roger_d

I found the Alastair Sim vesion which i think is the best at Walmart for 13.50. The reason i think it's a good deal it's because you get the b/w version and the color version. You guys should check it out.

Keith123

I have this DVD too and like it a lot. The back of the DVD case states the transfer is "fully restored and re-mastered from the original 35mm negative discovered in England".

Here it is on the Wal-Mart website-
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=1078225
"Contains 2 Versions: Black & White and Color. Bonus: Max Fleischer's Technicolor Cartoon "Rudolph,The Red Nosed Reindeer", Special Features:, Special Introduction By Patrick Macnee, Optional Narrative for the Blind, Biographies. "

Here is a review of the DVD-
http://www.dvdtown.com/review/christ...51/12967/2286/

Novasonic

I'm pretty sure this movie was filmed in fullscreen, but I just want to clarify. It's only fullscreen right?

roger_d

Yes, only fullscreen but definitely a great picture non the less.

MISS PEACH

Shipping to me now for 11.17 from the DDD sale!
The classic (1951) ALASTAIR SIM special edition, with both the original black and white version as well as the colorized version.

MISS PEACH

And the (1970) version with ALBERT FINNEY is my other favorite:



PEACH

freudguy

Agreed!

"Thank you very much...Thank you very much...That’s the nicest thing that anyone’s ever done for me"

young

bah... humbug...

marty888

Another great version is the 1984 TV movie directed by Clive Donner. starring George C.Scott, Roger Rees, Susannah York, David Warner etc, - available for $10.33 at DDD:

http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/redir...fier=FXD000751

MISS PEACH

I doubt I would like George C. Scott as Scrooge, since at a minimum I require a British actor for the role. I'm a real snob there, I admit it LOL. I feel that way about most (most, but not all) Shakespeare on film, as well. Although I have made a few exceptions.

I positively loathe the Patrick Stewart (1999) version.

PEACH

bboisvert

MISS PEACH -- I'd suggest that you at least rent the George C. Scott version. It is *extremely* well-made. In my opinion, it's the best filmed version of the story ever.

roger_d

The George C. Scott version was very very slow in my opinion.

Al Padrino

I can't believe it's possible to not have seen the 1951 or 1984 versions, but obviously, they're out there.

The Sim version was my favorite growing up and has since become one of my favorite movies, period. Everything is just so well-done that any other version just seems so second rate to me, regardless of how good it is.

I'm surprised the Reginald Owen version hasn't been released on DVD yet, though. It's way too Hollywood, but that was the third version I grew up watching countless times.

SLeopold

I may have to check out the George C. Scott version. We have a Christmas Carol marathon each year where we watch all the versions we own in one day. We're up to 7 right now (1910, 1935, 1951, Mr. Magoo (1964), Scrooge (1970), Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), and Scrooged (1988)). I'd love to have the 1938 version, and I'm hoping to pick up the Fonzie version before Christmas.

MISS PEACH

Bboisvert, I am intrigued by all of the gushing reviews I've read on numerous DVD sites viz Scott's version. But then I read this on Amazon —
George C. Scott can't quite muster a decent English accent . . .
— and this is where I think I would have trouble with (what must be first and foremost) a very English, very Dickens movie.

Let me say this: That is probably the only reason that I would not rent this iteration during the Christmas season.

But I might still rent this in the Spring or the Summer, since it is the fresh, "intellectually honest" dramatic portrayal that so many people have voiced in these reviews that Scott invests his character with that does intrigue me as drama.

I'm not doing a great job of explaining myself because . . . even I don't really understand why I could tolerate it as drama but not as an interpretation of a Dickens Christmas story.

Oh well. Like I said before, I am a real snob when it comes to anything attempting to pass for British.

PEACH

Joe Molotov

The 1951 Alastair Sim version is my favorite version as well. There's one scene that love that I don't remember seeing in any other version. It's the scene where Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning and he starts laughing and jumping around, and his maid walks in and he decides to give her a Christmas bonus.

Scrooge: "Do you know what this is for?"

Maid: "To keep me mouth shut?"

I have yet to see a bad version of The Christmas Carol though. They're all pretty good. I try to watch several different versions every year. Last year I watched Alastair Sim & Patrick Stewart. This year I might watch the George C. Scott version again, and I get the feeling A Muppet's Christmas Carol is going to be on the menu as well.

theMadness

Alastair Sim version is my favorite also.

Toonview

I'm with Al Padrino: the Sim version is one of my favorite films too. I didn't see it until I was an adult and I was awestruck by it's brilliance. Sim is my definitive Scrooge and they kept parts of the story others gloss over, but even beyond that it's just such a fantastic movie to look at. It's visually amazing.

Al Padrino

Indeed. I'm always impressed they used as much of the Ghost of Christmas Past as they did. You really got a feel for the character going through basically his entire life, unlike the 1938 version which skims through that sequence in about five minutes.

While I'm at it, here are just a few more reasons why I think the Sim version is the superior one:

- Sim is perfect in the role. Plain and simple. Scott was good, but he came off as too mean (if you can believe that) and didn't really sell the epiphany of being changed too well. On the other end of the spectrum, Owen seemed all too eager to change his ways. He seemed like he'd seen the light two minutes after meeting the Ghost of Christmas Present. Sim found a nice medium and remained cold throughout, although you could begin to see an ever-so-slight shift in demeanor as the night went on.

- Marley's ghost is exceptional. He's a bit over-the-top, but he really delivered a strong performance. Marley in the '38 version was too deadpan and the Marley in the '84 version still scares the hell out of me. I mean, I know he wasn't a good person in life, but damn, what a frightful chap.

- The attention given to Scrooge's past. I mentioned it above, but I think we get a better feel for the man because we see every major event of his life transpire in the span of 20 or 30 minutes. Other versions leave you thinking he was just a neglected child. This one does that, but also shows you how he was converted to the dark side by greed.

- The music is excellent. That opening theme still sends chills down my spine. You get the classic Christmas music and suddenly this dark, deep turn hits. It's amazing. The rest of the music during the film is also good, but the main theme is still a favorite of mine.

Joe's marathon sounds cool, too. I may have to give that a shot. I've got the 1910, '84 and '51 versions on DVD already, the Muppet and Stewart ones on the way and the '38 on VHS. I've also got the '35 version, along with two other ones (one of which stars Basil Rathbone), but I'm not a huge fan of any since they're so brief.

Okay, I've rambled on enough, but I still can't believe there are people who've not only never seen this, but have never even heard of it or Sim. This is the essential version to watch. Man, now I wanna watch it.