A Christmas Carol (1951)
[Scrooge]
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst
Starring: Alastair Sim, Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns
Synopsis:
The miserly old Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his partner, who warns him of the fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways.
Impressions:
I was going to stick to my usual five entries for review purposes, but I came across a video ranking Scrooge performances and Alastair Sim came so highly praised in the comments section that I couldn't very well just wait until next year to see for myself. I can see why this version is so well regarded. Alastair Sim is indeed quite excellent in the role of Scrooge and I have to agree with one commenter who says that he perhaps has the most natural performance post-reformation that I've seen thus far. Besides Sim's performance, one thing that makes this version stand out are a number of additions, particularly in the past sequence, which gives more details on Scrooge's machinations to get to where he was. Purists may decry the liberties taken, but if you're wanting to see some expansion to the material, it's not bad. The '84 version remains my favorite (and as an interesting note, the director of that version, Clive Donner, was the editor here), but I wouldn't begrudge anyone from claiming this as their version of choice. It's definitely worth a watch and even a place in the collection.
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