The first is that michael caine is an absolutely superlative actor and his ebeneezer scrooge was possibly one of his best performances ever. Dec 21, 2019 the many adaptations of charles dickens a christmas carol ranked from worst to best, from a 1901 silent film to the 2009 computergenerated feature. The movie 2001 a most illadvised definitive declaration in the title of this one. The first of these is a straight adaptation, or interpretation of the story of the sake of the story, with an attempt to keep as close to the dickens text as is possible. Dec 22, 2017 i have watched about a dozen adaptations of a christmas carol in the last week, and let me tell you. The muppet christmas carol 1992 is the fourth movie with the beloved puppets, in which michael caine plays ebenezer scrooge. The movie is a 2001 british live actionanimated film based on charles dickenss 1843 classic novella a christmas carol. As he prepares for an overthetop live production of a christmas carol on.
Yes, some are the sort of story you gather with family to enjoy every year, but some are. While i could watch a charlie brown christmas, the polar express and even a christmas story ad nauseam, the christmas movie that is truly onerous to sit through is a christmas carol. A wild west retelling of dickens a christmas carol, with scrooge as a land baron, gunfighter, and card cheat who is visited by three spirits who attempt to teach him the true meaning of christmas. From a muppet christmas carol to the mickey mouse version and more, steve gustafson take a look at the best adaptations of a christmas carol. The five best adaptations of a christmas carol screenwriter. The many adaptations of charles dickens a christmas carol ranked from worst to best, from a 1901 silent film to the 2009. The second is the use of the story as a medium through which to make an often unrelated point. Dec 22, 2017 the charles dickens classic has inspired multiple movie adaptations and holiday tv episodes featuring similar tales. The technology has caught up a bit, making the characters. First, lets look at some cool adaptations from years past that take us to other periods in history.
Being a history of a christmas carol on film by richard jones. The best film adaptations of charles dickens a christmas carol. A christmas carol, the popular 1843 novella by charles dickens 18121870, is one of the british authors bestknown works. It is the story of ebenezer scrooge, a greedy miser who hates christmas, but is transformed into a caring, kindly person through the visitations of four ghosts. Charles dickens first published a christmas carol in 1843 with john leech as the illustrator. A christmas carol adaptations ranked from worst to best collider. A new christmas carol explores the roots of scrooges.
First, that a christmas carol almost never gets discussed as a. Nov 03, 2017 here are the top 10 best adaptations of a christmas carol. In what is the highestbudgeted christmas carol adaptation to date and will be for some time, robert zemeckis returns to the performance capture technology that. In 2018, charles dickens classic novella a christmas carol turned 175, but its utility as a springboard for movie and tv adaptations shows no signs of slowing down. Binge all of the a christmas carol adaptations the nerd daily.
The 10 best versions ever made according to imdb nearly 200 years later, charles dickens a christmas carol is one of the most beloved stories of all time and often adapted for film and television. The 6 best a christmas carol movie adaptations ever, ranked. The 10 best adaptations of a christmas carol consequence of. There have been 20 different films based on charles dickenss a christmas carol, if you consider the recent 3d version, disneys a christmas carol, starring jim carrey. This 1923 silent version, in which russell thorndike 1885 1972 took on the role of dickens. It set me wondering about all the different film adaptations there must have been over the years, and so i decided to begin researching the various celluloid incarnations of ebenezer scrooge by compiling a list of the many adaptations of a christmas carol and, having. The movie is stuffing all that and more into 81 minutes of tooth. Today, a christmas carol stands among the most frequently adapted stories in the history of film and television, ranking alongside sherlock. Dec, 2019 in addition to the countless theater productions, screen adaptations of a christmas carol have appeared almost as regularly as christmas itself, starting with the 1901 british silent movie. More scholarly than paul sammons, a christmas carol carol book, this tome gives some outstanding history on the various a christmas carol adaptations on film, television, and precinema.
Just about every one of them deserves to be boiled with its own pudding and buried with a stake. In addition to the countless theater productions, screen adaptations of a christmas carol have appeared almost as regularly as christmas itself, starting with the 1901 british silent movie. The best film adaptations of charles dickens a christmas. I would have to compile a list of movie and tv adaptations of charles dickenss awesome book. Dec 14, 2018 the 7 best nontraditional christmas carol adaptations. This list starts with the finest film adaptation, and has the rest of these. A guide to christmas carol adaptations a life at the movies. Dec 18, 2019 the 6 best a christmas carol movie adaptations ever, ranked jerrica tisdale. We start our list with a relatively unique and recent entry. Of very many film adaptations of the book, this movie is the best, due largely to sims portrayal of scrooge, whose transformation from miser to benefactor is most believably played out in this film. We delve back into more than a century of a christmas carol movies to find the best and worst adaptations of dickens festive tale. Too many christmas carol adaptations gloss over the fact that ebenezer scrooge is an absolute dickenshead, throwing in a few halfhearted humbugs and a couple of mean stares before calling the job done.
Not so in eighties classic scrooged, where bill murray goes full bastard with his character frank cross subtle, an angry tv network president and modernday ebenezer who is broadcasting a. Singing is described in the novella and even in nonmusical adaptations, carollers are regularly seen, just before they are shoed away by scrooge like street rats. A christmas carol film adaptations best and worst movie. Scrooge, or, marleys ghost 1901, a short british film that is the earliest surviving screen adaptation. Oct 31, 2019 but like any cultural touchstone, a christmas carol adaptations range from the delightful to the derivative. From the 1901 silent film called scrooge, or, marleys ghost to the 2009 full cgi 3d jim carrey version, a christmas carol is adapted for film, television, and stage perennially. The 6 best a christmas carol movie adaptations ever. The charles dickens classic has inspired multiple movie adaptations and holiday tv episodes featuring similar tales. As christmas draws near, we revisit the 10 best film and television adaptations. Since the release of dickens a christmas carol, the book has received many adaptations, turning into an opera, a ballet, a broadway musical and of course tv specials.
Adaptations of a christmas carol ranked from worst to best. It opened in december 1938 at new york citys radio city music hall where it did moderately well. A christmas carol adaptations ranked from worst to best. Filmmakers often look to a christmas carol for adaptation inspiration, especially in terms of holiday movies. Various a christmas carol film adaptations also includes. This is considered by many fans and critics as the gold standard for a christmas carol. Binge all of the a christmas carol adaptations the. Top 10 greatest a christmas carol adaptations youtube. I was hoping for some other good recommendations for other versions of the story. I have watched about a dozen adaptations of a christmas carol in the last week, and let me tell you. My favorite version of a christmas carol is the george c. Dec 25, 2019 as christmas draws near, we revisit the 10 best film and television adaptations of charles dickens a christman carol.
In recent weeks ghosts, dozens maybe even thousands of them, have been appearing in my front room. This mightve sounded a bit boring, but our ghost of christmas past selection is actually quite funny and entertaining. It was originally broadcast in 1982 through the australian nine network. Here are the top 10 best adaptations of a christmas carol. Okay, granted, this is technically not a direct adaptation of a christmas carol, rather a bill murray comedy which happens to follow a similar plot. The many adaptations of charles dickens a christmas carol ranked from worst to best, from a 1901 silent film to the 2009 computergenerated feature. The bbcs new adaptation, a threepart christmas carol miniseries airing in the runup to christmas, is certainly no exception with a younger take on scrooge and a host of impressive visual. In 1935, seymour hicks reprised the part he had made his own in thousands of stage versions, plus the 19 film adaptation, and played the title role in this, the first talking version of the dickens classic.
Dec 04, 2016 after sitting through 16 of the most wellknown a christmas carol adaptations, i found what i believed were the top eight ones from downright great to notso greatwhich is certainly open for debate. The tale has been adapted for the big and small screen many times, with another arriving december 19. Christmas carol movies, tv shows hollywood reporter. Charming and worthwhile adaptation about timeless and quintessential christmas story. What is the best movie adaptation of dickens book a. The 3d animation movie a christmas carol 2009 starring jim carrey as scrooge, with gary oldman and colin firth lending their voices amongst others. It is given the full sense of wonder, a deluxe treatment in this superior tv film. The criteria i used was based on how the story was adapted.
Some of the best moments from other adaptations of a christmas carol come while watching scrooge act like a lighthearted boy once more, despite his advanced age and notorious reputation as a cruel. Here are the versions of a christmas carol that wont make you say. So the figure itself fluctuated in its distinctness adaptations of a christmas carol fall into three rough categories. In what is the highestbudgeted christmas carol adaptation to date and will be for some time, robert zemeckis returns to the performance capture technology that was so panned by critics in his the polar express. From the silent film thats the oldest known theatrical adaptation in existence to the latestcontemporary computeranimated feature film, a christmas carol has been presented in a number of. A christmas carol film adaptations best and worst movie versions. Fxs a christmas carol, written by peaky blinders creator steven knight and starring guy. Jack palance, ricky schroder, amy locane, albert schultz. Best movie adaptations of a christmas carol thetoptens. The muppet christmas carol 1992 something about a christmas carol is so fitting with music and thusly, musicals. Adaptations of a christmas carol fall into three rough categories. A christmas carol 1982 an australian madefortelevision animated christmas fantasy film from burbank films as part of the studios series of charles dickens adaptations from 19821985. A christmas carol is the worst christmas movie ever made.
A new christmas carol explores the roots of scrooges scorn. Of the ones ive seen its got to be the muppet christmas carol for two reasons. Originally intended as a 1939 release, a christmas carol was rushed into production in october 1938 and was finished in a matter of weeks. Let your inner scrooge go on a lifechanging journey through time with these movie and television adaptations of a christmas carol. The best known silent adaptation of a christmas carol was the 19 version starring seymour hicks as the miserly curmudgeon. I tried ranking a christmas carol adaptations and it. Just about every one of them deserves to be boiled with its own pudding and buried with a. But like any cultural touchstone, a christmas carol adaptations range from the delightful to the derivative. I have, you see, been watching the many film versions there have been of the charles dickens classic in an endeavour to find the best movie adaptation of a christmas carol. Various a christmas carol film adaptations also includes films. A critical examination of dickenss story and its productions on screen and television at. A christmas carol alastair sim as ebenezer scrooge. After sitting through 16 of the most wellknown a christmas carol adaptations, i found what i believed were the top eight ones from downright great to notso greatwhich is certainly open for debate.
The five best film adaptations of a christmas carol. A christmas carol adaptations range from the delightful to the derivative. For this list, were looking at the best tv and movies based on the famous 1843 novel by charles dickens. A christmas carol 2011 also did their interpretation of. Scott film from 1984, but i had no idea there were so many different adaptations of this novel.
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