Thursday, December 18, 2014

A Few Christmas Carols...

Is there any story that has been adapted for the screen more times and in more ways than Charles Dickens' seminal classic, A Christmas Carol? There are literally dozens of films based on the classic tale, some better than others. Being that it's Christmas, I decided to take a look at three of my favorite renditions.


Originally made for television in 1984, this rendition of A Christmas Carol remains my favorite straight adaptation. With exquisite production design, fantastic direction and a top notch cast headed by a perfectly cast George C Scott, this production a class act all the way through.

The film belongs to George C Scott as Ebeneezer Scrooge. He gives a fantastic performance, accomplishing more with a low growl than others did with loud shouts. He's backed by an exquisite cast that includes David Warner as Bob Cratchit, Susanna York as Mrs. Cratchit and Edward Woodard as the Ghost of Christmas Present among many other familiar faces. 

The Production Value of this film is top notch, especially considering it was made for television. It does a fantastic job of recreating Victorian London. Director Clive Donner does a good job of creating a good sense of mood for the story as well. With all this coming together, it is easily my favorite straight rendition of the classic Dickens tale. Of course, I have another couple favorites, which skew things a bit in an amusing fashion.



Next up, we have the priceless The Muppet Christmas Carol. The Muppets give the well-worn story the good natured ribbing it so richly deserves. With Michael Caine as the perfect Scrooge and the usual gang of Muppets filling in most of the other parts (Kermit is Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy is Mrs. Cratchit, etc.) with Gonzo and Rizzo narrating the story and providing much of the humor of the film. 

This film does a good job of balancing the humor of the Muppets, with Gonzo and Rizzo present to work in narration from Dickens' original text as well as the occasional aside, like Rizzo asking if this might be too scary for little kids. "Nah, this is culture," responds Gonzo. The bulk of the Muppet cast more or less plays their familiar role well, but with a sense of fun and absurdist moments here or there, like Miss Piggy, er, I mean, Mrs. Cratchit threatening to beat up Mr. Scrooge that I found quite amusing. Michael Caine balances this out by playing Scrooge as the straight man, not reacting to the lunacy around him, which naturally makes it all the more funny.
 
The Muppets give the classic Dickens tale the good natured ribbing it deserves. A lot of care and heart was put into this and you can tell the makers really liked the story, but after it has been told so many times, you can't help but want to have some fun with it all. 



One of the mainstay adaptation variations is to move the action to the present day. Of these, Scrooged is easily the best with Bill Murray in the lead role. This one is unique in the sense that it is a looser adaptation of the classic story, focusing on a workaholic television executive on the eve of his big budget live television presentation of A Christmas Carol

This rendition always worked for me because of one big reason and that is Bill Murray. No one else could have possibly played the role of Frank Cross and still have been likable. But somehow, Murray still makes it work with every sarcastic remark not only working but provoking a laugh. It doesn't hurt that he has great chemistry with Karen Allen, who plays his lost love Claire, who he reconnects with during his misadventures with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Credit also has to be given to the Ghosts of Past and Present. David Johansen plays the Ghost of Christmas Past as a loudmouthed cab driver and Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present as a glittered up waif who takes great delight in physically abusing Frank. 

Richard Donner directs the film and has a good hand on the material, having come off another Christmas movie you may have heard of, Lethal Weapon. In fact, the Alastair Sim rendition of A Christmas Carol plays on a TV at one point in both films. He does a good job of capturing the comedic chaos, but also allowing the sweeter moments, especially at the end to have the payoff they deserve as well. It's a slightly underrated, certainly meta rendition on the Dickens classic that I happen to love.

But there are a staggering number of adaptations of this tale, and everyone who enjoys the story has their favorite adaptation or adaptations and these ones are my favorites. Because with so many why limit yourself to just one?

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