explanation.
Ebenezer Scrooge: I want to see you in my office on Monday morning, when I will double your wages.
Bob Cratchit: He *has* gone mad!

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

Version of A Christmas Carol (1982)

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Soundtracks

Happiness
(uncredited)
Music by Leslie Bricusse
Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Performed by Suzanne Neve

User Reviews

A wonderful memorable adaptation - highly recommended!

Christmas films, like Christmas songs, are a hugely personal choice, and depend so much on childhood experience. But this is one film which does not lose it's charm, no matter how often I see it. The songs, sets and costumes are fantastic, the acting is inspired, and the musical scenes are beautifully choreographed. In fact, there is no other Christmas film, which has contributed so many songs to my Christmas repertoire! The fact that this version is an English production also helps considerably in the credibility department - the accents are authentic.

Aside from the scene in "hell", this film is admirably true to the spirit and content of Dicken's text, with some inevitable cuts which frankly, I didn't miss. More importantly, I have seen no other version which manages to combine the miserable qualities of Scrooge with the touches of wit and humour which Dickens so skillfully wrote with. Other versions of the film so often succeed at being dour, while failing to capture the joyous aspects of the story, and the humour Scrooge himself sometimes provides. Happily, this version Succeeds at both.

The 1951 version of the film, with Alastair Sim as Scrooge, is often touted as being the best. This may be where my age betrays me, but when I saw it recently, it left me feeling rather flat. Sim did a good job of appearing afraid of the ghosts, but where was his bitterness, skepticism and sarcastic wit? By contrast, Albert Finney's portrayal is a joy to watch - you cannot help but both love and hate the miserable old creature, which makes his transformation at the end all the more joyous.

Highlights...

The clever use of songs like "Father Christmas" and "Thank You Very Much" to convey very different sentiments at the end of the film than they do when first introduced in eaarlier scenes - marvelous!

Albert Finney, as the hilariously miserable Scrooge, singing "I hate People"

Alec Guinness as a truly original ghost of Jacob Marley - fantastic!

Kenneth More's Ghost of Christmas Present - what presence, what a costume!

Laurence Naismith as the exuberant Fezziwig - exactly as he should be, and a good dancer too!

Edith Evans (Elderly Ghost of Christmas Past), in response to Scrooge's "You don't look like a ghost", primly replying "Thank You!".

Mrs. Cratchhit's scream of shock when she realises who is delivering the enormous turkey to her door! I could watch it a hundred times!

...and too many others to mention. This movie was released on DVD this year - by all means see it!