A Christmas Carol
1951, Other/Fantasy, 1h 26m
34 Reviews 50,000+ RatingsWhat to know
The 1951 adaptation of Charles Dickens' timeless classic is perhaps the most faithful film version -- and Alastair Sim's performance as Scrooge is not to be missed. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Ebenezer Scrooge
Mrs. Dilber
Bob Cratchit
Mrs. Cratchit
Samuel Wilkins
Jacob Marley, Marley's Ghost
Critic Reviews for A Christmas Carol
All Critics (34) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (29) | Rotten (5)
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Watching most versions, the viewer is tempted to punch happy Scrooge. Here we yearn to share a sherry with the newly jolly rogue.
January 10, 2017 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
Lashings of festive cheer and a fair dollop of fine performances will leave you in the mood for mince pies and a renewed sense of seasonal goodwill to all men.
December 5, 2012 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
A sturdy 1951 British mounting of the Dickens tale, with Alastair Sim contributing a definitive Scrooge.
December 5, 2012 | Full Review… -
Though Dickens' frank sentimentality calls for broad treatment, Brian Desmond Hurst's direction is too often heavy as well.
December 5, 2008 | Full Review… -
Other Christmas Carols need not apply.
November 27, 2008 | Full Review… -
You have what Scrooge himself might call 'Ho-hum-bug.'
June 24, 2006 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for A Christmas Carol
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Dec 10, 2018With so many adaptation of A Christmas Carol out there, when looking at all of them the real question is "what did this one do different?" or "how did these actors read the lines?". Well, to the first question, in this version we get a lot more backstory of Scrooge, showing a businessman taking him under his wing and corrupting him and slowly turning him towards a life of greed. On the one hand, it's hard for me not to see this as the canonical version of Scrooge's life now, even if it wasn't in the book. On the other hand, I really didn't need to see it, and it makes the Christmas past part of the story take up way too much of the screen time. As to the actors, a lot of them are some of the best performers of the material. This is our best Marley, probably our best of the spirits, and in my opinion our best Scrooge. The way Alastair Sim can act so much with just his massive eyes really brings you into the story. That being said, I do wish we saw more of his reactions. It's for this reason I'm beginning to see that stage adaptations of A Christmas Carol may be where itï¿ 1/2(TM)s most at home, where we can constantly see Scrooge reacting to the acts before him, which is really the entire point of the story. All in all, this is definitely one of the better, if not the best adaptation of this story. I can't call it perfect, but then I have a great fondness for this story so I hold it to a pretty high bar. Still, they do a pretty damn good job overall.Michael M Super Reviewer
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Dec 23, 2012It's a classic. The performances are wonderful and the atmosphere is suitably eerie and memorable. It loses a few points, though, for dragging in the middle, but besides a dip in energy, the film still resonates with all who see it as a beautiful and timeless achievement.Matthew Samuel M Super Reviewer
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Mar 29, 2012Amongst the many 'classic' adaptations of the famous story, the Alistair Sim is probably the most recognizable of the Christmas Carols over the years. It goes beyond the Dickens story with some new subplots that are often thought to be part of the story. it shows more of Scrooge as a younger man, and his rise in the business. Some of the characters, such as Scrooge's fiancee are renamed, but the story remains the same, and the Ghost of Christmas Past is returned to the more traditional creature of Dickens story. Also restored are some of the spookier elements of the book, such as the scenes following Scrooge's 'death' that he views, and the sale of his property by the den of thieves. Sim is effective in his transformation from vicious and miserly to reformed and happy, and its probably on this performance alone that the film has had lasting fame. His delivery of the classic lines before during and after his visits is spot-on, and in my view stage-like but memorable. The other characters also come off well, including the Fezziwigs. Watch for a very young Patrick Macnee (later of The Avengers fame) in the Young Marley flashback.Mark K Super Reviewer
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Dec 24, 2011The best version of them all? I'm not sure; further deeper exploration is needed still (animated versions included), but the performances are superb, Alastair is almost iconic and it is magically filmed. It doesn't reach the high level of a classic Dickens' adaptation by Lean, but this is definitely the best version I've seen so far (24 Dec. 2011). Just for the record, it is technically impressive and effectively creepy, too. Humbug! 86/100Edgar C Super Reviewer
A Christmas Carol Quotes
| Ghost of Christmas Present: | If he's like to die, he better do it and decrease the surplus population. |
| Tiny Tim: | God bless us everyone. |
| Jacob Marley: | Mankind should have been my business! |
| Ebenezer Scrooge: | It's all humbug, I tell you. |
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