[...Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas review project...]
Director: Henry Edwards
Writer: H. Fowler Mear
Novel: Charles Dickens
Producer: Julius Hagen
Starring: Seymour Hicks, Donald Calthrop
MPAA Rating: NR
Running time: 78 min.
Year of Release: 1935
Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” is a story I know well and a film adaptation that we’ve all seen done many many times over. But I thought I’d go back to the beginning. Now this isn’t the first film adaption of Dickens’ novel; in fact according to the IMDb, it is the seventh! But if my research is correct, this is the first time it appears on screen as a “talkie.”
Obviously we all already know the premsise: crotchity old miser, Scrooge, hates Christmas and pretty much everyone around him until he is visited one night by three spirits: past, present and things yet to come. They show Scrooge the folly of his ways and he becomes a changed man for the better.
I have to admit I have very little to say about this version and turned off the TV not feeling particularly inspired or even satisfied. Admittedly it could be that I’ve seen or heard the story a million times and there just anything left for me to get excited about. But I think there’s more to my “ba-humbug” attitude about this movie than just a stale story.
For one, and probably the biggest thing, is quite simply that the ghosts suck. Ghost of the past is only shown quickly as a glowing patch in the middle of the room and doesn’t really show much of Scrooge’s past. Quite frankly, it’s boring and not much to look at. The spirit of Christmas future (which is historically my favorite of the three spirits) is merely the shadow of a hand on the wall which does nothing but point at things. At one point, you see Scrooge’s hand try to grab the “spirit hand” and this is a bit on the interesting side, but ultimately falls flat. Christmas present is the only one of the spirits to show any charisma what so ever and it is actually a real person/actor. Next time Henry Edwards attempts to remake “A Christmas Carol,” he would do well to take notes from the Bill Murray version in regards to the ghosts.
And speaking of director Edwards, his film making seems quite amateurish and clumsy. I realize it was 1935 and in the midst of the depression, but really, is that an excuse? The camera never does anything but shoot. The whole thing might as well have been done on stage in front of a live audience. Needless to say, unless I’m convinced otherwise by someone, you’ll be hard pressed to see me searching out any of his other films any time soon.
Of course they just might’ve walked out with frustration for the staleness of the performances. Side characters come and go and no one ever remembers them in this story. Each version of “A Christmas Carol” is always reviewed upon one actor: the guy playing Ebeneezer Scrooge. Whether it is George C. Scott, Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, Jack Palance, Tim Curry, Jim Carrey, Jack Elam or even Susan Lucci, critics and fans alike will judge the film based on this character and this character alone. If Scrooge falls flat, so goes the film. In this case, Seymour Hicks starts off the role well enough. He’s cranky and ornery and plays Scrooge just as I’d like (and expect) to see him played. As more and more of his lines are delivered however, the more and more he seems unbelievable and corny. This is odd as the IMDb has him listed as having played Scrooge for years on the stage to rave reviews.
I give props to the film simply for Dickens’ story and the fact that it is the first attempt at a “talkie” version of the movie. But in the long run, it just seemed like a waste of a good chunk of my day. Not because it was particularly awful, it’s just that I’ve seen it so many times and in so many better ways previously. No, if you want a dose of Dickens this holiday season, do yourself a favor and check out Bill Murray or The Muppet version. You’ll be MUCH more jolly.
BUT, if you feel you must subject yourself, the film is in the PUBLIC DOMAIN and free for viewing.
