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

Stingy businessman Ebenezer Scrooge is known as the meanest miser in Victorian London. He overworks and underpays his humble clerk, Bob Cratchit, whose little son, Tiny Tim, is crippled and may soon die. He also has nothing to do with his nephew, Fred, because his birth cost the life of his beloved sister. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge has a haunting nightmare from being visited by the ghost of his business partner, Jacob Marley. He is visited by three ghosts and is given one last chance to change his ways and save himself from the grim fate that befell Marley.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

One of the world's most loved character actors, Alastair Sim, in a masterful portrayal of one of the world's best loved characters, Scrooge!

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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

In the novella, the Spirit of Christmas Past carries an extinguisher, a small funnel which was used to put out candles. This was eliminated for the movie version, although the Spirit does appear more or less solid, depending on the scene, to correspond with the description in the book.

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Goofs

A group of coal miners perform "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" in the 1840s. The particular version they're singing wasn't arranged until 1855, when musician William H. Cummings synchronised John Wesley's 1739 verse to the tune of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's 1840 Gutenberg Cantata.

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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

The colorized version moves a scene with Tiny Tim to the beginning of the film instead of the original placement about 15 minutes into the film.

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Connections

Version of Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001)

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Soundtracks

Oranges and Lemons
(Pub. 1744) (uncredited)
Traditional
Played when Scrooge meets the Spirit of Christmas Present

User Reviews

My all time favourite film

I am sure Charles Dickens would be more than pleased with the film adaptation of 'A Christmas Carol'. A truly remarkable film that never fails to delight me. There are so many poignant scenes. When for instance Scrooge asks his nephew's wife for forgiveness for being a 'pig headed old fool' it never fails to have me reaching for the nearest tissues. However, the one scene that sticks in my mind is where Scrooge is settling down to eat his bowl of soup in his dressing gown and slippers in front of the fire. The expression on his face on hearing the voice of Jacob Marley, and subsequently dropping his spoon and its contents into his soup bowl, is for me a cinematic treasure.