CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!

Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

macmill-56539 Patrick Stewart excels as perhaps the nastiest and most intimidating version of Scrooge, which makes his redemption all the more heartening and indeed shows more than any other adaptation, that it's not just Scrooge that needs saving but also the downtrodden Bob Cratchit and the family that so depends on him. The casting here is absolutely top notch, with Richard E Grant - has there ever been a more stressed out and sympathetic Cratchit - Dominic West - has there ever been a more likeable and charming Fred - Desmond Barritt, Ian MacNiece - born to play Fezziwig - Joel Grey, Saskia Reeves and Bernard Lloyd all excellent in their roles, which stands in stark contrast to the terribly miscast 1984 version, often bizarrely cited as being superior.

zkonedog Being a big Star Trek: The Next Generation fan, I remember watching this Patrick Stewart-led Dickens adaptation back in the late 1997s on TV. At the time, it seemed like the best "Christmas Carol" re-telling I had ever seen. Upon a more recent viewing, however, I discovered that time had not been kind to my analysis of the overall production.For a basic plot summary, this is a simple adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens tale. Miserly old Scrooge (Stewart) is visited on the night before Christmas by three ghosts (Past, Present, Future) that help him re-discover his heart.The trouble with this production is that the "production values" are just not that good. The auxiliary cast is lackluster, the special effects are unspectacular (even by 1990s standards), and the whole show has a depressive mood about it.Pretty much the only reason to watch this version is the incredible performance from Mr. Stewart. He absolutely owns the role of Scrooge. Unfortunately, as the story dictates, Scrooge is all too often watching the action unfold instead of participating in it.Thus, I would advise looking elsewhere for your "Christmas Carol" fix unless you're a Patrick Stewart junkie. There just isn't enough else to carry this production.

ma-cortes Charming and worthwhile adaptation about timeless and quintessential Christmas story . ¨A Christmas Carol¨ is an enjoyable British production, a wonderful and straight forward approach to the Dickens's source material being perfectly adapted . It is given the full sense of wonder , a deluxe treatment in this superior TV film . The production values & acting are both excellent, with just enough attractive to appeal to the tenderhearted , and with some doses of horror , case of the potentially frightening elements the Ghosts of Past (Joel Grey), Present (Barrit) and Future , adding sentiment ; all of them are blended into the mix , until , like a nice Christmas punch , the result appeals to all . Scrooge (Patrick Stewart) is a miserly old businessman in 1840's London . He displays no charity to mankind generally, and in particular, to his employee Bob Cratchett (Richard E. Grant married to Saskia Reeves) and his unfortunate son, Tiny Tim . One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of Marley (Lloyd), his dead business partner. He is warned that he must change his miserly ways or face damnation. Marley foretells that Scrooge will be visited by three spirits, each of whom will attempt to show Scrooge the error of his ways . In Just One Night , He Has Seen His Past, His Present, And His Future. And They've All Come Back To Haunt Him Will Scrooge reform his ways in time to celebrate Christmas? . To his delight, the spirits complete their visits in one night giving him the opportunity to mend his ways. The first spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Past, shows Scrooge visions of his own past in which had spent much of his childhood neglected by his father over the holidays at boarding school until he was finally brought home by his loving sister , who died prematurely after giving birth to his nephew Fred (Dominic West). A past in which appears a young Scrooge (Doughty) and including a broken engagement to his girlfriend (Laura Fraser) . Will Scrooge change his life in time to celebrate Christmas? .A wonderful recounting of a Christmas vintage classic and Patrick Stewart demonstrates once again his versatility on screen in this retelling of Charles Dickens' immortal story . Atmospherically, the movie is as comfortable and heartwarming as an old Christmas card . The whole concept of looking at your life in the past, present and future is creative in and of itself . After watching the movie, you may look at your life from the same perspectives . Special effects add a nice little touch , but it is Patrick Stewart's interaction with the 'ghosts' and various characters that really steal the show . Though most of us , if not all of us, have seen other adaptations in the past or read the story , and know already what to expect, Stewart manages to capture pure magic with his stunningly awesome portrayal of main character Ebenezer Scrooge and it is definitely worth a look . It's fun and different approach to the Christmas classic with acceptable effects by means of computer generator . Furthermore , an emotive musical score by Stephen Warbeck and an appropriate cinematography by Ian Wilson add assets in this splendid TV film . A highly recommended picture that nobody should miss it especially during Christmas time . ¨David Hugh Jones's Christmas Carol¨ still ranks as one of the best TV adaptations of the Dickens classic ever . This retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption will appeal to Patrick Stewart fans .Other versions about this stunning story courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions are the following : The rather obscure 1935 version,with Sir Seymour Hicks ; adaptation released by MGM , directed in 1938 by Edward L Marin with Reginald Owen ; the 1951 British production with Alastair Sim and the 1970 musical by Clive Donner with Albert Finney. Under the title of 'A Christmas Carol' a cartoon rendition (1997) by Stan Phillips and voiced by Tim Curry and another (1991) by Jimmy T Murakami with Simon Callow ; in addition adaptations made by classic animated characters as ¨Mickey Mouse's Christmas Carol and ¨Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol¨ . Finally the made-for-TV productions: 1984 with George C. Scott , 1999 with Patrick Stewart, and the 2004 musical with Kelsey Grammar and the recent made by means of Motion Capture starred by Jim Carrey and directed by Robert Zemeckis .

Scarecrow-88 Patrick Stewart of Star Trek: The Next Generation takes up the role for TNT cable television as penny-pinching anti-Christmas grouch, Ebenezer Scrooge, visited by four spirits, including his former money-lender business partner, and stock exchange pro, Jacob Marley (whose funeral opens the movie), of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. If Scrooge is to be rescued from a possible fate most unkind, he must see the error of his ways and embrace the holiday spirit that is absent from his life.I think Stewart is well cast as Ebenezer Scrooge, his authoritative voice, the kind of depth and breadth and command that comes from his posture, his presence, lends credibility to the miser role. I wasn't that wild and crazy about the whole tornado effects sequence where The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge on a ride to a lighthouse, German ship at sea, and to nephew's party the miser was offered to attend, but there are instances like this in practically every Christmas Carol movie, I guess, that kind of annoy me. I think, inevitably, each and every Christmas Carol version is tested against the Alistair Sim Scrooge movie, his is the epitome of what the Dickens character is visualized as correct and authentic. This version has a moment that tickles my funnybone a bit: Scrooge visits his death bed, his body wrapped in a death shroud, and he asks the reaper-looking "Ghost of Christmas That is Yet to Come" if no one would find comfort in his demise and the spirit shows him of a poor couple owing a debt to him benefiting from the fact that they will have time, now that their moneylender kicked the bucket, to pay back the loan! Anyway, this version has the obligatory scenes we are accustomed to: the visit to his old school, to Fessiwigs when he was an apprentice, to the Christmas dinner of Bob Cratchet, to see his Nephew Fred's gathering of good friends, to the trader who lives in a paupers' area in an impoverished street corner somewhere deep in the bowels of an unflattering London, and ultimately to his grave. I think this fails in Scrooge's resurrection, his rebirth, Stewart seems more at home as the miser slowly becoming aware of his failures as a human being, while the reemergence after facing a possible death in full delight seems forced and strained for optimum effect, feeling less authentic which is what endears us to Sim and George C Scott in the revered '51 and '84 versions of The Christmas Carol. And, a gauge on how impactful this version is thrives on how the Tiny Tim storyline packs its punch. In this version, it never quite plays a melody with my heartstrings. I am not sure if it's the casting or what, but I never quite get that emotional wallop with Richard Harris' Cratchet, his wife, or the Tiny Tim of this Christmas Carol compared to others. David Warner's Cratchet, to me, is the definitive Bob Cratchet, his lot in life, the difficulties plaguing his character are present in his demeanor and voice, his weary face explicitly shows the years toiling with Scrooge and his little boy's illness. I sympathize with him wholeheartedly while Harris never, for some reason, quite captures my heart. Not sure why, it could just be me. I guess that really is how I feel about most of the casting, nothing extraordinary, workman-like is my best way to describe them. Mostly, I think Stewart does a commendable job, conveying the conflicting emotions, the good ones he once felt returning, with us seeing that Ebenezer is starting to sense where he went wrong as the bubbling-to-the-surface feelings before he molded into the miser bring an awareness that has him recognizing what he lost.