Being a big fan of the classic Dickens story, I have decided to watch all the movie and cartoon versions and share my views of them here starting with the first motion picture talkie version, this 1935 British movie starring Sir Seymour Hicks.
Lets start out with the negatives of this production, starting with what's missing from Dicken's story. Much from the Christmas past chapter is missing and I find it to be the most important of Scrooge's visits from the spirits. There is no trip to Eb's old school and his love for discovering the classics, no Sister Fan's visit to take him home, and more importantly, no Fezziwig. Without the old Fezziwig party scene, we lose Scrooge remembering what it was like to feel joy again and how well his old boss treated him as opposed to how he treats his man Cratchit. Two points that make Scrooge's transformation much more believable.
Christmas past does include the scene where the love of his life, Belle, lets him go, however this scene comes off as laughable. Instead of having a younger actor portray young Ebenezer, they put a dark haired wig on Hicks and have an older woman portray Belle. The acting in this scene is too over the top and the music is overbearing and silly.
A big letdown in this version are the ghosts. Christmas present is the only one of them visible and his entrance contains the spirit devouring a turkey leg while speaking his lines. He's like a Shakespearian General Bulkhalter from "Hogan's Heroes". And although we do see Jacob Marley's face on the door knocker, for some reason he's invisible in Scrooge's chambers.
One of the best points of the movie is in just about every scene included from the book, the dialog is very faithful. The only scene really where it is not is the Marley scene where they cut about a page of text. They take out the part where Marley puts the scare of Scrooge by moaning and rattling his chains until Scrooge believes in him. I think it is very important to the story.
I also like very much the Cratchits in this one. Bob and his wife may be a bit older than they should be, but I think they play the parts well of a tattered and torn family just getting by and not letting their circumstances break their spirits.
As for Scrooge himself, Seymour Hicks's acting overall is good. But I think he makes just an OK Scrooge. There's something about him- A bit Sterling Hollawayish that makes him a peculiar choice for the part.
All in all, I barely gave it a 7. Points earned for close Dicken's text, Hick's acting, and for the Cratchits. On the minus side, a few points taken away for Marley's ghost and Christmas past.
Lets start out with the negatives of this production, starting with what's missing from Dicken's story. Much from the Christmas past chapter is missing and I find it to be the most important of Scrooge's visits from the spirits. There is no trip to Eb's old school and his love for discovering the classics, no Sister Fan's visit to take him home, and more importantly, no Fezziwig. Without the old Fezziwig party scene, we lose Scrooge remembering what it was like to feel joy again and how well his old boss treated him as opposed to how he treats his man Cratchit. Two points that make Scrooge's transformation much more believable.
Christmas past does include the scene where the love of his life, Belle, lets him go, however this scene comes off as laughable. Instead of having a younger actor portray young Ebenezer, they put a dark haired wig on Hicks and have an older woman portray Belle. The acting in this scene is too over the top and the music is overbearing and silly.
A big letdown in this version are the ghosts. Christmas present is the only one of them visible and his entrance contains the spirit devouring a turkey leg while speaking his lines. He's like a Shakespearian General Bulkhalter from "Hogan's Heroes". And although we do see Jacob Marley's face on the door knocker, for some reason he's invisible in Scrooge's chambers.
One of the best points of the movie is in just about every scene included from the book, the dialog is very faithful. The only scene really where it is not is the Marley scene where they cut about a page of text. They take out the part where Marley puts the scare of Scrooge by moaning and rattling his chains until Scrooge believes in him. I think it is very important to the story.
I also like very much the Cratchits in this one. Bob and his wife may be a bit older than they should be, but I think they play the parts well of a tattered and torn family just getting by and not letting their circumstances break their spirits.
As for Scrooge himself, Seymour Hicks's acting overall is good. But I think he makes just an OK Scrooge. There's something about him- A bit Sterling Hollawayish that makes him a peculiar choice for the part.
All in all, I barely gave it a 7. Points earned for close Dicken's text, Hick's acting, and for the Cratchits. On the minus side, a few points taken away for Marley's ghost and Christmas past.