"A Christmas Carol" - The London Film Company (1914) - Part 3

A few more thoughts on the 1914 silent film adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" from the London Film Company with Charles Rock as Scrooge.

I think it holds up quite well and shows that British cinema was doing just fine in 1914.
I think the special effects are very good and seem to be there to serve the story, rather than just trying to wow the audience.

It's mostly double-exposure, but I think it works really well, especially when each ghost appears in Scrooge's bedroom, then has Scrooge's spirt rise up from his sleeping body do they can go off on their adventure.

It's also not s set-bound as some films from the 1910s are. You see some things happening outside and have some different perspectives, as when the carolers are looking in the window and see Scrooge and Bob Cratchit.

I think the acting is pretty good as well. I don't know anything about any of the actors, except for the tidbits I can find online, and there aren't many of those!

Charles Rock as Scrooge is very expressive without being hammy. He's convincing at the beginning when he's mean and just as convincing at the end when he's nice. He has a good Scrooge look too!

George Bellamy as Bob Cratchit gives a broader performance, but it works.

I think the three ghosts all look like they should. You could quibble with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come's face being visible, but I don't mind.

I don't know of anyone would have any idea who played those roles if we didn't have the extremely helpful inter-titles!

The actor who portrays Marley's Ghost is strangely uncredited, but the IMDB says it's Edward O'Neill and I'm not prepared to argue!

I will also say that Tiny Tim is actually tiny here, although he doesn't seem too sickly. He looks like a kid on a Victorian postcard, though, so good job there!

I guess you would need to be familiar with the source material to really follow the story, as there are not many inter-titles (which I think is good). But the story was ingrained into the public's consciousness by 1914 and who would watch this today that doesn't know it?

All in all, I like this one a lot and am very glad we're able to see such a clear and complete print.

Those can't be the original titles, though. Will those ever show up?

"A Christmas Carol" - The London Film Company (1914) - Part 2

If you got the chance to see Charles Rock as Scrooge in the 1914 British silent film version of "A Christmas Carol," I hope you agree with me that the movie holds up pretty well!

It's fortunate that this production still exists in such a clear print that appears to be complete. 

The twenty-odd minute runtime means that a lot of details need to be omitted, but they do manage to get a lot in. It's similar to the condensation from a half-hour radio or TV show, or 78rpm record set.

So, let's do a quick run-through of the plot points they included!

The film starts off with Bob Cratchit decorating the office with a couple of sprigs of holly and adding a bit of coal to the fire. Both of these things are naturally not met with approval by Scrooge when he enters, as he throws the holly on the floor!

Scrooge's nephew stops by with his wife. They both greet Bob in a pleasant manner. When the welcome from Scrooge is much less pleasant, the wife leaves while the nephew stays a bit longer until invited to leave! I don't think we ever learn that his name is Fred.

The charity solicitors drop in and have the expected success with Scrooge. They do get a small donation from Bob, however, which has popped up in other adaptations and is always a nice touch. I wonder when that bit of business first appeared?

Right before the office is closed up, a group of carolers start singing outside the window. We see a couple of different perspectives, which is fun. Not fun for the carolers, though, as Scrooge chases them away.

We then get some cross-cutting of Scrooge having dinner and going to his house and Bob going to his home. It looks like there are three young Cratchit kids, including Tiny Tim. There doesn't appear to be a Martha, so Tiny Tim hides instead.

When Scrooge gets home, he sees Marley's face in the knocker and Marley's Ghost appears to Scrooge in his room. What's interesting is that we see Marley's Ghost pull a string that rings the bell in Scrooge's room. Usually the bell(s) just ring without explanation, so this is different!

Marley's Ghost doesn't hang around for long, but he warns Scrooge that three spirits will visit him that night.

As with any other adaptation of this length, we only have time for a scene or two with each of the spirits.

The Ghost of Christmas Past shows old Scrooge a lonely Christmas at school and Fezziwig's Christmas Party.

The Ghost of Christmas Present brings Scrooge to his nephew's house. It looks like it's Fred himself who plays blind-man's buff rather than Topper. He toast Scrooge, but oddly calls him Mr. Scrooge, not Uncle Scrooge. Whatever the case, Mr./Uncle Scrooge is pretty pleased!

They also drop in at Bob Cratchit's house for a quick look at his family's Christmas dinner. They really only see Bob toast Mr. Scrooge. 

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come only gets the chance to show Scrooge his own tombstone before bringing him back.

The scenes with the three spirits make it clear that you need to know the story to follow along, as there's not really enough there otherwise. I don't consider this a flaw, as this is the case with many adaptations.

When Scrooge wakes up, he's aware that it's Christmas morning, so he doesn't need to ask a kid out the window.

He does meet the kids who were caroling earlier and fives them some money. Then he immediately runs into the charity solicitors and offers them £100 pounds (I love making that pound symbol!).

Since he didn't talk to a kid out the window, Scrooge stops by the poulterer's himself and buys a turkey. Oddly, he instructs the delivery boy to tell Bob that the turkey is a gift from Mr. Scrooge. This spoils the effect of Scrooge's joke the next morning, but the point is that Scrooge is now generous.

We see the turkey get delivered and Scrooge go to his nephew's house for Christmas dinner.

Next comes the day after Christmas, as Scrooge arrives at the office before Bob. In a very nice piece of character development, Scrooge sees the holly he had thrown on the floor. He feels regret for his previous actions and puts it back up as a decoration. Great silent, non-hammy acting from Charles Rock here.

Despite having received the turkey from Scrooge, Bob is tricked by Scrooge's feigned meanness, then really does look like he thinks Scrooge is crazy when he doubles Bob's salary!

We get one last scene that takes place "in the days to come," as per the inter-title. We see Scrooge and his nephew and wife enter the Cratchit's house. It's decorated for Christmas, but it's unclear if this taking place in literally "days" or at a future Christmas. Everyone looks the same, but the point is that they're all happy.

I think it Bob who says, Merry Christmas. God bless us every one!" before the final fade.

So, a condensed, but faithful adaptation!

"A Christmas Carol" - The London Film Company (1914) - Part 1

"A Christmas Carol" (1914)

The London Film Company

Director: Harold M. Shaw

Scrooge: Charles Rock

We remain in the past for this pretty cool silent movie version of "A Christmas Carol" from 1914, with Charles Rock as Scrooge.

It's worth 20  minutes of your time!

You can watch it here:

Next: Let's discuss!

"Old Scrooge" (1923) - Part 2

So, let’s do a breakdown of the 1926 silent film “Old Scrooge,” which was a re-edited version of 1913’s “Scrooge,” which was Sir Seymour Hicks’s first celluloid excursion as that title fellow.

I’m not sure how much was changed for the reissue, but we’ll deal with what we have.

It runs about 40 minutes, so you’d think that would be plenty of time to get most of the story in. Did they?

Well, they got some of it in! You could actually come into this with no prior knowledge of the story and be able to follow what’s going on (thanks to a lot of inter-titles). I think this is the earliest version I’ve seen of which I’d say that. Most of the other silent versions are shorter and rely on us knowing the story.

Young Seymour Hicks, sans makeup, with his wife, Ellaline Terriss.

This starts off with just a title slide or two. There’s no cast listed, but we recognize Seymour Hicks. The rest of the players are not recognizable to me and even the IMDB doesn’t try to match the actors with their parts. Seymour Hick's real-life wife, actress Ellaline Terriss apparently is in this film as well.

We get some introductory material, including a “modern” shot of the birthplace of Charles Dickens, then we see “Dickens” sit down to write “A Christmas Carol.” You can just see him start to write “Marley…” before the shot changes.

We’re then introduced to Scrooge (with a lot of text from the book) as he heads to his office.

Our first look at him seems like a mug shot! He looks to me like someone who had escaped a chain gang or something. If they panned out, we’d probably see that he’s chained to Paul Muni!

But he’s a businessman known for his less than sunny demeanor, as he’s harassed by a bunch of kids throwing snowballs at him. They’re supposed to be carolers, but they seem to be more interested in bugging Scrooge. This put me in mind of the kids singing “Father Christmas” to Albert Finney in “Scrooge” from 1970.

When Scrooge’s nephew Fred makes his entrance in a bit, he actually gives them money, supposedly for caroling, but it looks like extortion!

Before Fred comes in, however, we see Bob Cratchit carrying Tiny Tim to the office. He lets Tim down and leaves him there while he goes in. Not sure what Tim is supposed to do all day. This makes me think of the scene in “A Christmas Carol” from 1984 when George C. Scott yells at Tiny Tim to stop begging in the early scenes.

I wouldn’t imagine this movie had any influence on those later productions, but it’s interesting. Hey, we could even say the opening part showing Dickens writing anticipates “The Man Who Invented Christmas!”

Before Cratchit goes in, Scrooge yells out the window and tells him to quit fooling around!

Fred comes in for his usual back and forth with his uncle. I don’t think we’re ever told his name is Fred, though.

A curious scene comes next as Cratchit introduces a poor woman in need of help. Scrooge naturally declines to help and talks about the prisons and surplus population and all to her. Bob does give her a coin while showing her out, however.

So, this must be instead of the standard portly gentlemen collecting for charity, right?

Nope, as after Scrooge yells at Cratchit for trying to sneak some coal, an actual charity solitor comes in and we get a little more Scrooge rhetoric.

I’m not sure why there are two scenes like that, but it does establish that this is one mean Scrooge!

When Cratchit is about to leave and Scrooge reluctantly gives him the next day off, Scrooge actually gives Bob a Christmas present. Granted it’s a new quill pen so he can “work better,” but still, a present is a present!

I think Scrooge stays in the office rather than going to his house, or perhaps he lives in the office. It seems pretty clear that he falls asleep, indicating that what happens next is a dream.

Scrooge hears some clanking and at this point the film is tinted red. An interesting effect.

Marley’s Ghost comes in. He’s transparent and wrapped up in a big sheet.

Marley’s Ghost says that he’s acting as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. I can understand them wanting just one ghost, especially since this was shot in 1913, but it seems odd for Marley’s Ghost to namedrop the other spirits if we aren’t going to see them.

Similar to some other silent versions, they don’t leave the room and the images are projected for Scrooge to see.

The past sequence first shows lonely Ebenezer at school with Fan coming to bring him home. Marley’s Ghost says that Scrooge abandoned Fan later in life. Wait, that’s different! Usually we hear that Fan had died at some point, which helped shut Scrooge off from other people. He abandoned her? And then insulted her son earlier that day!

We next have Belle, whom we see addressing the camera for the big breakup. We don’t see a younger Scrooge in that scene.

Meanwhile, old Scrooge is carrying on quite a bit as he sees these images.

Next, Marley’s Ghost says he’s acting as the Ghost of Christmas Present and shows Scrooge the Cratchits enjoying their Christmas dinner. We get the toast to Scrooge, Mrs. Cratchit squawks and Tiny Tim looks at the camera to say his famous line.

Scrooge asks about Tiny Tim and then we actually see him die! That’s disturbing!

Also disturbing is the writing on Scrooge’s tombstone, which reads “He Lived and Died Without a Friend.” I know I’ve seen that in another silent version. Do I really want to go back and find out which? Hmmm...

Scrooge winds up back in his room and the red tint ends. He yells out the window to the kid, then brings the kid inside. He asks him if he knows Tiny Tim and whether he’s still alive (predating Alec Guinness's similarly awkard question to Bob Cratchit in 1950)! This doesn’t faze the kid who said he’s alive, as he saw him “with his father tonight.”

This last remark seems to indicate that this is still Christmas Eve rather than Christmas morning.

Since the kid (who’s actually pretty big) knows the Cratchits, Scrooge gives him some money to get the prize turkey and deliver it in a cab.

Now, oddest of all, Scrooge imagines himself enjoying the feast with the Cratchits. He’s not really there, but this imaginary Scrooge takes the liberty of kissing Mrs. Cratchit with the help of some handy mistletoe! Is Mrs. Cratchit played by Mrs. Hicks and this was a sly nod? I think that's fun, so I'm going with it!

Scrooge also mouths “God bless us, everyone” without an inter-title to tell us what he said.

Scrooge snaps out of his reverie and sees the gang of kids out the window, so he throws a bunch of money down to them.

The next inter-title tells us that he going to make a round of Christmas Eve calls, including letting Fred know that he’ll join them for dinner.

So, this was still Christmas Eve. What time did Marley come then? And why were those kids still hanging around in the street?

We skip ahead to the morning after Christmas where the inter-title tells us that Scrooge plays a “grim” joke on Bob Cratchit. If it’s grim to have your salary raised, give me some of that grim!

Scrooge quotes Tiny Tim and… scene!

So, what we have here is a fairly average silent movie, which would’ve passed muster in 1913, but must have seemed ancient to 1926 audiences.

As for 2020 audiences, there’s not much to offer to casual fans, but to a die-hard Scrooge buff, the younger Seymour Hicks makes it a must-see.

Just don't expect too much!

"Old Scrooge" (1923) - Part 1

"Old Scrooge" (1923)
Director" Leedham Bantock
Scrooge: Seymour Hicks

Next on our Scrooge radar is the American 1926 Pathé release "Old Scrooge" starring the noted Sir Seymour Hicks!

This is case of unintentional truth in advertising as the "Old" part of the title was added to the British film of 1913, the 1926 version being some sort of repackage.

I'm not sure if the original 1913 British film still exists, but at least we have this reissue print to give us a chance to see a younger Seymour Hicks, who, of course, would later star in the 1935 British film "Scrooge."

This probably makes him to play actor to star in both a silent and sound version of "A Christmas Carol."

Sir Seymour had been playing Scrooge on stage since 1901, so he was used to the part by 1913, but the limitations imposed upon him by this movie don’t give him the chance to really show his stuff.

Still, he really remains the main (only?) point of interest here, as the movie is pretty run-of-the-mill if you’ve seen other silent versions.

His 1935 “talkie” better represents him as Scrooge, I think, but it is kind of cool to see him in footage from 22 years earlier.

I’m not sure if the 1926 version (“Old Scrooge”) is available online, but you can get it on DVD for pretty cheap if you’re interested. But consider yourself warned!

Next, we’ll break the thing down…

"A Christmas Carol" (1923) - Part 3

Now that we've dissected the 1923 British silent version of "A Christmas Carol," a few words about the cast seem in order.

Russell Thorndike, who plays Scrooge, was around a long time and had a fairly distinguished career as an actor and writer.

Sybil and Russell in 1954 with... Ralph Richardson!

He was overshadowed in the acting department, however, by his older sister, Dame Sybil Thorndike, a legend of the British stage.

Russell was 48 years old when he played Scrooge, so he apparently needed the big, wacky, white wig to look the part.

He seems to do an OK job, but the surviving print quality and relative lack of closeups make it hard to tell of there were any subtleties in his performance.

Getting big billing here is Nina Vanna as Mrs. Fred. This may have been her first movie. She was 23 years old and had been born in Russia. She doesn’t get a lot to do, but she’s lovely.

This picture's from 1886!

The mystery to me is the billing of Forbes Dawson as Fred. There was a British actor with that name, but he was born in 1860. That would mean that he was 63 when this movie was produced, but the onscreen Fred seems young - certainly not 63. This movie has its issues, but they couldn’t have gotten the billing so wrong, could they? Is this his son, maybe? Forbes Dawson, Jr.?

The billing does not seem to have been mixed up with Jack Denton, credited as Marley’s Ghost, as he was 51 at the time, which seems about right. I can’t find a “regular” picture of Jack Denton. Plenty of pictures of James Denton, but if I wanted those, I would have asked!

It’s curious that the actor who plays Bob Cratchit is uncredited, as that’s a fairly large character in the movie and in the scheme of things. I think he looks and acts the part just fine.

Topper and his fiancée also do not get billing, so we’ll probably never know who they are.

So, a serviceable cast, if not given a lot to work with.

Next!

"A Christmas Carol" (1923) - Part 2

If you got the chance to watch the 1923 British silent version of "A Christmas Carol" featuring Russell Thorndike as Scrooge, you'll probably agree that it had some interesting things going on, but is mostly unremarkable.

This movie is not really a good representation of the state of movies in 1923, as it seems more primitive than it should be. Although sound and Technicolor were a few years away from common use, mid-1920s cinema had hit a pretty good stride.

This movie seems rooted in the past, however, as it's set-bound and low budget, with competent, if not advanced special effects, running only about 27 minutes.

Such other 1923 releases as Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last" and Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" are light years ahead in technique and execution and still hold up as entertainment.

As is often the case, a lot can be said about what a particular movie isn't, but let's talk about what this one is.

It only has 27 minutes to tell the story, so you know a lot will have to be cut. As always, I'm intrigued by what makes the cut, what doesn't and what gets added.

What strikes me most about this  particular adaptation is that things are sometimes out of order. I'll let you know what I mean as I go along.

The beginning scenes in Scrooge's office have all the elements you'd expect, with Bob Cratchit and the coal, Fred and (just one) charity solicitor. Our knowledge of the story fills in any gaps and it's easy to tell what's going on, although there are some inter-titles to help us.

This version features Fred and "Mrs. Fred" more than most and the first "out of order" instance involves them, as mixed in with the office sences is one of Fred, his wife and sister-in-law preparing for Chrostmas dinner.

Fred's dialogue is basically what he would say in the Christmas present sequence. We'll soon learn why he has to say it now.

Fred's wife sister is not plump, by the way, but we will also later see that she's the counterpart of the plump sister from the book.

Fred figures into the wackiest sequence of the move as well. When he leaves Scrooge's office, he meets an overgrown street urchin and gives him a coin.

So far so good, but when the kid starts singing outside Scrooge's office, Scrooge comes out and whacks him over the head with a big ol' ledger!

Who wore it better?

I certainly don't condone such behavior, but he kid was obnoxious. He looks like an overage "Our Gang" kid. Mickey Daniels, maybe?

In any event, after the office closes, we cut to Scrooge already in his room. Marley's Ghost comes in and he's transparent in a decent if not groundbreaking special effect.

Marley's Ghost tells Scrooge the usual things, but they also seem out of order, as he mentions the spirits (on three successive nights) first, then talks about the chains, then talks about roaming the earth.

To add to the oddness, Scrooges tosses in his "gravy/grave" quip toward the end and asks, "Why do spirits walk the earth and why do they come to me?" after Marley's Ghost just told him!

Although Marley's Ghost said the first spirit would come the next night, he shows up pretty quickly.

He introduces himself as the Ghost of Christmas Past and he's tiny! Since they were using trick photography to make him transparent, someone had the good idea to shrink him too. I like it!

The movie's already half over by this point, so this spirit only gets the chance to show Scrooge one image from the past. It's the breakup with Belle, and it's just sort of projected in Scrooge's room. They don't leave the premises.

The spirit then puts on his little tiny cap and vanishes!

The next spirit shows up right away and Scrooge still hasn't gone to bed, so it must be the same night.

He's also transparent but giant. He bills himself as the "Spirit of Christmas Present," so he obviously did not coordinate with the previous spirit.

Now we know time is limited, but the spirit will at least show Scrooge the Cratchits having Christmas dinner so we can see Tiny Tim, right? Nope!

The odd thing with this scene is that the spirit says he will visit Fred and Bob "to-morrow" (although tomorrow would be December 27 if Marley knew what he was talking about) but he and Scrooge never leave the room and there are no visions! Scrooge pleads to this spirit, but he says he can't stay and poof! he's gone!

It seems like an odd choice to not have any mention of Tiny Tim at all. I imagine that 1923 audiences would have been disappointed.

But, the next spirit has already come through the wall and he "talks" (with the help of an inter-title)! Why he needs to talk in a strictly visual medium, we don't know.

He say he's the "Spirit of the Future," so he clearly did not get the memo!

He actually does bring Scrooge outside of his room and shows Scrooge his own grave.

Scrooge makes his final plea and is right back in his chair, grateful for the second chance.

Next we cut to Fred's house where we see Topper proposing to Fred's sister-in-law, who's still not plump! Fred and Mrs. Fred see this and congratulate them as they sit down to Christmas dinner.

I think this is a fun add-on, as I always think Topper is underrated and I don't like when he's presented as borderline creepy. He's very charming here.

At this point, Scrooge seems to be telling the offscreen maid that he'll let himself in. He does and Fred and his wife and sister-in-law and Topper welcome him warmly.

Scrooge also slips Fred a huge wad of cash as a present, so he's definitely welcome!

An inter-title seems to indicate that Scrooge meets with Bob Cratchit later on Christmas Day. Bob also won't mind, as Scrooge doubles his salary and serves him from the Christmas bowl of smoking bishop.

We would be all set, but just to keep things slightly off-kilter, now Scrooge says his "happy as an angel..." bit to Bob (instead of first thing Christmas morning when he finds he's back in is room).

We needed something, though, as Tiny Tim's famous line never gets in there!

So, what we have is an intertsing relic that's mostly for completists. There's nothing here for modern audiences and not much for silent movie fans otherwise.

But, as always, I'm glad that such things were made at all and still survive!