Review: The Annotated Christmas Carol

The Annotated Christmas Carol: A Christmas Carol in Prose. Charles Dickens (author), Michael Patrick Hearn (editor/annotator), John Leech (illustrations)

Literary scholar (and renowned L Frank Baum expert) Michael Patrick Hearn has painstakingly researched the world of Dickens and Ebenezer Scrooge for this definitive commentary on A Christmas Carol. The notes, in columns parallel to the text of the novella itself, are fascinating in their detail, shedding light on every aspect of the story, its language, and its social and historical context.

It's preceded by a lengthy introduction providing the background on how Dickens came to write it and why. Hearn supplements his essay with plenty of snippets of contemporary material, including quotes, illustrations and artefacts from Dickens's time.

Things you'll learn from this must-have volume: from Dickens's description of the Spirit of Christmas Past, Scrooge is undoubtedly looking at his dip (candle); the Spirit of Christmas Present is none other than Father Christmas, the traditional festive figure of English folklore, rather than the later "Santa Claus" of American myth. Want to know more? Buy The Annotated Christmas Carol from Amazon.com.

Scrooge: Which Actor Played Him Best?

Who was the best Scrooge on film?

Come December, this author will be eagerly dusting off his Christmas DVDs and settling down with a carton of eggnog to enjoy a handful of movie adaptations of A Christmas Carol.

The British character actor Alastair Sim has traditionally claimed the title of best Scrooge, for his sterling performance in the 1951 film. But does he deserve the accolade, or are there other actors who have excelled in the role? The competition is surprisingly fierce.

One of the earliest screen Scrooges was Seymour Hicks (pictured), in the 1935 film Scrooge. He played the old skinflint as a truly miserable, unlikeable character, unattractively scruffy and unkempt. Some screen Scrooges have been bumbling in a way that is almost endearing, but Hicks is a genuine wretch, never a loveable rogue. The tone of the film is exceptionally bleak, opening in dreary fashion with the sound of a Christmas carol being badly played through a thick London fog. Hicks, despite being forgotten in the wake of later portrayals of the miser, turned in a performance that rivals Sim and may well be closer in spirit to the dark, menacing Scrooge of Charles Dickens's original novel.

Another overlooked depiction of Ebenezer Scrooge is in the 1977 BBC version. The entire production, despite running just over one hour, is one of the most faithful adaptations of the book to date, capturing exquisitely the haunting, ghost-story elements of the tale. Michael Hordern plays the title role in this version; coincidentally, he was a marvellously memorable Marley's Ghost in the 1951 film.

George C Scott's performance in the 1984 TV movie, directed by Clive Donner, has also received high praise. Here again is a version that reflects much of the bleak, gritty reality of the story's Dickensian origins, and Scott plays Scrooge as a severe taskmaster, yet a man of apparent principle. And of course Dickens's Scrooge was, albeit in a strange way, a man of principle, opposed to the "humbug" of Christmas precisely because he perceived it as a hypocrisy.

Dozens of other actors have taken on the part over the decades, including Patrick Stewart, Albert Finney, Basil Rathbone and Jim Carrey. Hicks, Hordern and Scott give Sim a run for his jealously guarded money, but perhaps there is good reason why Sim remains the silver screen's best-loved Scrooge. No one presented quite such a mirthful and inspiring transformation as Sim. It is hard not to bubble over with gladness along with Sim as he tosses his quill aside and collapses with glee at the end of A Christmas Carol (1951). He gives us the mean-spirited miser, but later provides us with a redeemed Scrooge who warms the heart, brought merrily and unforgettably alive by the spirit of the festive season.

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Film Review: A Christmas Carol (1984, starring George C Scott)

Clive Donner directs George C Scott and an all-star cast in this enduringly popular version of the classic seasonal tale.

In this 1984 TV movie, George C Scott plays Dickens's famous miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, whose mean-spirited ways are challenged by the appearance of three ghosts on Christmas Eve.

Adaptations of A Christmas Carol stand or fall on the performance of the actor playing Scrooge. George C Scott plays the title role as sharp, principled (in his own weird way) and with his wits firmly about him, in contrast to the way, say, Reginald Owen played him in 1938, or Kelsey Grammer in the later TV musical (2004). No shuffling and hunching and comical mumbling here. He's no caricature, but a very believable character.

Scrooge's increasing anxiety in the final segment, as he struggles to avoid what he knows is true--that the dead man in his vision is him--is particularly well-played, and his desperate pleas as he sees his own grave and acknowledges his fate are both convincing and curiously painful.

Frank Finlay plays Marley's Ghost, bringing to the role some of the camp qualities associated with Michael Hordern (1951) and Alec Guinness (1970), but with a suitable eeriness, too. His fixed expression and occasionally robotic delivery of the lines has a remarkably chilling effect. As the Ghost of Christmas Present, Edward Woodward is jolly at the right time and frighteningly stern at other times, as the character ought to be. Angela Pleasance was the right choice to play the Ghost of Christmas Past, which Dickens describes as androgynous. Only Roger Rees seems a bit out-of-place, appearing much too morose as Scrooge's nephew, Fred.

Director Clive Donner handles the horror aspects of the story excellently; a failing in many adaptations. A Christmas Carol is, after all, a ghost story. Key scenes such as Marley's arrival in Scrooge's chambers and Scrooge's visit to the graveyard with the Ghost of Christmas Future exude a genuinely frightening atmosphere.

The film is one of the few versions of the story to feature extensive shooting on location, rather than confined to a studio backlot. The English town of Shrewsbury stands in for Victorian London, giving the production a pleasing authenticity. The prop men left behind Scrooge's gravestone in St Chad's churchyard, where it can still be seen today.

Those intimately familiar with Dickens's novel will appreciate this version for its faithfulness to the source. Its popularity ensures it airs regularly on TV, and for fans who'd like to savour the movie all year round, it is now available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray.

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