A Christmas Carol (1984)
Director: Clive Donner
Scrooge: George C. Scott
This 1984 TV-movie starring George C. Scott was a big deal!
We hadn't had a big-scale adaptation since "Scrooge" from 1970, and that was a musical. We would have to go back to Alastair Sim in 1951 for the last straight-up version. We were long overdue. And the casting of George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge seemed inspired. Did it deliver the goods? Of course it did!
Here's a trailer:
It's hard to believe it's been 35 years, but during that time, this production has enjoyed quite a reputation. A lot of people rate this as their favorite version or at least Mr. Scott as their favorite Scrooge. More time has passed now since 1984 than the time in between Alastair Sim and George C. Scott. As more time passes and the 1951 "Scrooge" is further in the past, will this take over at the top? Who knows?
Fun fact: Clive Donner, the director, was the film editor of that 1951 movie! Instant cred!
This version was big for me because I was able to record the original broadcast on our family's Betamax machine! Since I was able to watch it more than once even back then, it's very ingrained in me!
At the time, I figured George C. Scott had joined Alastair Sim and Albert Finney to make a "big three" of Scrooges. I never considered Reginald Owen to be in their league and hadn't seen Seymour Hicks yet.
After all this time, I still look at those three as the best with a lot of honorable mentions.
And Mister Magoo stands alone in his own field. He's like the Teddy Roosevelt on Mount Rushmore!
So, what exactly did George C. Scott bring to the role and how did he make it his own?
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