Watched the classic 1938 version, the old black and white starring Reginald Owen as Scrooge. A good version, probably definitive as its the first American version ever made, and its black and white look is iconic. However, Owen's Scrooge does not come close to holding a candle to George C. Scott's. He's somehow too silly, he jumps and prances around like he's a waterbug and not some miserable old fucker. Very distracting. Also, he totally goes for the whole "oh I'll be good to Tiny Tim, isn't he just sooooo great?" incredibly quick, taking away some of the gravitas of when he normally would make such a turn. Also, Bob Cratchit was a bit chubby for someone in Victorian London who got paid like 2 cents a year.
Also knocked out Mickey's Christmas Carol. As always, a total pleasure: wonderful, warm animation, and manages to fit the whole story in a delightfully economical 26 minutes. The only complaint would be there's hardly any Mickey himself, but what the hey.
Today's scheduled viewings: the classic 1951 version staring Alastair Sim (as if I remotely have an idea of who he was) and The Muppets Christmas Carol.
No comments:
Post a Comment