Not because I feel the day no longer has intrinsic value, but because it has become so wrapped up in commercial and political nonsense that the day’s original themes (e.g. goodwill, love, et al.) are lost in the greater noise – which brings me back to one of the holiday’s last traditional remnants: Charles Dickens.
To be fair, his classic “A Christmas Carol” is the only Dickens text I have ever read, and that is certainly my fault – as Dickens’ other works are so intimidating that I have never wanted to invest the effort to plow through them. But “A Christmas Carol”? It’s compact, accessibly written, and stuffed with brilliant elements.
Since the invention of film, “Carol” has been adapted a few dozen times – most in ways that turn Dickens’ characters into cheap Victorian archetypes, without bothering to explore deeper political themes the author sutured into his text. That said, for my money, the film version of “Carol” which hits closest to the mark Dickens originally intended is the 1984 adaptation with George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge.
For one, the cast is stellar - with Scott playing a stripped-down Scrooge, Roger Reese as Fred, David Warner as Bob Cratchit, and Edward Woodward who is brilliant (and surprisingly edgy) as the Ghost of Christmas Present. But more refreshingly, versus every other film version of “Carol,” where those around Scrooge seem to automatically accept his overnight change of heart, in the Scott “Carol” most are skeptical about Scrooge’s transformation. Sure, they eventually buy into it – but in Fred and Bob Cratchit's initial reaction is a hint that they suspect Scrooge’s yuletide turnabout is a sick joke.
Yet all this aside, the single element I truly love in the 1984 “Carol” is how it presents one of my favorite characters in all of British literature – the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come.
Not only should this character not work in a Christmas-themed text (Halloween, sure – but Christmas?), but he works perfectly via Dickens’ understated use of the ghost as a mute guide of Scrooge’s tomorrows versus berating him like a judgmental preacher from Hell (as in one example to follow). But of course, I also love Christmas Yet To Come simply because he looks so damned cool – as best depicted (once again) in the 1984 “Carol” as a towering wraith whose only means of expression is that bony finger.
I mean, how would you react if you woke up to the following in your bedroom?
"A Christmas Carol" (1984)
Damn straight, you’d piss yourself, vow never to drink Goldschlager again, and set a land speed record trying to get out of your house all in one flat second (Ranking: Four Death Shrouds out of Four).
But let’s look at a couple of other versions of Christmas Future from other film adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” and how they rank versus others.
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"A Christmas Carol" (1951)
Although most consider the ’51 “Carol” starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge to be the finest put to film, I disagree. It’s a fine production, but it feels dramatically lightweight. As for Christmas Future, it’s an interesting representation, if a tad plain (Ranking: Three Death Shrouds out of Four).
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"Scrooge!" (1970)
In this musical 1970 version of “Carol” (retitled “Scrooge!”), Albert Finney plays the lead role and does a fine job. Surprisingly, the song and dance numbers work as well. But at the morally climactic scene where Scrooge is show his own gravestone by Christmas Future, the ghost is revealed as a cheap funhouse prop.
Then even worse, instead of Scrooge waking in a cold sweat (as occurs in every other version of “Carol”) relieved to find Christmas morning on his doorstep, “Scrooge!” adds a cartoonish segment where Ebeneezer goes to Hell, is greeted by Marley, and made Satan’s personal bookkeeper.
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"A Christmas Carol" (1999)
Based on his critically-acclaimed one-man stage play of “Carol,” the 1999 film starring Patrick Stewart is surprisingly dull and not well-cast. Even worse, Christmas Future (which I was unable to find a picture of online) resembles something from The Haunted Mansion ride at Walt Disney World. Uck! (Ranking: One Death Shroud out of Four).
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