A Christmas Carol (1951)

An old bitter miser is given a chance for redemption when he is haunted by three ghosts on Christmas Eve...

Director:

Brian Desmond Hurst (as Brian Desmond-Hurst)

Writers:

Charles Dickens (adapted from "A Christmas Carol"), Noel Langley (adaptation)

Stars:

Alastair Sim, Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alastair Sim	...	Ebenezer Scrooge
Kathleen Harrison	...	Mrs. Dilber
Mervyn Johns	...	Bob Cratchit
Hermione Baddeley	...	Mrs. Cratchit
Michael Hordern	...	Jacob Marley
George Cole	...	Young Ebenezer Scrooge
John Charlesworth	...	Peter Cratchit
Francis De Wolff	...	Spirit of Christmas Present (as Francis de Wolff)
Rona Anderson	...	Alice
Carol Marsh	...	Fan Scrooge
Brian Worth	...	Fred
Miles Malleson	...	Old Joe
Ernest Thesiger	...	The Undertaker
Glyn Dearman	...	Tiny Tim
Michael Dolan	...	Spirit of Christmas Past

Storyline

Stubbornly refusing to believe in Christmas and to be separated from his inexhaustible wealth, the Victorian money lender and parsimonious recluse, Ebenezer Scrooge, can't be bothered with the poor and destitute at the most festive time of the year. Intent on spending the holy night alone, instead, the sceptical curmudgeon is visited by an unexpected and sympathetic friend, who will pave the way for the inevitable visitation of the otherworldly spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. But, what do the pale ghosts want? Can a wicked old miser admit the error in his ways, and embrace change? In the end, is Scrooge ready to love and be loved?

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | ghost | miser | redemption | change of heart | 

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Taglines:

The Holiday Picture of All Time! Charles Dickens' Joyous Classic!

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 December 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Christmas Carol

Filming Locations:

8 Scandrett Street, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

George Minter Productions, Renown Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 74 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both Alastair Sim (as Scrooge) and Michael Hordern (as Marley) reprised their roles in A Christmas Carol (1971), and Hordern also appeared as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (1977).

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Goofs

Alice seems to age very little between the past and present scenes, compared to Scrooge. This could be to show the contrast between the two - she chose to stay on the "good" path and has a healthier spiritual condition, he turned to greed and anger and has prematurely aged.

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Quotes

Ebenezer: [to himself, laughing] A merry Christmas, Ebenezer! You old HUMBUG! Oh, and a happy new year! As if you deserved it!

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Alternate Versions

One DVD release features a version where the top and bottom of the frame were cropped so that the picture would fit on widescreen TVs. The unaltered version is available on the same disc.

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Connections

Version of A Christmas Carol (1982)

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Soundtracks

My Love's an Arbutus
(1882) (uncredited)
Music by Charles Villiers Stanford
Heard instrumentally as background music during all scenes involving Alice

User Reviews

the perfect Christmas carol

Many adaptations of Dickens' Christmas book have been and gone, but this is generally thought to be one of the definitive films of the story.

Brian Desmond Hurst directs a fine cast, headed by the incomparable Alastair Sim (a man who can play both malevolent and humorous) as the about-to-be-redeemed Ebenezer Scrooge. Sim's reactions are priceless and he settles down well in the role. Michael Hordern is a less successful Marley, certainly when he visits as a ghost, but the three Ghosts of Christmas are just as you imagine - Christmas Past is a wise old sage, Christmas Present is a jovial party-giver ...

Strengths of this production include the opening out of events of the past into a linear narrative (George Cole plays young Scrooge for the early segments), and the playing of Mervyn Johns and Hermoine Baddeley as the Cratchits. It is a film which has holly, plum pudding, and carol singers written all over it, from the use of Christmas tunes in the music track, to the roaring fires and snow-strewn streets in which everyone makes merry for the festive day.