Three Great Film Adaptations of A Christmas Carol
By: Daryl Bruce
Tags: Christmas, Movies, Film, Holidays, Entertainment

Since its publication in 1843, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has become one of, if not the, most iconic non-biblical Christmas stories. Indeed, one could argue that it’s Dickens’ most popular work with contemporary audiences.

At its core, A Christmas Carol is a story of redemption as Ebenezer Scrooge undertakes a journey of self-reflection that culminates in a significant change of heart. It draws attention to the intrinsic evil of the capitalist system — a system that Scrooge ultimately rejects — that prioritizes wealth and gain over human dignity and kindness; a message just as relevant today as it was during Victorian England. It’s a message of love, charity, and hope embodied in the most beloved traditions of Christmas.

The novella has been adapted, parodied, and quoted to such a degree that many people know the plot without ever having read the original story. As of 2019, there have been over twenty film or television adaptions of Dickens’ work. From Alaister Sim and George C. Scott to Patrick Stewart and Michael Caine, Ebenezer Scrooge has been portrayed by some of the most prominent and distinguished actors of the twentieth century.

History of A Christmas Carol

It’s almost impossible to fathom given what a classic Dickens’ tale has become a classic, but A Christmas Carol was largely a ‘cash grab’ and never intended to become the author’s most popular and memorable work.

By 1843, Dickens was facing serious financial trouble. After the success of Oliver Twist (1837), his follow-up novels failed to gain similar traction. With his wife expecting their fifth child, Dickens found himself in need of a hit.

We tend to think of Christmas as a timeless holiday stretching back for centuries, but in fact, Christmas as we celebrate it today, originated in the nineteenth-century. During the 1790s to 1830s, Christmas was on the cusp of dying out. Few celebrated it and for most, it was just another day of work. Indeed, in 1820, writer Leigh Hunt famously described Christmas as a day “scarcely worth the mention.”

By the early 1840s, however, Christmas was starting to emerge as the major festive celebration that we recognize today. Dickens decided to capitalize on this by setting his new story on Christmas Eve. His publishers were less than enthusiastic; why would anyone want to read a story about a relatively minor holiday? In a furious rage, Dickens decided to self-publish the story paying for all the expenses, including illustration, out of his own pocket. Side note, A Christmas Carol can safely be described as the most successful self-published book in the English language.

Given that Dickens wanted the novella published in time for Christmas, and it was already September, he wrote the story in six weeks. A Christmas Carol was published on 19 December 1843. Interestingly, there were some minor changes between Dickens’ final draft and the published novella. The most famous of which is Tiny Tim’s survival at the end of the story. The reference to Tim “who did not die” was added by the printer likely in the thought that his survival would boost sales.

While a critical success and an immediate hit with readers, A Christmas Carol was not the financial salvation Dickens had hoped for. The production costs proved to be significantly higher than he originally estimated. Given this and Dickens’ previous debts, he required the novella to earn £1000 just to break even. During its first year in publication, the book earned £744 (equal to £92,857.89 in 2019), and despite its critical success, Dickens was left disappointed and largely distanced himself from A Christmas Carol for the rest of his life.

Film adaptions

Within a year of publication, theatrical adaptions of the story were staged across England and the British Empire. Almost simultaneously with the invention of silent films, came the first screen version of A Christmas Carol in 1901, which is available to watch on YouTube.

Since then, new adaptions of this Christmas classic have appeared with great regularity. There have been live-action, cartoons, musicals, and even Muppet versions. Some have stayed very true to Dickens’ original story, while others have made modifications either for creative or practical reasons.

Each version has its merits, but due to the sheer volume of big-screen adaptions of the novella, there is frequent debate over just which version is the best. As with many things in life, it often comes down to personal taste.

The top three film versions of A Christmas Carol

This list has been determined by three factors:

1. Watchability: This includes the strength of acting performances, special effects, and overall direction of the film.

2. Staying true to the source material: This takes into account how close the film version remains to Dickens’ original story.

3. Sustainability: Is this film still frequently shown at Christmas and considered a classic?

The Muppet’s Christmas Carol (1992)

Muppet Christmas Carol — Original Trailer, YouTube

Ironically, despite being targeted at families with children, this film remains remarkably close to Dickens’ story. Rather than softening the dark tones of the original story, the film embraces them, including the terrifying ghost of Christmas yet to come.

One of the most clever devices of the film is the use of Gonzo as the narrator. This narrative style allows Dickens’ own words to be brought into the story. It is a great way of introducing Dickens to children and even adults who have never read his works. Gonzo is brilliantly used as a tool to help children understand what is happening, yet, it is done in a way the entertains the adults in the audience.

A Muppet’s Christmas Carol marked the first Muppet film following the death of Jim Henson. It was considered something of a risk at the time of its release. Indeed, despite a massive marketing campaign by Disney, the film was a box office disappointment. Yet, the film has gone on to become a festive classic. With some catchy songs and funny moments, this film is perfect for young and young at heart viewers alike.

A Christmas Carol (1984)

A Christmas Carol (1984) Trailer — YouTube

George C. Scott gives what is often considered to be one of the best portrayals of Scrooge ever committed to film. It also features a strong supporting cast comprising of some of the finest British character actors of the twentieth century including: Edward Woodward as the Ghost of Christmas Present, David Warner as Bob Cratchit and Roger Rees as Fred.

This made for TV movie remains very true to its source material with only slight deviations from the book. The major difference is that Scrooge is not only depicted as a cankerous grump, he’s also a bit of a cheat. There is a scene at the bank exchange where he deliberately rips off some businessmen over a deal that was not depicted in the original story. The inclusion of this scene could be an attempt to highlight the dodgy business practices and morals of the corporate world that were just starting to come to light in the 1980s.

This film doesn’t get the same airtime at the holidays like the other two movies. It is however, widely regarded as one of the best adaptions of Dickens’ story, and one of the best acted. While it was released on DVD a number of years ago, it is also available for streaming on CBS All Access.

Scrooge (1951)

Original trailer for Scrooge (1951)

Without a doubt, this adaption of A Christmas Carol has become the gold star by which all other film and television versions are compared. Alastair Sim gives one of the most human interpretations of Scrooge ever attempted. While Scrooge is cantankerous, uncaring, cold and miserable, Sim imbues him with empathy. Sim marvellously gives viewers a glimpse into Scrooge’s inner emotional turmoil just from glances or the momentary softening of his facial features. It truly is a masterclass performance.

Unlike the previous two films, this version does take a number of liberties with the source material. In its defence, however, it was very common for novel to film adaptions of this era to deviate from the original story to the extent that those films were really only inspired by the source material.

Despite this, the film is a classic and likely the best known of the film adaptions. Nearly seventy years after its debut, the film is shown regularly during the holidays, and for good reason. No film has really been able to topple this one in all the decades since.