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| I think this is the first issue of the recording. |
I really like this audio adaptation featuring Sir Laurence Olivier as narrator and Scrooge.
As I mentioned, I listened to it a lot when I was a kid and I still like to hear it today. I think it holds up well, and not just for nostalgia's sake. I guess it helps to have an affinity for old-time radio, but this is a fun thing to listen to while in the car or walking around or whatever.
The whole thing clocks in at under half an hour, due to it originating as a radio broadcast in a half-hour time-slot. So, some incidents need to be shortened or omitted, but the scriptwriter (Derek Patmore) does a good job of capturing the flavor of the original novella.
There's probably as much narration as anything, but that's a good thing, as it's Laurence Olivier reading big chunks of the original text. There's so many great descriptive lines that we don't usually get to hear in most adaptations that are acted out. I feel that Olivier presents it in a manner as if he's speaking to us rather than reading to us.
I also love the music, it's scored all the way through and fits really well. A good job by music director Sidney Torch, who had a long list of credentials in England.
The sinister strains of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" that keep popping up are awesome and take me right back to the days of listening to the record!
Next up: what did and didn't make the cut!
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