The Five Best (and Worst) Movie Scrooges

During the Christmas season it’s routine to revisit holiday classics. For me there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. I love A Christmas Carol! It’s not only my favourite book, but my favourite work of fiction of any kind. I know it back and forth and every year re-read it at least a couple times to adapt to the holiday spirit. As something of a Christmas Carol purist therefore you may think I’d be opposed to any of the many adaptations done of it over the years, adaptations that by their very design have to change things. And though I think there never will be an adaptation of the story that will even come close to surpassing the book, there are a number of film versions I do like. There’d have to be, being so many of them. The key to their success often depends on their portrayal of the protagonist. Ebenezer Scrooge is a remarkable character and has been interpreted in a wide number of ways over the years, and so this year keeping in the season, I’ve decided to count down the five best movie Scrooges. The ones who both capture at least to some degree the spirit of the character, and brought their own unique talents and touches to the part. And because there are so many versions of Scrooge, at the end of this list I’ll briefly count down the five worst Scrooges. The ones who had little respect for the material, or just didn’t bring the passion or effort that the role warrants.

          So without further ado, the Best Movie Scrooges:

5. Jim Carrey in A Christmas Carol (2009). I’m not going to pretend this film isn’t a mess in some places. It overuses a lot of 3D gimmicks, the motion capture isn’t always up to snuff, it tries to be funny at inopportune moments, and excessively dark in others. However, surprisingly enough, one of its strongest elements is Jim Carrey as Scrooge. He’s not brilliant or anything and in fact handles a number of things poorly. The comedy of the character is played up too much and he’s too physical for a character of his age. Some of his mannerisms can be distracting and I’m not going to act like they aren’t. But more often than you’d think, he captures the spirit of the character wonderfully. He may be motion capture, but his emotions look and feel real. Carrey’s clearly giving it his all and it shows in a couple very effective scenes. Though they’re familiar, he makes them feel new, and overall creates a fairly unique interpretation. It also helps that he has a very distinct appearance. Because of the motion capture, the animators are allowed to craft his features closer to the literary description. Thus he probably looks the closest to the book’s depiction of the character. Carrey’s Scrooge is definitely flawed but when he gets it right, he gets it really right, and makes the film the better for it.

4. Scrooge McDuck (Alan Young) in Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983). This is kind of unfair as Ebenezer Scrooge was the inspiration behind Scrooge McDuck to begin with, so casting him when Disney did their version of the classic story was too easy. The adaptation overall is sadly too short for so much that can be done with a Disney Christmas Carol, but part of what does make it so enjoyable is Scrooge as Scrooge. As you would expect with a Disney version of the story, there’s more comedy than is found in the book (yet less than in the 2009 film), mostly in the physical animation, but it’s perfectly suited for this Scrooge and never goes too far as to distract from his character and the themes of the story. And as anyone who’s seen DuckTales knows, Scrooge is a character completely believable as both a selfish and greedy old skint, and an ecstatic but lovable kook. That really shows here where he’s able to embrace both sides of the character and be engaging all the way through. The special really shouldn’t be called Mickey’s Christmas Carol because by and large, and like any good Christmas Carol adaptation, Scrooge dominates the story. And he’s a Scrooge who really deserves to. A Scottish duck with a chip on his shoulder whose transformation is worth witnessing every year!

3. Patrick Stewart in A Christmas Carol (1999). I mean come on, it’s Patrick Stewart! He has yet to give a bad performance! This television special is probably the most faithful to the book, which is partly its Achilles heel, as it gets in the way of creative visuals (also some non-dialogue lines from the book sound awkward when vocalized). However it’s still a very good adaptation, mostly because of Stewart’s performance. He plays a very stern and irritated Scrooge with a passion that’s really compelling. And there’s a grittiness to this interpretation. He’s quite clearly a man with a lot of anger and pent-up remorse, capable of cruelty and violence. He carries a cane with him which threatens to be a weapon when he’s in a bad mood. But Stewart conveys Scrooge brilliantly to the audience in every stage of his journey. When he’s scared by Marley’s Ghost you feel scared with him, when he’s elated by reminders of his childhood so are you, etc. And better than any other Scrooge, he can really deliver the Dickensian dialogue wonderfully. This adaptation is not the most exciting, but because of how much Stewart sinks his teeth into the character and the story (it was written around his one-man show after all), it’s definitely worth a watch!

2. Alastair Sim in Scrooge (1951). I have a confession to make, I’m not a fan of this film. Which is weird because for a long time this was considered the definitive Christmas Carol movie.  And in all honesty, it was when it first came out. But I never thought it was very well put together, it’s at times overly whimsical, and I really don’t like the unnecessary additions to the story (clearly just trying to mimic the success of David Lean Dickens films like Great Expectations). But even I have to admit, Alastair Sim was a damn good Scrooge! I mean, just look at him: that’s Ebenezer Scrooge. He plays the part of the miser almost seamlessly with an attitude that’s believable and engaging. With his Scrooge, you can see the good and happy person beneath the mean exterior, and over the course of the film the layers are being peeled back. But because his decency was always there, you identify and sympathize with him. He’s not so far gone that he can’t be saved, an important theme of the character in the book and thus it’s easy for the audience to see themselves in him. He’s a great reactive Scrooge in his sorrow, excitement, and especially fear, conveying everything about this character terrifically. By the end of the film he’s a new man oozing warmth and a genuine kind spirit, distinct yet somehow identical to the old. As much as I don’t like the film, Alastair Sim as Scrooge obliges me to recommend it. Maybe not in place of actually reading the story, but in watching this film you are going to be given a wonderful gift of a leading performance.

1. George C. Scott in A Christmas Carol (1984). If ever there was an actor playing Scrooge just doing his own thing, it was George C. Scott. I should hate this version of the character; he’s not very loyal to the book, uses alternate variations of a lot of Scrooge’s great lines, and doesn’t look much the part. But somehow he makes the role completely his own, and his often subtle performance really draws you in. When watching him, I don’t care about how the character’s supposed to act or talk, I’m just watching him act and talk. His Scrooge is a very subtle but formidable one. Patrick Stewart’s Scrooge was aggressive too, but Scott’s able to intimidate without uttering a single word or showing any physical superiority. You believe the power he holds over businessmen and those beneath him. Just through a glance, a raised eyebrow, or the way he turns a phrase he conveys pure indifference to everyone. He challenges the spirits more than any other Scrooge, always dominating the scene (except perhaps when he’s going toe-to-toe with Edward Woodward’s Ghost of Christmas Present). Because of this, his transformation isn’t as gradual, rather it appears in little spurts, at least until his encounter with the last spirit when his reckoning is at hand. Scott is playing Scrooge’s attitude in his own way, and it’s very engaging. In his awakening by the end, he doesn’t bounce around as frantically as other Scrooges, but his alteration is clear in a joyous yet sombre demeanour. When he’s talking to the businessmen and Fred you can see the pain beneath and how liberating it is for him to ask forgiveness. This version of A Christmas Carol is definitely my favourite. It’s generally loyal to the story, has a prevalence of both Christmas cheer and a dark atmosphere (the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is really terrifying!), and features marvellous performances from, in addition to Scott, David Warner, Frank Finlay, and Edward Woodward! George C. Scott and Alastair Sim are almost neck-in-neck for me in their versions of Scrooge, but when push comes to shove, it’s Scott I’ll always go with, the greatest Scrooge of the greatest Christmas Carol film!

And now, the Worst Movie Scrooges:

5. Reginald Owen in A Christmas Carol (1938). Not a particularly bad performance, just one that fails to leave any mark. Owen doesn’t bring anything new to the character, nor is he particularly echoing the spirit of the book. Also, is he wearing old age makeup? Because it really looks like it.

4. Seymour Hicks in Scrooge (1935). Hicks was well versed in this character having played him both on stage and in an early silent picture. But he seems uncomfortable in the medium of film. He’s confused and acting beneath his ability, and it’s fairly distracting.

3. Kelsey Grammer in A Christmas Carol (2004). I love Kelsey Grammer but whose bright idea was this? It’s bad enough this musical special features Jason Alexander as a horrible Marley and embarrassing songs from the great Alan Menkin, but Grammer looks like he’s playing Frasier playing Scrooge, an amateur overcompensating his entire performance. It’s not all his fault as the production is incredibly poor from all angles, but it’s really painful.

2. Tim Curry in A Christmas Carol (1997). Usually Tim Curry delivers wonderfully campy performances even in his voice roles, but not here. His Scrooge could at least have been fun, but is mostly just a dull waste of an enjoyably bad actor. Also he has a dog, which given the loneliness of Scrooge’s character, goes against so much of the original’s nature.

And the number 1 worst Scrooge belongs to one of the worst adaptations of A Christmas Carol. But it's so fascinatingly bad it deserves its own review for next week's Back to the Feature. Check it out December 18th!