This one starts out pretty dark and sad. There's a band outside in the snow attempting to play a Christmas song and maybe able to hit about two out of every five notes.
We see Mr Cratchit working hard on Christmas Eve so cold is the room that he's working in that he decides to put his hand over the Open Flame of his Lantern just for the most minoot amount of warmth.
He notices for his window to gentleman approaching the door. He answers the door for them and takes their coat. The two men wish to imply as to the whereabouts of either Scrooge or Marley .
They meet with Scrooge who informs them that Marley has been dead for 7 years this day. They wish to ask for a donation to help the less fortunate but Scrooge is on willing to pay stating that prisons and work houses should do just fine for the basic needs it's a basic people.
As one can imagine the charity of Scrooge is minimal for out the year and becomes practically non-existent during the festive holiday season.
Mr Cratchit has the nerve to try and put coal into his tiny furnace. And his boss gives him quite the tongue-lashing for it. Despite the fact that it's grimley cold, it's Christmas Eve and three chunks of coal can't even cost a shilling. But Scrooge is nothing if not stingy that's how he's kept himself in such a miserable State. Even his nephew with all the money and cheer in the world can't put a smile into his face. All the rest of his family is quite rich and quite elegant but they can find the magic of the holiday.
It's here at the end of a hard day when Scrooge departs from his work to eat at a small luncheon where he berates the owner for letting a man play his noisy song outside his establishment. And leaves no tip when walking home. Also intermixed throughout his meal are scenes of a great Banquet involving all the high class of London and a visit from the queen herself.
(I'm not sure the banquet involving the Queens in the book but it has no bearing on the blunt in this movie. I think it's just there so they had an excuse to use some of the nicer set designs. pure speculation on my part.)
It's here at Ebenezer Scrooge's doorstep that we see our first signs of a spiritual presence. For in the frame of his knocker should appear with the face of his old partner Jacob Marley.
Indeed upon entering his home he is confronted with many queer events. Shadows in the corner of his eye, Bells that continue to ring, winds that blow through his home, objects falling from the heavens . Indeed he is confronted by his old can partner Marley. Who informs him of the treachery of their lives. As he now wanders the Earth covered in Chains in an attempt to make amends for his lack luster life. He tells this to Scrooge who cares not to hear it and all the more refuses to listen.
But the warning is given, three ghosts will visit him this night. past, present and days to come.
So we see some time later the Ghost of Christmas Past a slightly bright character who shows Ebenezer the days long gone. As he loses the love of his wife because of the greediness of his heart.
We are then confronted with the Ghost of Christmas present ''Oscar Asche'' who informs Scrooge of his many brothers and sisters (Some 1800 worth). Oh how joyous his days are and how wonderful Christmas can be. He show Scrooge the Christmas of his employee Cratchit and although they have very little, they still find a way to make their Christmas the most Mary of occasions. We also get to witness one of the best looking Christmas puddings I've ever seen. And that's saying a lot from someone like me, I've never been much for Christmas pudding. But this is a traditional Christmas pudding. Various breads push together in a cheesecloth rap, boiled in water and covered soon in a rum sauce, lit with flame, lights turned off. It is The shining beacon of all dessert.
And now it is that we see the ghost of the future that Grim figure who lurks in shadows and follows all man. He shows Scrooge the future* for which he is previ. It is a sad and Bleak place no respect is given to him and there is nothing but sorrow for the death of Tiny Tim. Scrooge is completely heartbroken by such an event and it's this new found passion that brings out the true Christmas joy within him. He awake from his slumber still clothed, still warm and sees that Christmas day has not yet passed. He asks a small boy to purchase the biggest bird that he can find and to have it delivered to Mr.Cratchit . He attends the dinner of his dear nephew and in a festive spirit gives his employee a much-needed raise after pretending to still be a miserable wreck.
Truly this is a wondrous interpretation . it's shorter than most Christmas carols and cuts a lot of material. But it does reflect the darker tones and it doesn't shy away from the misery. And indeed it spends quite a bit of time after Scrooge's epiphany. It shows the joy, satisfaction and Humanity that's so wondrously engulfs the human spirit in the Christmas season.
Give it a look I do say. It's worth your time and it's only an hour and 18 minutes long. It's a down-to-earth Christmas Carol and perhaps the closest interpretation we've ever had to Ebenezer Scrooge having a near-death experience. For everything he Witnesses could be interpreted easily as the hallucination of the Mind. Marley Is invisible to all, for Christmas Spirit of past can be seen as nothing more than the light of a candle. The lingering Shadows can easily represent death along with the thoughts in Scrooge's head.
For all the Past are memories he already possesses. The future is his imagination gone Vivid with fear. The closest we get to any sort of spiritual Essence is the present itself . He can actually bear witness to the Ghost of Christmas present and indeed it is the only time he will come up on events and or memories that are not his own.
Truly the most wonderful thing about the Christmas carol is Scrooge's changed image not merely for his own sake but for the betterment of his family friends employees and indeed the ever sick Tiny Tim. Screwed puts the values of others ahead of himself and it is a message I wish more Christmas stories would attempt to show.
The real charm of this movie comes in the performance by Sir Edward Seymour Hicks an original motion picture actor who before that time was involved in Edwardian plays. He portrays Scrooge in a mean and unhappy tone like so many other actors before and after him. But its performance seems so much more down-to-earth. Scrooge is a character that always had a slight cartoony tone to him because he's meant to be over the top, meant to be the most bitter man in the world. But here he acts like such a real man and it makes him all the more depressing to see.
It also makes his Epiphany that much nicer. To see such a miserable unhappy and downright grumpy man become so cheery and full of life It's a spectacle all its own.
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