Product Details

• Actors: Alastair Sim, Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns, Hermione Baddeley
• Directors: Brian Desmond Hurst
• Writers: Charles Dickens, Noel Langley
• Producers: Brian Desmond Hurst
• Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: VCI Video
• DVD Release Date: November 2, 1999
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (241 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000JT8Z
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,819 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "A Christmas Carol (Original B&W Version)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This is the desert-island choice of the many versions of A Christmas Carol, with a magnificent, full-bodied portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge by Alastair Sim that leaves everyone else in the dust. Lean and direct, this film's version of the story wastes no time trying to impress viewers with the magical nature of the spirits' visitations. Director Brian Desmond Hurst keeps the focus on Scrooge's life story, beautifully simplifying and underscoring the theme of lost women with a haunting musical refrain from the folk song "Barbara Allen." Sim's commitment to the role is at times astonishing; his Scrooge's Christmas-morning ecstasy is a marvel of giddy technique. Watch for Patrick Macnee (Steed in The Avengers) as the young Jacob Marley--the actor made his screen debut in this 1951 production. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

139 of 149 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the Standard, November 25, 2002

By	History Man (Potomac, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christmas Carol (50th Anniversary Edition) (DVD)

There are two superb film adaptations of this Dickens classic; this one and the 1984 TV film starring George C. Scott. Both do justice to the original novella far beyond any other dramatizations. However, it is this 1951 British version that got there first and no doubt inspired the 1984 remake. Both Alastair Sim and Scott breath life into the character of Scrooge and make him a three-dimensional personality whose life and fate take on far greater meaning than they do in the hands of other actors who have taken on this role. Sim, of course, became the definitive Scrooge by first taking the character seriously and by portraying Scrooge as more than a simplistic cardboard cutout. For those of us who were raised on this version of the film, Sim will always "be" Scrooge. That does not detract from Scott's performance at all and he was quoted as saying he knew from the start that he could never hope to match Sim's effort. Nonetheless, he succeeded in carving out his own highly credible, compelling portrait of Scrooge which stands beside that of Sim's, like two magnificent paintings sharing the same wall. Both films should be enjoyed and appreciated as the fine, individual achievements that they are and both will stand as "definitive" for a very, very long time. We are the richer for having such a marvelous choice.

69 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A haunting ghost story, December 6, 2001

By	Zack Davisson "All Good Things" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Christmas Carol (2 versions: Colorized & Original Black and White) (DVD)

Somehow, across the years, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his three ghosts has been transformed from it's spooky roots to light-hearted family fare. Scrooge is not so much evil, as grumpy. The ghost's tend to amuse rather than frighten.

This black-and-white version of "A Christmas Carol" maintains the horror roots of the story. Jacob Marley is one of the most frightening ghosts to haunt the silver screen. He grows intolerant of the idea that Scrooge is not frightened, and howls his rage and frustration. The Ghost of Christmas Past is an impersonal specter, cold and distant. Present is jolly and yet quick to anger. Future is the grim shade that he is supposed to be.

The back story of Scrooge is told in greater detail here than in any other version. He resents Fred, not because of his Christmas cheer but because his birth caused the death of Scrooge's beloved sister. He not only remembers the good times at Fezzywig's, he remembers putting Fezzywig out of business later in life. Alastair Sim brings this character to fullness more than any other actor. The Christmas morning scene is a delight, and worth the wait.

As a bonus, the Fleischer "Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer" is included on this disk. This is clearly Santa Claus by the people who gave us the first animated Superman. The animation is fluid and dynamic. One of the best extras on any DVD.

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cheap Transfer Interferes with Great Film, December 11, 2005

By	C. Vaaler (Scottsdale) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Starting from the cheap computer effects introduction from third-rate VCI Entertainment and an ancient Patrick McNee video introduction, my heart sank -- I knew immediately that I had been had. The DVD said "restored and remastered from the original 35mm negative", but this could not be further from the truth. The picture and audio is atrocious, belying the no-budget nature of this release. Be under no illusions -- there was no restoration or remastering involved here. It is amazing that such a fraud would be perpetrated in this age of routine restorations of even the most mundane films. Perhaps Criterion can get a hold of this.