From: slg@slgsun.att.com (The Idealistic Cynic)
Subject: Re: Muppet Christmas Carol
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Columbus, Ohio
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 17:56:56 GMT

Well, though some seem to have been disappointed in TMCC, I have to say
I loved the film.

However, if you go in anticipation of seeing a muppet show version of
A Christmas Carol, you will be dissapointed.  That's not all all
what the movie is.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is a fairly faithful adaptation of the
Dickon's book, frogs, and pigs, and rabbits, and other creatures
not withstanding.  Most of the dialouge in the film comes straight
from the book, the characterizations are from the book, the way the
Spirits look comes from the book, and most of the events are straight
from Dickon's book.

And since the book is by no means a rolicking slap-happy comedic story,
this movie isn't either.

As for screen time, I admit that it is dissappointing that Kermit gets
so little, but he gets all the onscreen time that Bob Cratchet should
get -- the producers didn't flesh out the Cratchet part simply to give
Kermit more time.  Personally, I think it was a good idea.  It left me
wanting more -- and that's what a good story or character should do.

They did give Kermit a song from a scene not in the book, and that was
time well spent, and a good song as well. (One of the best in the film.)

Gonzo was wonderful as Charles Dickons, and Rizzo as his sidekick was lots
of fun.

The one issue I had was that Michael Caine doesn't *look* like Scrooge
to me -- he's too young, too vital.  He doesn't look like someone
who's spent most of his life ignoring everyone he could possibly ignore.
But he brought a lot to the role.  His facial expressions were wonderful,
and only once did I feel his acting was a but forced.  And by the end
I was firmly convinced of his Scrooge.

But does it work as a film?  I think so.  In fact, I think had that
made a "muppet" movie out of it, we have had much less of a film.
What makes the muppets and their stories, for me, has always been the
emotion, not the slapstick.  It's what made "The Muppet Movie", it's
what made "The Muppets Take Manhatten", and its what broke
"The Great Muppet Caper".  Without the underlying emotion the muppets
are just so much felt.  But with it, we have real characters, real
beings we can love.  And we had that in this film.  We cared about Bob
Cratchet, about Tiny Tim.  We cared about the little rabbit sleeping
outside with only newspapers for blankets.  And we cared about Scrooge.

I like this film a lot.  But it will take a few viewings before I can
say whether or not it's as good as "The Muppet Movie".  It comes close,
though.


One last note: The movie leaves out three songs that are on the soundtrack,
which is a bit dissappointing.  I think the movie works without them, and
to be honest, may have been slowed down by including them in the film,
but it's still to bad.  Maybe sometime they'll release the film on laser
disk and include the takes (if there were any) of those songs.  Also,
"Bless us all" has a different vocal arrangement in the film -- but it is
definately a *better* arrangement than on the CD.

Sean.

---
Sean L. Gilley
sean.l.gilley@att.com sgilley@cbnewsl[.cb].att.com
614 236 5031 (h), 614 860 5743 (w)