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A Christmas Carol

Play trailer Poster for A Christmas Carol 1951 1h 26m Holiday Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Crotchety Victorian businessman Ebenezer Scrooge (Alastair Sim) has no use for festivity, even at Christmas. After resentfully allowing timid clerk Bob Cratchit (Mervyn Johns) to have the holiday to spend with his loving wife (Hermione Baddeley) and family, Scrooge is swept into a nightmare. The ghost of his late partner, Jacob Marley (Michael Hordern), appears, warning that Ebenezer will be visited by three more spirits who will show the coldhearted man the error of his parsimonious behavior.

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A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Travers The Travers Take 5d
4/4
When I’m asked to name a great performance that never won an Oscar, my go-to is always Alastair Sim, the Scottish acting titan whose dazzling, definitive performance as Scrooge belongs in the cinema time capsule. Go to Full Review
Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 12/16/2022
5/5
[Alastair Sim's] Dickens antihero is definitive, a cynical brute who nonetheless seems to be hiding tiny glimmers of kindness behind those huge, sad and soulful eyes. Go to Full Review
Donald Clarke Irish Times 01/10/2017
4/5
Watching most versions, the viewer is tempted to punch happy Scrooge. Here we yearn to share a sherry with the newly jolly rogue. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 11/30/2024
3.5/4
Many great actors have tackled the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, including George C. Scott, Michael Caine, and, of course, Scrooge McDuck. Yet the definitive Ebenezer Scrooge would be the great Alastair Sim’s interpretation. Go to Full Review
Rachel Wagner rachelsreviews.net 05/03/2019
A+
The cinematography is uniformly strong with gorgeous shadows, lighting and atmosphere. Go to Full Review
PJ Nabarro Patrick Nabarro 11/10/2018
4/5
Inarguably the definitive and best adaptation of Charles Dickens' seminal Christmas fable. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Mike V @Mike26 5d Charles Dickens' Joyous Holliday Classic! Scrooge (released as A Christmas Carol in the United States) is a 1951 British Christmas fantasy drama film and an adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843). It was produced and directed by Brian Desmond Hurst 🎄 It’s very good! 😀 I’d definitely recommend it 👍🏼 Ebenezer Scrooge malcontentedly shuffles through life as a cruel, miserly businessman, until he is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve who show him how his unhappy childhood and adult behavior has left him a selfish, lonely old man. See more Chip W @Treepoe 6d This has been my favorite version of A Christmas Carol since I was just a boy (and I’m sixty-three now)b Alastair Sim ABSOLUTELY IS Ebenezer Scrooge! The best at grouchiness and the best at joyfulness. I try to watch this version every Christmas season. Other versions (and there are so many) just don’t compare. See more Karl P Dec 8 My favorite version of Dickens' classic story of Christmas redemption. Sim's Ebeneezer's heartbreak over the childhood loss of his dear sister Fanny is so palpable, it usually brings tears to my eyes. And so many of the supporting cast is at the top of their game as well. See more Tad W. @tadwent Nov 28 Watch it every year. I would put it @ #2 behind It’s A Wonderful Life. See more Kalissa H. @kali_416 Nov 26 The 1938 version is my favorite, but this iteration is pretty good too. I enjoyed it. See more Enjae O. @Enjae Oct 18 The ONLY version I watch! See more Read all reviews
A Christmas Carol

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Movie Info

Synopsis Crotchety Victorian businessman Ebenezer Scrooge (Alastair Sim) has no use for festivity, even at Christmas. After resentfully allowing timid clerk Bob Cratchit (Mervyn Johns) to have the holiday to spend with his loving wife (Hermione Baddeley) and family, Scrooge is swept into a nightmare. The ghost of his late partner, Jacob Marley (Michael Hordern), appears, warning that Ebenezer will be visited by three more spirits who will show the coldhearted man the error of his parsimonious behavior.
Director
Brian Desmond Hurst
Producer
Brian Desmond Hurst
Screenwriter
Noel Langley
Production Co
George Minter Productions
Genre
Holiday, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 28, 1951, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 20, 2016
Runtime
1h 26m
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