The history of "A Christmas Carol" and of the movies that have been made of it and adapted from it is fascinating, but it did not begin with Charles Dickens ever seeing a tombstone with the name "Scrooge" on it. Dickens was touring children's work houses and slums in preparation for writing a series of articles on poverty and social abuses of the poor in England when the idea for the story hit upon him. Not as colorful as story as the tombstone, but it shows that Dickens's main purpose to begin with was not just to write about the redemption of an unlovable man but to make a larger comment on the materialism and social injustices of his time.
As for the moves, I personally think the 1938 and 1951 versions are by far the best, not only because they share Dickens's social conscience, but because the characters and caricatures replicate Dickens's writing so well, and visually they look like the original illustrations. They really knew how to do Dickens in those days!
As for the moves, I personally think the 1938 and 1951 versions are by far the best, not only because they share Dickens's social conscience, but because the characters and caricatures replicate Dickens's writing so well, and visually they look like the original illustrations. They really knew how to do Dickens in those days!