Scrooge (1951)
Directed by Brian Desmond Hurst

Film Review

Of the many screen adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol none is more effective at capturing the essence of the original novella than Brian Desmond Hurst's classic 1951 film Scrooge.  For those who have only seen the later, more overblown and saccharine versions (with and without Muppets) the film will come as something of a surprise, an eerily grim affair lightened by some downplayed comedy and a few grudging snatches of pathos.  Its quintessentially Dickensian moral (namely that our purpose for being is to help others rather than our bank account) confers on it a much greater claim to be the Christmas film of choice than most other Yuletide favourites, and, dated though it may be production-wise, it still retains its mysterious appeal.

If you're not a great fan of Alastair Sim before watching the film you almost certainly will be afterwards.  The actor positively revels in what was destined to be his most famous screen role, the definitive Ebenezer Scrooge.  For many years, Sim was revered as one of Britain's finest comic actors but here he turns in a performance that eclipses pretty well every other.  The transformation of Scrooge that Sim effects in the course of the film is remarkable - poignant, funny and totally convincing.  When we first meet the skinflint Ebenezer he is wonderfully vile, with about as much Christmas cheer as an unexploded bomb in a primary school.  As the reasons for Scrooge's meanness become apparent we begin to warm to him and see him not as a stonehearted villain but as a tragic relic of what was once a decent man.  Sim's spiritual rebirth at the end of the film is a joy to behold, and you have to be a hardened cynic not to believe in the magic of Christmas as Scrooge sheds his miser's skin and becomes an over-indulgent benefactor, even if he does end up looking as sinister as a children's TV presenter with a dodgy past.

Scrooge may lack the cinematic bravado of David Lean's earlier Dickensian romps - Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948) - but it has as much sincerity and charm.  Brian Desmond Hurst's direction is doggedly workmanlike, offering little in the way of daring or imagination, but this hardly matters when there is so much fun to be had from the performances supplied by an admirable cast.  Sim may dominate the proceedings but not to the extent that we cannot appreciate the spirited contributions from the supporting players, in particular George Cole as the younger Scrooge, Michael Hordern as Jacob Marley and (best of all) Kathleen Harrison as the archetypal charwoman, Mrs Dilber.

One of the film's strengths is that it fleshes out some of the characters in the original novel, and even introduces new characters (such as Jack Warner's odious Mr Jorkin) to add substance to the narrative.  It's a risky business, embellishing a classic work of fiction, but Scrooge gets away with it because the additions are logical extrapolations from the novel.  The one thing that cannot be forgiven was the misguided attempt to colourise the film for a video release in 1989.  In moody black-and-white, the original film possesses a hauntingly claustrophobic, almost film noir quality, which is totally dispelled by the overlaying of colour tints.  To derive the most satisfaction from this much-loved Christmas perennial a monochrome viewing is absolutely essential.

Film Synopsis

Mr Ebenezer Scrooge loathes Christmas.  To this, the most miserly of all money-lenders, the season of goodwill signifies nothing but humbug.  He spurns an invitation from his nephew Fred to spend Christmas Day with him and he refuses to contribute to a fund for the destitute.  Why should he fritter away his hard-earned pennies on misguided charity when there are prisons and workhouses to cater for the lazy and infirm?  If he were as mean as he is reputed to be he would have insisted that his clerk Bob Cratchit worked on Christmas Day.  But no, some weakness of the spirit compels him to make this undesirable concession.  That evening, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him to expect three spirits who all have a message for him.  The first spirit, representing Christmas Past, takes Scrooge back in time to show him the events that marked him as a young man.  After the death of his beloved sister and a bitter estrangement from his wife Scrooge became a cruel man whose sole purpose in life was making money.  The subsequent two spirits show Scrooge his present and future, causing the old man to repent the life he has squandered in the mindless pursuit of wealth at the expense of his humanity.  Is it too late for him to change...?