Review of A Christmas Carol (1938) by Marc L — 21 Dec 2013

A festive version of the Dicken' s classic, this is one of the least faithful. It's festive mood and the lighter than air performances make it great family faire but it kind of undermines Dicken' s story. The Cratchet' s home and clothing make them look almost prosperous and there's nary a poor person in sight. Owens performance Is decent but the make up is a bit distracting. Many major scenes and characters are left out. The great scene at Fezziwihs is shortened and Scrooge' s fiance Belle is left out completely. Maybe I'm being a bit critical but this is my favourite holiday story. Dicken' s.

message is universal and while this version tries to convey it it's glossy look kind of undermines the message. Still this is a festive film and for the whole family, so with that in mind I would recommend it for the holidays. But for those of us who are Christmas Carol purists and for those who want to feel Dicken' s true message I suggest that the best versions are Alistar SIM ,Patrick Stewart, and George C Scott, in that order.