A Christmas Carol

Greyhawk GrognardUncategorized10 Comments on A Christmas Carol

In the upper-right corner of the blog, from now through Christmas Eve, you’ll find a poll inspired by one of my favorite films of all time; “A Christmas Carol”. There have been scores of adaptations over the years, and I listed a few which I felt were either influential, popular, or just struck my fancy, but I made sure to leave room for “other” just in case someone just had to share some love for a version I’ve not included.

Please feel free to share your own thoughts about “A Christmas Carol”, including favorite adaptations, actors, and even the book itself (have you ever read it? I have, and it only added to my appreciation for the movies and television adaptations; you can find the original here).

My own personal favorite is the George C. Scott version; Patrick Stewart comes in second or third (Mr. Magoo still holds a special place in my heart– a product of my age, I suppose), but I don’t find him quite as convincing an “evil Scrooge” at the beginning. Scott’s transformation is simply brilliant, in my not so humble opinion.

And a bit of Christmas trivia; I always make a point of serving Smoking Bishop at Yule and Christmas, thanks entirely to this work. Try it; it’s fantastic on a cold winter’s evening when ghosts are about.

I’ll be making several Yule and Christmas posts during the season; never forget that I am a true fan of the holiday and the season, even if you might find some conventions overturned and mayhap your own oxen gored.

Written by 

Wargamer and RPG'er since the 1970's, author of Adventures Dark and Deep, Castle of the Mad Archmage, and other things, and proprietor of the Greyhawk Grognard blog.

10 thoughts on “A Christmas Carol”

  2. George C. Scott, followed by Patrick Stewart.

    Well, they say that "great minds think alike," so there's your proof! 😉

    Mwahahahahaha

    But I can't really "see" the voting results on my screen. Pity.

  3. Scrooge with Albert Finney and Alec Guinness is my absolute favorite. I know I had seen it years ago, but an ex-girlfriend reaquainted me with it 6-7 years ago. I usually watch that one and Miracle on 34th Street every Christmas season. 🙂

  6. George C. Scott was, technically and professionaly, the best. Truly.

    However, Patric Stewart will always be my favorite simply because . . . well . . . it's freakin' Captain Picard as Scrooge.

    Personally, though, I'd give real money to see Brent Spiner as Scrooge. He did a very brief snippet of it on a single episode of ST:TNG, and if that's anything to judge by, he'd be great at it.

  7. I guess I'm a purist.

    The Alastair Sim version is the all time best I've ever seen. Sim's portrayal is very natural and believable. Scrooge is a character that can easily be over-acted and treated as a caricature. One only needs to see Reginald Owen in the role to see a good example of this.

    Sim doesn't seem to be acting, he IS a bitter, unhappy, stingy old man. But you know there are reasons he is that way. And as he revisits his past, we see those reasons, and we see the sorrow and pain on his face as he remembers the love he lost.

    Alastair Sim did what truly great actors do, he temporarily suspended fact and made you believe in fiction. Alastair Sim did not simply play Scrooge, he became Scrooge as Dickens surely intended.

  8. I'm also on board for Scrooge with Albert Finney. Especially if you see it with the entire scene in hell. As a kid watching it on TV they only broadcast brief glimpses of that segment, which made it all the more alluring because I knew there had to be more.

    Plus the music is a delight.

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