The role of Ebenezer Scrooge was supposed to go to Lionel Barrymore, who was famous at the time for doing the radio version of this film, but he suffered an accident and could not star in the first talking version of this story.
Reginald Owen got the role of his career as Scrooge and really did a fine job of playing the old buzzard. There were other fine performances here: Gene Lockhart as Bob Crachit and Terry Kilburn as Tiny Tim. and Barry MacKay as Scrooge's nephew.
What really made the film was the starkness of the black and white. While one of my favorite versions of this story is a "Highway to Heaven" episode, this version really excels in showing the bleak life of Scrooge and even in the black and white, the glow of the Christmas celebration.
Reginald Owen got the role of his career as Scrooge and really did a fine job of playing the old buzzard. There were other fine performances here: Gene Lockhart as Bob Crachit and Terry Kilburn as Tiny Tim. and Barry MacKay as Scrooge's nephew.
What really made the film was the starkness of the black and white. While one of my favorite versions of this story is a "Highway to Heaven" episode, this version really excels in showing the bleak life of Scrooge and even in the black and white, the glow of the Christmas celebration.