What's the best version of A Christmas Carol?

[Small Man Big Horse]

I'd always have said The Muppet's Christmas Carol like any right thinking human being / animal / fish but I'm watching the 1970 version with Albert Finney right now and enjoying it an awful lot, to the extent I might watch the muppets version afterwards to see which is best. But then of course there's the classic Alastair Sim one, Bill Murray's much loved Scrooged, and I don't know, that other one you like, yeah, that's good too. But which is your favourite?

[mjwilson]

It's the Muppets, you were right first time. Close the thread.

[touchingcloth]

 VHS Muppets is better than DVD. The DVD version omits When Love Is Gone, but still has Scrooge weeping like a child without the song to explain it.

[Dex Sawash]

Mr. Magoo

[mjwilson]

VHS Muppets is better than DVD. The DVD version omits When Love Is Gone, but still has Scrooge weeping like a child without the song to explain it.

"I love you."
"You did, once."

Does everything that it needs to without stopping the film stone dead for a boring song.

[Jumblegraws]

Christmas Carol adaptations I've seen:
Scrooge aka "the Alastair Sim one"
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Scrooged
The Muppet Christmas Carol

Not as many as I'd like. Of these, the Muppet CC is my favourite (and indeed my favourite Christmas film, as it seems to be for 90% of all millennials). The inclusion of a second Marley brother so that Waldorf & Statler could do their double act is the greatest cinematic example of adaptation departing from the source material. The blending of Muppets' personalities with their Dickens characters is delightful and creates an non-intrusive layer of in-jokes for Jim Henson geeks. Caine's performance as Scrooge is refreshingly loud and menacing, it's the only depiction I know of where Scrooge's fearsome reputation is completely bound to his financial power.

ETA: I remember watching the Patrick Stewart one when I was a teenager, seemed unremarkable.

[Jumblegraws]

"I love you."
"You did, once."

Does everything that it needs to without stopping the film stone dead for a boring song.

I agree with this. We used to fast-forward that song when we were kids. The main issue with leaving it out is it dampens the counter-point of the cheerful "The Love We Found" reprise at the end, but anyone not familiar with the VHS version wouldn't know what they were missing.

[Deyv]

It's the George C Scott one, you muppets.

[Custard]

Alastair Sim
Then the Muppets one

Watched the Jim Carrey one the other day. Appalling shit

[Noodle Lizard]

Dee Dee's one from the Limmy's Show Christmas Special is pretty great. I like the Blackadder one too, solid Christmas viewing.

As far as "proper" ones go, probably the 1951 one for me.

[Blumf]

[bgmnts]

Muppets >>>>>>>>>> Scrooged >>>>>>> everything else.


Which makes me wonder, is there a film that could not be made better if it was reimagined with Muppets? If anyone remembers that muppet trailer of Pulp Fiction way back when, I wanted to see that film.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Dee Dee's one from the Limmy's Show Christmas Special is pretty great. I like the Blackadder one too, solid Christmas viewing.

Tv specials are more than welcome here, I'm extremely fond of both of those as well, as well as the Beavis and Butthead one which I only watched for the first time last week.

As far as "proper" ones go, probably the 1951 one for me.

I do remember enjoying that a long, long time ago but haven't seen it since my teens and so really should give it another shot.

Which makes me wonder, is there a film that could not be made better if it was reimagined with Muppets? If anyone remembers that muppet trailer of Pulp Fiction way back when, I wanted to see that film.

Irreversible. It would just be way too traumatic seeing that happen to Piggy.

[kalowski]

Alistair Sim
Muppets


The rest



This nonsense with Guy Pearce.

[bgmnts]

Irreversible. It would just be way too traumatic seeing that happen to Piggy.

Good point.

Deliverance would be interesting, though

[Small Man Big Horse]

Good point.

Deliverance would be interesting, though

And Nine Songs would instantly become my favourite film.

[purlieu]

Alistair Sim. His Christmas morning performance is one of my favourite moments in cinema history, the level of giddily crazy joy is something to behold. Plus it really plays up the idea of him Scrooge being corrupted by money rather than a miser from the get go.

Muppets are in second, of course.

[touchingcloth]

I agree with this. We used to fast-forward that song when we were kids. The main issue with leaving it out is it dampens the counter-point of the cheerful "The Love We Found" reprise at the end, but anyone not familiar with the VHS version wouldn't know what they were missing.

I like the cut song. Deal with it GET IT DONE

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The version with Patrick Stewart slips under the radar but it's pretty good, perhaps a little too straight laced. Perfect casting though and he carries some of the limp sections almost on his own.

[Harpo Speaks]

That version where Grant from Eastenders is a heartless debt collector who learns the error of his ways

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Die Hard.

[holdover]

I watched the Albert Finney one the other day and Alec Guinness has my vote for the best Marley. He does something very weird in his performance. A freaky, slightly camp, fluid way or moving. There's one scene which he moves almost as if the film is being played backward. I wonder if it's some old-school stage actor trick for playing ghosts.

It's the Alistair Sim version for me. Then the Muppets.

I'll always love A Christmas Carol for scaring the shit out of as a kid. It's gateway horror isn't it? The bit with the door-knocker and the initial visit from Marley I mean. Even the Muppet one freaked me out the first time.

[madhair60]

Yeah its the muppets so fuck off.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I watched the Albert Finney one the other day and Alec Guinness has my vote for the best Marley. He does something very weird in his performance. A freaky, slightly camp, fluid way or moving. There's one scene which he moves almost as if the film is being played backward. I wonder if it's some old-school stage actor trick for playing ghosts.

I know the scene you mean, it's a right odd thing indeed and I found his performance very curious too, though it does work and the scenes in hell are especially enjoyable due to how strange his Marley is.

[SteK]

What's the really old one with some old actor in it? 30's I think it was.

Googling.....


This one...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooge_(1935_film)

[Sebastian Cobb]

Muppets >>>>>>>>>> Scrooged >>>>>>> everything else.

Man knows.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

The Passions of Carol (Shaun Costello, 1975)

[Small Man Big Horse]

I watched The Muppet Christmas Carol again tonight and it is hugely superior, the Finney one is really fun but it's not a patch on Kermit and co. Oh, and for the record it should be the "When Love Is Gone" extended edition, as that songs all kinds of lovely and affecting.

The Passions of Carol (Shaun Costello, 1975)

No singing Michael Caine, so despite the lovely erect penises it only takes second place I'm afraid.

[touchingcloth]

I watched The Muppet Christmas Carol again tonight and it is hugely superior, the Finney one is really fun but it's not a patch on Kermit and co. Oh, and for the record it should be the "When Love Is Gone" extended edition, as that songs all kinds of lovely and affecting.

Is there an extended DVD version which includes it? We still have a VHS player which only gets used for that one film.

[Mister Six]

Patrick Stewart does a great turn in his one, but after Muppets, Murray and Sim it all seems a bit blandly pointless. Also there's a bit scene they forget to add the glow onto the Ghost of Christmas Present, which is lazy.

FX has its own three-part version out this Christmas. Big, spooky posters up all over New York:



Guy Ritchie (Scrooge), Stephen Graham (Marley), Andy Serkis (Ghost of Christmas Past) and Kayvan Novak ("Ali Baba"?!). Good cast. Probs gonna be rubs though.

EDIT: Ah, apparently already aired in the US and part one is out on the BBC tonight.