If there is one thing people must watch at Christmas it has to be a version of Scrooge. Based on the Charles Dickens a Christmas Carol it is the story of a grumpy old miser who hates Christmas. When visited by three ghosts during the night of Christmas Eve he is shown the error of his ways.
Scrooge is part of our culture; there is no way of getting around that really. I’m sure everybody has heard somebody getting called “a Scrooge” if they show signs of hating Christmas or even “bah humbug” by the cynical Christmas hating people out there when they see others enjoying the festive spirit.
One thing I noticed about myself is I have an obsession with this movie and the people who played the titular character so I thought I would do a top 5 to show who I think are the best and of course why. So let’s begin.
5.Patrick Stewart
We all know Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard of the Enterprise, the bald headed sometimes Borg always hero who pretty made Star Trek the Next Generation arguably the best Star Trek but there was (and now is again) a time when he was a Shakespearian actor. This pretty much means he can be one hell of an actor when he wants to be and have we ever seen him acting badly? I doubt it quite honestly.
In 1999 in a Christmas Carol Stewart took the part of Scrooge and did a very good job. Why does this not put him at the top of this list as the best Scrooge? Because of the competition he has to be called the best Scrooge. He beat George C Scott and Albert Finney to take this fifth spot so he’s beaten off stiff competition to get to this point
4.Scrooge McDuck (voiced by Alan Young)
How could a cartoon character beat Patrick Stewart on this list? It’s very simple really. Mickeys Christmas Carol is one of the best versions you will ever see. Part of the magic is that you see all the cartoon characters made famous by Disney taking roles you know from the classic story. My favourite may be Goofy as Marley, he manages to get the storyline points over to the watcher yet still manages to keep his “goofy” character alive by falling over his chains and being the usual klutz that he is.
This is about Scrooge of course so I can’t finish talking about this version without mentioning Uncle Scrooge of course. How can you not love Uncle Scrooge? So popular that he went on to have this own cartoon with his Nephews in Duck Tales? I bet you can hear the theme in your head right now can’t you? Uncle Scrooge is the perfect character really he was made for this cartoon but went on to live the life that only Scrooge could, even though it’s arguable that in Duck Tales he seems to have forgotten what the ghosts told him and is still being greedy, typical of him I guess.
3.Bill Murray
Bill Murray played Scrooge? Well you could argue that his character in Scrooge is not actually CALLED Scrooge but we know that the story is most definitely a Scrooge story. Murray plays Frank Cross a TV executive who is taught the meaning of Christmas by the three ghosts who seem to haunt everybody at Christmas Eve. This version of Scrooge is arguably the funniest and Murray is on fire with this character. If he does anything well he does the cynical but lovable man who should be so easy to hate (because they are creeps) but is too likable a character to hate.
The most entertaining part of this movie has to be Murray’s interaction with the ghosts, especially the Ghost of Christmas Present who in this version is a psycho fairy who takes a lot of pleasure from beating up Frank at every possible chance. What makes this version so good for me is the heart and love that is put into it and the task of making it work of course is all on Murray. He seems to relish playing this character and gives an unforgettable performance (but come on, has he ever let us down with a comical character?).
2.Michael Caine
Yes, Michael Caine makes it to number 2 and it’s not just because of the Muppets. I could probably write a few thousand words totally gushing out my love of the detail gone into this movie especially with the puppets. This movie has Sprocket from Fraggle Rock in it HOW can it lose? (what you didn’t notice him, watch again he appears on scenes where Scrooge is walking through the streets).
Caine though is excellent in this movie. He portrays one thing that to me has been an on running theme with all the actors I’ve mentioned and that is the portrayal of emotions. Scrooge is a character that has a lot of heart, yes he starts out the movies as a grumpy old git but we see from his past what has turned him this way and we see through the present and future how he allows himself to change BECAUSE he has that heart, underneath all the layers of greed and hate there is a man full of lost love in there. That’s why Caine is so good in this role.
Caine is an actor who can convey all the emotions required in his acting and he makes us believe that he is really feeling them. One thing I hate is an actor that can’t do that, that try their best but in the end just come across as fake and a bad actor. Caine seems to really enjoy this role and working with the Muppets and his enjoyment works with the excellent production to make a movie that would even melt the most adamant Christmas hater’s heart.
As with Mickey’s Christmas Carol this version of a Christmas Carol gains so much from the presence of the Muppets. All the favourite Muppets get roles in the story and to add to the comedy some even break roles and fall back into their Muppet characters. Funniest example of this is Sam the American Eagle having to be told by Gonzo not to say America but to say British. It’s the little touches like that that pull in our love for the Muppets and help make this movie so special. The Muppets and Michael Caine, who would have thought that combination, would have been so perfect?
1.Alastair Sim
Alastair Sim is so good in this movie that you never question it, he just IS Ebenezer Scrooge. His acting is so perfect that you really feel for him and what he has to go through in this movie. You have to remember really that the ghosts are taking him through painful memories, the hard harsh reality of the present and the horror of the future that he is making for himself and others. Sim makes us feel compassion for the character and makes us empathise with a man who has gone through such hurt around Christmas time that he has given up on the season and given up on human nature.
He shows us a character who has fallen in love with the only thing that he knows can’t leave him; money.
This version of a Christmas Carol is dark, it’s gothic and it’s a perfect ghost story for Christmas Eve. By the end of course the tone changes as Scrooge becomes the different man and we see such a change in Sim as he dances around his bedroom and conveys such happiness that we fall in love with the character. The likability of such a character is down to the actor and Sim is perfect for this really as he drags us into Scrooges world with such a perfect performance that you’ll remember it above all other versions of Scrooge.
I could be called biased for saying that, but the fact is I’ve seen this movie every Christmas for the most of my life and it never gets old. I would warn though try to get the black and white version and not the “colourised”. I prefer it in black and white and find the colourisation method they used to really add no real improvement to the movie at all. Black and white just has the perfect feel for old movies like this, we don’t need to see somebody can colour in a movie to try convince us the strange results are realistic.
“You missed out….”
Yes, I know I missed out some very good actors in this list. George C Scott, Albert Finney even Kelsey Grammer all did very good version of Scrooge but this is a top five list, I can’t fit everybody on it. I could list every single person who has played the role and then give my opinion on them but really what would that achieve but for me wasting my Christmas creating such a huge list?
A Christmas Carol is a story that will be used for inspiration again and again probably for the rest of time. We’ve even had the 3D fun fair ride version which I’m yet to see so won’t comment on. I will say though from the scenes I’ve seen I think I prefer the un-3D version of the story. I want to enjoy Scrooge’s emotional journey. Not his journey up into the sky or jumping around on the roof. I’ll stick to my good old black and white version and enjoy one of the best Christmas and ghost movies every made.