Jacob Marley's words....man they hit home. "I wear the chain I forged in life," I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?" Jesus. That keeps me on the positive and honest train.
I too consider this the best and closest version to the novella. I'm a big fan of The Ghost Of Christmas Present and he he is played very well here by Edward Woodward. The same actor would later go on to play Tom Weaver in Shawn Of The Dead (2007), which I highly recommend if you haven't watched it yet. Fun Fact: The word "humbug" is misunderstood by many people, which is a pity since the word provides a key insight into Scrooge's hatred of Christmas. The word "humbug" describes deceitful efforts to fool people by assuming a fake loftiness or false sincerity. So when Scrooge calls Christmas a humbug, he is claiming that people only feign charity and kindness in a scoundrel effort to delude him, each other, and themselves. In Scrooge's eyes, he is the one man honest enough to admit that no one really cares about anyone else, so for him, every wish for a Merry Christmas is one more deceitful effort to fool or take advantage of him. This is a man who has turned to profit because he honestly believes that everyone else will someday betray him or abandon him the moment he trusts them.
It is pretty close to the book. Of course, none of the adaptations are totally identical. I don't know which version is closest to the original material. Each one seems to add their own touches to it. I do agree with you that this is the best version. Edward Woodward was fantastic as the ghost of Christmas Present. I especially liked how he put Scrooge in his place, like when Scrooge commented on how small the goose was for such a large family, and the ghost said "That's all Bob Cratchit can afford". I've always thought it would have been funny if he had said "That's all Bob Cratchit can afford, you cheap, stingy bastard!"
The significance of the cloth wrapped around the ghost of Jacob Marley's head is that when the body would die, if the mouth was left open the joints and muscles would stiffen and leave the mouth agape. They would wrap this around their head in this fashion to keep the mouth closed. So it is to show that he really is dead. When he unties it...his jaw becomes slack again. And when he ties it back on he goes back to the spirit world wandering aimlessly as penance for his lack of concern for humanity while he was alive.
This is my favorite version. I think most people either choose this version or the 1951 Alistair Sim version as their favorite. One interesting fact about this version is, it's the only one that shows Scrooge's father. R.I.P. David Warner (Bob Cratchit- 1941- 2022)
I would add the Muppet Christmas Carol to the list as well. Another one of the greatest Scrooges, the unique addition of narration to include parts of the book most people don't normally encounter in movie adaptations, and a great balance of seriousness and comedy.
Scrooge was a grasping scraping covetous old sinner with seemingly no hope of redemption. Marley's ghost visits him to warn him that he will suffer the same fate. To be bound with chains and be forced to see how he could have helped the poor. Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who show him the error of his ways. It is a timeless classic.
Love this version, I saw it when it first aired. (this was made-for-TV). This and the 1951 Alistair Sim film are my favorite versions (the Reginald Owen version is also good). This was directed by the guy who edited the 1951 version, so I love that they are connected! It's got such a great cast! Although I love George C. Scott in the role, I'm an American and I wonder if a Brit would take umbrage with something so quintessentially English as Dickens' Scrooge being played by an American. But that's an objective point-of-view; my subjective point-of-view is that I love it, and I'm so happy to see it reacted to! You are right, Dawn, it definitely holds up! PS: I haven't seen Band Of Brothers, but I've noticed other reactors are having a nightmare with them. I'm watching "Chernobyl" which is incredible! If you haven't seen that one, that would definitely make a good reaction series.
Great objective point that never thought about but can't imagine anyone other than George C Scott in this version 😊 Thanks for the suggestion of Cernoybyl and will add it. Glad to know we're not alone with Band of Brothers being a pain.
I like the Alistair Sim version too. And the Reginald Owen version isn't bad either, The issue I have with the Reginald Owen version is, they tried too hard to make it a "family friendly" version by leaving out the darker parts of the story, like Scrooge's breakup with his fiancée. Those are important parts of the story because they kind of explain what made Scrooge the way he was. But it's still a good version. Certainly better than the 1954 made for tv musical version, starring Fredric March that was released as part of a tv show called "Shower of Stars". I won't say too much about that one, except the "Ghost of Christmas Future goes by so fast that if you blink, you'll miss it.
I enjoy every spirit in this version, including Jacob. They all give Scrooge kind of an attitude and give him pause, which is of course their purpose. The yet to come spirit is hands down the creepiest version of any of the movies IMHO.
"Scrooged" was a good take on this classic, staring Bill Murray, if haven't seen? If not 4 this yr, maybe next yr??? Thanx 4 the vibes! 🙏 See ya, ladies! 😎 ✌ ❤ 🚬 🎄
Michael Carter (The Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come) can also be seen in 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi as Bib Fortuna, Jabba The Hutt's top aide. This is my favorite rendition of this story, due to the great acting, beautiful musical musical score and atmosphere. I always liked how it is the one ghost that does not even verbally 'speak' who drives the lesson home. That and the moment where the ghost of Christmas Present tells Scrooge that: "It may well that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child."
Well, aside from cartoons (such as _Animaniacs_ [the 1993-1998 original, in particular the episode "Meatballs or Consequences"] & _The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy_ [which was paired in conjunction with _Evil Con Carne_ as _Grim & Evil_ during its original debut on Cartoon Network's Cartoon Cartoon Fridays programming block], never mind more adult fare that have particular episodes or even devout entire shows to human mortality) OR the Ingmar Bergman movie _The Seventh Seal_ (which the _Animaniacs_ episode serves as a slapstick loose reference of), The Grim Reaper aka Death personified -- which IS exactly whom The Ghost of Christmas Future Yet to Come genuinely IS, much like how The Ghost of Christmas Present IS Father Christmas/Saint Nicholas & The Ghost of Christmas Past IS an angelic figure carrying the Light of Truth -- rarely speaks, because the skeletal specter's only job is to bring people's souls to Purgatory/Limbo, after which they wait final judgement before being sent to either Heaven or Hell according to the kind of life they lived or, if our creepy hooded friend is brandishing his scythe, purposely decapitating/beheading any of those he feels merit losing their heads out of blind ignorance. This is true for all of us, really. In the end, we'll all individually die & we WILL be ultimately judged based on how we lived our lives, which thereby IS the prevailing factor in whether or not get to go to paradise in Heaven, spend all of eternity suffering in the fiery pits of Hell or, in the case of restless souls like Jacob Marley's Ghost, we may end up stuck spending our afterlives on Earth "witnessing what we cannot share but might have shared & turned to happiness" if we fail to act as good people should, yet the powers that be behind our very existence decide we're not worth sending to either Heaven nor Hell, but can't remain in Purgatory/Limbo, because it'll likely get crowded, what with there being far more older people than there are children nowadays, never mind those who find their lives cut short before their time (soldiers as well as innocent civilians dying during wartime, murder/homicide victims, aborted babies, and those who commit suicide [although The Blble does make it quite clear that those who take their own lives go straight to Hell, so...make of that what you will]).
Jacob Marley's words....man they hit home. "I wear the chain I forged in life," I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?" Jesus. That keeps me on the positive and honest train.
I too consider this the best and closest version to the novella. I'm a big fan of The Ghost Of Christmas Present and he he is played very well here by Edward Woodward. The same actor would later go on to play Tom Weaver in Shawn Of The Dead (2007), which I highly recommend if you haven't watched it yet.
Fun Fact: The word "humbug" is misunderstood by many people, which is a pity since the word provides a key insight into Scrooge's hatred of Christmas. The word "humbug" describes deceitful efforts to fool people by assuming a fake loftiness or false sincerity. So when Scrooge calls Christmas a humbug, he is claiming that people only feign charity and kindness in a scoundrel effort to delude him, each other, and themselves. In Scrooge's eyes, he is the one man honest enough to admit that no one really cares about anyone else, so for him, every wish for a Merry Christmas is one more deceitful effort to fool or take advantage of him. This is a man who has turned to profit because he honestly believes that everyone else will someday betray him or abandon him the moment he trusts them.
Adding Shawn of the Dead to the list-thank you 😊
Love the facts about humbug, very interesting!
That's an interesting take, thanks.
It is pretty close to the book. Of course, none of the adaptations are totally identical. I don't know which version is closest to the original material. Each one seems to add their own touches to it. I do agree with you that this is the best version. Edward Woodward was fantastic as the ghost of Christmas Present. I especially liked how he put Scrooge in his place, like when Scrooge commented on how small the goose was for such a large family, and the ghost said "That's all Bob Cratchit can afford". I've always thought it would have been funny if he had said "That's all Bob Cratchit can afford, you cheap, stingy bastard!"
The significance of the cloth wrapped around the ghost of Jacob Marley's head is that when the body would die, if the mouth was left open the joints and muscles would stiffen and leave the mouth agape. They would wrap this around their head in this fashion to keep the mouth closed. So it is to show that he really is dead. When he unties it...his jaw becomes slack again. And when he ties it back on he goes back to the spirit world wandering aimlessly as penance for his lack of concern for humanity while he was alive.
Oh, okay. That makes perfect sense. Thank you for clarifying that 😊
This is my favorite version. I think most people either choose this version or the 1951 Alistair Sim version as their favorite. One interesting fact about this version is, it's the only one that shows Scrooge's father.
R.I.P. David Warner (Bob Cratchit- 1941- 2022)
I would add the Muppet Christmas Carol to the list as well. Another one of the greatest Scrooges, the unique addition of narration to include parts of the book most people don't normally encounter in movie adaptations, and a great balance of seriousness and comedy.
@bobogus7559 Definitely adding it for next year, thank you 🙂
This is absolutely my favorite version. George C Scott is amazing and hilarious and the Aesthetic is top notch.
The man is a legend. Nothing short.
Scrooge was a grasping scraping covetous old sinner with seemingly no hope of redemption. Marley's ghost visits him to warn him that he will suffer the same fate. To be bound with chains and be forced to see how he could have helped the poor. Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who show him the error of his ways. It is a timeless classic.
great reaction to a fantastic story and film
rubs my fingerless gloved hands over a candle.. shiver
Love this version, I saw it when it first aired. (this was made-for-TV). This and the 1951 Alistair Sim film are my favorite versions (the Reginald Owen version is also good). This was directed by the guy who edited the 1951 version, so I love that they are connected! It's got such a great cast! Although I love George C. Scott in the role, I'm an American and I wonder if a Brit would take umbrage with something so quintessentially English as Dickens' Scrooge being played by an American. But that's an objective point-of-view; my subjective point-of-view is that I love it, and I'm so happy to see it reacted to! You are right, Dawn, it definitely holds up! PS: I haven't seen Band Of Brothers, but I've noticed other reactors are having a nightmare with them. I'm watching "Chernobyl" which is incredible! If you haven't seen that one, that would definitely make a good reaction series.
Great objective point that never thought about but can't imagine anyone other than George C Scott in this version 😊
Thanks for the suggestion of Cernoybyl and will add it. Glad to know we're not alone with Band of Brothers being a pain.
I like the Alistair Sim version too. And the Reginald Owen version isn't bad either, The issue I have with the Reginald Owen version is, they tried too hard to make it a "family friendly" version by leaving out the darker parts of the story, like Scrooge's breakup with his fiancée. Those are important parts of the story because they kind of explain what made Scrooge the way he was. But it's still a good version. Certainly better than the 1954 made for tv musical version, starring Fredric March that was released as part of a tv show called "Shower of Stars". I won't say too much about that one, except the "Ghost of Christmas Future goes by so fast that if you blink, you'll miss it.
I enjoy every spirit in this version, including Jacob. They all give Scrooge kind of an attitude and give him pause, which is of course their purpose. The yet to come spirit is hands down the creepiest version of any of the movies IMHO.
"Scrooged" was a good take on this classic, staring Bill Murray, if haven't seen? If not 4 this yr, maybe next yr??? Thanx 4 the vibes! 🙏 See ya, ladies! 😎 ✌ ❤ 🚬 🎄
We have Scrooged planned for the last week of the month! Love Bill Murray too 😊
Michael Carter (The Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come) can also be seen in 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi as Bib Fortuna, Jabba The Hutt's top aide. This is my favorite rendition of this story, due to the great acting, beautiful musical musical score and atmosphere.
I always liked how it is the one ghost that does not even verbally 'speak' who drives the lesson home. That and the moment where the ghost of Christmas Present tells Scrooge that: "It may well that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child."
That is so cool. May have to revisit Star Wars on this channel in the bear future 😊
Well, aside from cartoons (such as _Animaniacs_ [the 1993-1998 original, in particular the episode "Meatballs or Consequences"] & _The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy_ [which was paired in conjunction with _Evil Con Carne_ as _Grim & Evil_ during its original debut on Cartoon Network's Cartoon Cartoon Fridays programming block], never mind more adult fare that have particular episodes or even devout entire shows to human mortality) OR the Ingmar Bergman movie _The Seventh Seal_ (which the _Animaniacs_ episode serves as a slapstick loose reference of), The Grim Reaper aka Death personified -- which IS exactly whom The Ghost of Christmas Future Yet to Come genuinely IS, much like how The Ghost of Christmas Present IS Father Christmas/Saint Nicholas & The Ghost of Christmas Past IS an angelic figure carrying the Light of Truth -- rarely speaks, because the skeletal specter's only job is to bring people's souls to Purgatory/Limbo, after which they wait final judgement before being sent to either Heaven or Hell according to the kind of life they lived or, if our creepy hooded friend is brandishing his scythe, purposely decapitating/beheading any of those he feels merit losing their heads out of blind ignorance. This is true for all of us, really. In the end, we'll all individually die & we WILL be ultimately judged based on how we lived our lives, which thereby IS the prevailing factor in whether or not get to go to paradise in Heaven, spend all of eternity suffering in the fiery pits of Hell or, in the case of restless souls like Jacob Marley's Ghost, we may end up stuck spending our afterlives on Earth "witnessing what we cannot share but might have shared & turned to happiness" if we fail to act as good people should, yet the powers that be behind our very existence decide we're not worth sending to either Heaven nor Hell, but can't remain in Purgatory/Limbo, because it'll likely get crowded, what with there being far more older people than there are children nowadays, never mind those who find their lives cut short before their time (soldiers as well as innocent civilians dying during wartime, murder/homicide victims, aborted babies, and those who commit suicide [although The Blble does make it quite clear that those who take their own lives go straight to Hell, so...make of that what you will]).