My Personal Favorite Adaptation of A Christmas Carol

[Winter]

For me. it's the Muppet version of the film. It's not only faithful to the book, not only has some of the best casting of any version of the film. Not only has most memorable songs in the Muppet Library. Not only does it have the some of the most memorable Ghosts in the ACC Adaptations but it also has, IMMHO, the best take on Scrooge.

I LOVE how Scrooge really has an arc in this movie because it often feels as if Scrooge either doesn't really change until the end or changes to quickly but here it feels as if he really changes as the story progresses. Michael Caine gives a solid performance here and gives Scrooge a real sense of cold bitterness, regret, sadness, warmth and happiness which is impressive when you remember he was playing off against a bunch of sock puppets.

I love this movie and hope that Chuck covers it one day... Hey, has Chuck ever reviewed an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, or anything Dickens or Muppet related?

[Al-1701]

I agree on the Muppets for the reasons you stated. They also had one of the most chilling depictions of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. They do everything to communicate the menace to it. The haunting theme accompanying it, Gonzo and Rizzo checking out, the fact it looks legitimately hollow if you looked down the hood. It's made all the more impactful in Scrooge's willingness to go with it despite his fright, not realizing what it had in store for him. They never pulled punches with the thing.

[Nealithi]

Our family's favourite is the Alistair Sim's version from 1951. Scrooge was skinny(ish) and showed how he did not even spend on even himself.
"More bread."
"More bread is a half pence."
"No more bread."

Not half a penny even when he was hungry.

[J!!]

Heh, I've actually got that one on the tv right now, and that very scene just played right after I saw your post.

[hammerofglass]

I agree on The Muppets for the reasons you said, but want to add that it has a big advantage just by having the narration in it. You lose so much of the book's charm in adaptations without it.

[CharlesPhipps]

Seconding Muppet Christmas Carol.

[Winter]

I agree on The Muppets for the reasons you said, but want to add that it has a big advantage just by having the narration in it. You lose so much of the book's charm in adaptations without it.

Yeah, I can't think of many adaptations that include "Dickens" himself in it and what makes the whole thing with the Muppets works is that not only does the narration make it through unscathed but they blend it into the comedy without missing a beat. Like when Gonzo is knocked out after the door nob bit only to get up and continue the narration like nothing happened or how right after that he talks about what Scrooge is doing which confuses and annoys Rizzo because there's no way Dickens can know what's happening right now... And then he says how Scrooge turns on the lights to which then happens right on cue, much to Rizzo's continued annoyance.

I also like how the narration knows how to stay out of it when it isn't needed. The film uses it as a tool instead of a crutch.

[bull705]

My first Xmas Carol was "Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol". As you can guess in this day and age that sounds problematic. Surprisingly it's played mostly straight except for the opening and closing scenes which are not part of the actual story and are typical "nearsighted" jokes.

Muppet Christmas Carol works better than it has any right to. Hitting the right emotional beats is difficult enough with a standard production. Doing it when roughly half your cast aren't human is a different task altogether.Michael Caine playing it completely straight was the right choice on his part as he could have easily went overboard(and with jokes like Jacob and Robert Marley,who would have blamed him?).

Mickey's Christmas Carol is a short but surprisingly well done entry. Scrooge McDuck in the role he was born to play,Mickey as Bob Crachit,Jiminy Cricket as Christmas Past, the Beanstalk Giant as Christmas Present and the only version of Christmas Yet To Come that makes talking work.An interesting casting choice against type was Goofy as Marley.

[hammerofglass]

An interesting thing about Caine playing it straight is that his version of Scrooge isn't playing it totally straight. He amuses himself with wordplay and a dry wit even when shouting at people, and even trades jokes with the spirits. A lot of that is straight from the book ("more of gravy than of grave"), but most adaptations I've seen remove it and have him just permanently grumpy.

[Winter]

Michael Caine playing it completely straight was the right choice on his part as he could have easily went overboard(and with jokes like Jacob and Robert Marley,who would have blamed him?).

What's interesting is that Caine can play slapstick comedy and dark humor (just look at the Criminally underrated Without a Clue where he plays Sherlock Holmes as an bumbling pervert pretending to be a master detective). But here he was asked to play the role of Scrooge straight and he did. I love the subtle facial expressions he does in the film which should work given that the Muppets can't do subtle but him fighting back tears at Bless Everyone, adds so much to that bit that when he later says "Not Tiny Tim" makes it SOOO powerful.

While I don't think Caine is the best Scrooge he's easily in the top five and I don't think that would be as powerful without the Muppets playing off him.