Why do the wizards of tv keep throwing various iterations of Home Alone at us? What’s that about? How did it become one of those “holiday classics” we always hear about? It’s horrible. The Home Alone movies are awful and everybody should stop watching them.
Instead watch Alastair Sim as Scrooge. You might want to skip the parts where he’s offscreen (Tiny Tim, you know), but when he’s on screen it’s a gem.
This is my favourite.
I see from the comments that it’s the favorite of a lot of people. It’s very good.
OB: Thanks for the video recommendation. I shall definitely watch it tomorrow. You can’t beat the old classics, indeed.
I grew up with the Albert Finney version because that was my mother’s favorite. I’ll have to check this one out, thanks for the heads up.
I also like the George C. Scott and Patrick Stewart versions, but the Alastair Sims version is excellent.
Slovenly housekeeping…now *there’s* something I can hope to achieve, if I work hard.
Sorry, but the two best Christmas movies are Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. Although I have to thank TNT for introducing me to Pirates on Christmas this year. It’s been entertaining, though I could have just put on my DVDs.
Sim’s film Scrooge is the best for my taste, and Winter’s audio adaptation.
Where I am, Christmas is the time for Doctor Who. Among other times. <_<
There’s also The Hogfather.
Can’t go wrong with Muppet Christmas Carol.
IMO, Alistair Sim’s Scrooge is simply the best version of A Christmas Carol ever filmed to date. My family and I rewatch it annually at this time of year, and will be doing so again next week.
It’s by far my favorite.
Sim’s version is big favourite with us, too. We watch it every year. It’s interesting how they’ve used so much non-Dickens stuff to flesh it out. Not unheard of in screen adaptation of course, but when you read the original, it’s surprising just how much was added to the script. There is no mention of how Scrooge’s sister dies in the original story, yet the addition of this gives Scrooge’s motivation for both his hard-heartedness and his attitude to his nephew. We first meet Scrooge’s betrothed when she releases him from his engagement. There is no Mr. Jocking, no meeting where Scrooge and Marley take over the company in the story as written. There is no debtor begging Scrooge for more time to repay him “in the teeth of inclement weather.”The Christmas morning scene with Mr. Dilber allows Scrooge to play off someone rather than just talk to himself onscreen. In the original story Scrooge learns it’s Christmas day from the”intelligent”, “remarkable” boy whom he gets to buy the prize turkey, not from his houesekeeper. (added bonus in this scene; a reflection of someone off-camera in the mirror Scrooge looks into.) These are only a few of the items that were added to the screenplay. It’s a testament to the writer(s) of these additional scenes and dialogue that they work so well, add so much and yet remain true to the spirit of the original.
Well I watched ‘Love Actually’ for the first time last week. It’s also served up as Christmas fare ’cause its set at Christmas.
A boss calls two employees in, says its obvious they are attracted to each other and urges them to go on a date. A chap delivering lunch to an office invites a worker to taste his nuts and tells another she will be his future wife. We’re supposed to feel sad when he’s brushed off. The British Prime Minister opens a cabinet meeting by loudly wondering who he has to shag to get a cup of tea.
That’s the first ten minutes. Bizarre. Sexual Harassment Actually.
Indeed. Noel Langley, who did the adaptation and screenplay, also adapted “The Wizard of Oz,” “Ivanhoe,” and “The Prisoner of Zenda” for the movies. He was at the top of his form here; for example, the added scenes that show Scrooge’s transition from clark at Fezziwig’s to partner of Marley and owner of the concern are excellent. My one beef is that Langley renamed Scrooge’s fiancee from “Belle” to “Alice” and changed her from a happy housewife with children in the present day to a spinster minstering angelically at some kind of poorhouse or sanitarium.