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Actors: Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Edith Evans, David Collings, Patrick Macnee, Richard Beaumont, Paddy Stone, Kenneth More
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Scrooge (1970) |
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This is the only musical version to date of Charles Dickens' classic Christmas tale. Ebenezer Scrooge (Finney) is the sole surviving partner of a London banking business. It is Christmas Eve in the later part of the 1800's. Scrooge is a cantankerous and miserable old man with no wife and no friends. He is a greedy jerk with no thought for the pain and suffering of the poor and unfortunate underclass. He begrudgingly closes his office for the holidays sending nephew Bob Cratchit (Collings) home after a couple, “Bah humbugs.” Eating only a thin broth for his supper, he starts having disturbing visions.
The first apparition to haunt his mind is the ghost of his dead partner Jacob Marley (Guiness). He is warned that his fate will be like Marley's if he doesn't change his churlish and ill-tempered behavior. He is told that this is only the beginning of the haunts he is to receive over the course of the evening. Next to trouble Scrooge is the Ghost of Christmas Past (Evans). She is a youthful, luminescent, and attractive spirit. Scrooge is not really frightened of this corporeal vision, but is visibly moved by the memories of his happier past. The next ghost is the ebullient Ghost of Christmas Present (More) who shows Scrooge the impact of his ruthless tightfistedness on those in his life. Scrooge is amazed at the cheerfulness of those who have so little means to be happy.
The last and most ominous of the specters to appear is the most disturbing to Scrooge. Cloaked in black, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Stone) takes him to the funeral arrangements of an unidentified corpse. The lone mourners are hardly sorrowful for the demise of the deceased as they dance and sing on the casket of the recently departed. He also sees Tiny Tim (Beaumont), the son of his employee Cratchit has perished as well. His nightmare shakes him to the core. When a relieved Scrooge awakens he becomes frantic to find out what day it is from a passing youth. He is overjoyed to learn it is indeed Christmas Day breaking into gleeful singing. He sends the youth to the butchers shop to fetch the large goose hanging in the window. Then Scrooge proceeds to get dressed for some surprise gift giving first picking up toys at a toy store. Now a changed man Scrooge sets about altering forever the selfish life he has led to this point.
--David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Scrooge (1970) |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 19th century
Inner struggle or disability
Yes
Struggle with
- learns to be more sensitive
Fantasy/Magic?
Yes
Fantasy element:
- Ghost Buddy
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- small businessman
Age:
- long lived adults
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- obsessed
- deluded
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard wavey
Body type
- (man) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- caring
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor?
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard wavey
Body type
- (man) average build
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
Main Adversary
Identity:
- An "It".
Has magical powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- can change shapes
- mind control
- can fly
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 80%
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
City:
- London
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- very happy
Non-American film?
Yes
What language?
- English
If lots of song/dance...
- lot of singing and dancing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Broadway musical
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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