A Christmas Carol
by David Hugh Jones
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DVD details
Actor: Desmond Barrit, Ian McNeice, Joel Grey, Richard E. Grant, Saskia ReevesDirector: David Hugh Jones
Brand: TURNER HM ENTERTAINM
Primary Contributor: Patrick Stewart
Producer: Patrick Stewart
Producer: Chris Thompson
Producer: Dyson Lovell
Producer: Peter Barnes
Writer: Peter Barnes
Producer: Robert Halmi Sr.
Writer: Charles Dickens
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Unknown
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: Pan & Scan, 1.33:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-11-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Turner Home Ent
DVD Reviews of A Christmas Carol
DVD Review: WORST ADAPTATION EVER!
Summary: 1 Stars
Not only is this version boring and dull, there is NO enthusiasm whatsoever from any of the characters. They are protrayed horribly and this movie is not even remotely watchable. If you want a good version of A Christmas Carol, buy the DVD with George C. Scott as Scrooge. Not THAT is a great movie! But don't waste your time with this one, it is really awful! DVD Review: Patrick Stewart as Scrooge left me cold...
Summary: 3 Stars
I have to say first that I really love Patrick Stewart as an actor... and I had high hopes that this version of "A Christmas Carol" would be wonderful. But I have to say that I found his portrayal of Scrooge to be distant and cold (and that's AFTER he supposedly gets 'the Christmas spirit' (!). While I thought Joel Gray did a good job of the Ghost of Christmas Past, I didn't like the actor who played 'Christmas Present' (just expected someone more 'jolly' I guess) and the ghost of Christmas Future was laughable - not scary! as one would want - like something you might see in a third-rate 'spook' house. One of the things I did like was that there was more emphasis on how Christmas was being spent among the working class, poor and imprisoned in London of the day. If I could have given this 3-1/2 stars that would have been my preference (instead of the 3).DVD Review: Possibly a perfect Holiday movie
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the best adaptations of the story - Patrick Stewart is equal parts menacing miser and reformed philanthropist, bringing a frown then a smile to your face. He's one of the best actors of our time, a fact often unrealized, and his skills are put to good use in this must-see Christmas movie.
This isn't one to rent, its one to own. I look forward to every Christmas-season just to rewatch this masterpiece. Such a good movie.
DVD Review: Damn Your Merry Christmas! Patrick Stewart's Stellar Scrooge!
Summary: 5 Stars
Patrick Stewart stars in a delightfully accurate rendition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I would even say it surpasses Alistair Cooks' and George C. Scott's rendition.
Best known for his commanding performance as Star Trek: The Next Generation's Captain Picard, Stewart digs deep into his Shakespearian roots to practically channel the black-hearted miser, Ebenezer Scrooge.
Stewart won Best Actor by the Screen Actor's Guild in his performance. He also had played a one man A Christmas Carol with on-stage performances before coming to the TNT Network for this rendition.
Stewart chose the writer and director and insisted on some CG to make the ghosts "ghostly" and the special effects perfect without overwhelming the story and I think they did that in spades.
The Victorian feel and the gothic presence of the whole Dickens's feel was fun to see. The detail and cinematography were somewhat historically accurate, though the purple coats and striped socks perhaps not so much. A few minor quibbles, such as the ghost of Christmas Present, the jovial, laughing ghost, was more subdued in this one.
Unlike other renditions, Christmas Present travels the world with Scrooge, in the prisons, on boats, in the coal mines, seeing how the poor and destitute celebrate. He throws Scrooge's words back at him with a bit too much relish and sarcasm for my taste.
The Christmas Future is a bit fake with the hood and glowing eyes, kinda like watching a ten foot tall Star Wars Jawa!
The discovery of Scrooge's grave, cracking open and pulling him in, WOW, great effects. The after-story carries the viewer through to the end, with Tim's exclamation of God blessing us, every one, but it's done with taste, no sap.
Another accurate rendition of the book is the Ghost of Christmas Present's two creatures hiding under his cloak -- you don't see that one too often -- the boy Ignorance and the girl Want; if one denies Ignorance, he will engulf you all.
Great quotes include: "Men's actions determine certain ends; if they persist in them but if their actions change, the ends change too." And said only the way Stewart could say them.
Fun little bits such as Scrooge checking the books of his younger self at Fezziwig's and nods approval, or walking into the stock exchange exclaiming how this is his territory.
I've also noted that Amazon carries some fairly crass renditions of A Christmas Carol:
"A Diva Christmas Carol" with Vanessa Williams and "A Carol Christmas" with a female role for Scrooge. I'll save those for Halloween!
The DVD contains a few trailers but that's about it.
And hey, it's a Hallmark special! Rent!
Recommended.
DVD Review: Patrick Stewart in A Christmas Carol
Summary: 5 Stars
This is, by far, the finest perfomance of Dickens' Christmas Carol. The entire cast, including and especially Mr. Stewart uses Dickens' dialogue along with correct for the period slang and expressions in such an incredibly immersive way. The finest example of the great, under praised talent in this film is Stewart's throaty growl of the familiar "Bah, humbug!". It was so good the first time, I put it right back on for an encore screening. Great film!!!
Description of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol ? TNT Original Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek: The Next Generation) stars as Scrooge, the mean-spirited miser who gets his terrifying comeuppance when he imagines he?s visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, and taken on a life-altering journey. Spellbinding special effects, a star-studded cast and a timeless holiday story make this brilliant presentation of Dickens? classic the most heartwarming, compelling and powerful adaptation ever filmed.Year: 1999Director: David JonesStarring: Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Joel GreyStanding out in the crowded field of screen adaptations of the classic Dickens novel A Christmas Carol is hard to do, but this version pulls it off. When a transparent Jacob Marley walks through Ebenezer Scrooge's apartment door, you know you're seeing something both timeless and contemporary. Other strategically placed special effects--a funnel cloud that transports Scrooge and the ghost of Christmas present, the hollow specter of Christmas future--keep you riveted without slipping into anachronism.
But, as good as the technology is, the performances are what really power this 93-minute TNT interpretation. Patrick Stewart brings a depth to Scrooge that allows the character to go beyond the cartoonish qualities that have made him a Christmas mainstay. That doesn't mean he's any less heartless with his hapless employee Bob Cratchit (Richard E. Grant) or any less dismissive of his well-meaning nephew. A frail-looking Joel Grey makes an excellent ghost of Christmas past, and a superb British cast ably fill the remaining roles.
Director David Jones, shooting on location in England and at London's Ealing Studios, has achieved a balance of science and sentiment that will help this version hold up for many years to come. --Kimberly Heinrichs
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