A Christmas Carol (1951) (Blu-ray/DVD Review)
Directed By: Brian Desmond Hurst
Starring: Alastair Sim, Kathleen Harrison, Jack Warner
Rated: UR/Region A/1:78/1080P/Number of Discs 2
Available from VCI Entertainment
I would hope that by now everyone of you out there know what this movie is all about, but if not allow me to tell you what you should already know. Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge learns the error of his ways through the intervention of the ghost of his former partner and of three spirits in this faithful adaptation of the Dickens classic. Here VCI gives us a Blu-ray/DVD combo that gives us plenty of extras.
A timeless classic is a timeless classic, but it seems like Christmas really brings out the more nostalgic classics that hold special places in a lot of people’s hearts. It is my understanding that to a lot of people like me, A Christmas Carol, from 1951 is one of those nostalgic classics. And that all comes for a very good reason as each performance in this movie is over the top but fitting. It is these over the top performances that make this film stand out so well and remain the classic that it is. There are many versions of Scrooge out there on the market but I’d believe most people would agree with me that this is the essential one.
We can’t help but want to see Scrooge learn the error of his ways, see Tiny Tim deliver his classic line, and get that feeling of joy when Scrooge to his sense. I loved this movie as a kid watching it on Christmas Eve night and I love it even now. And of course in this set from VCI you get this classic in both DVD and Blu-ray and I do believe when you look at the time this film was made and the source you won’t be at all let down with the transfer. I think it looked surprisingly well and holds up great with old school black and white films. So in this set you not only get a great movie but you get a blu-ray with a great transfer to boot. If you want to get into the Christmas spirit this time of year you should really do yourself a favor and snatch up this one in time for the holidays.
– Commentary Tracks By Marcus Hearn and George Cole
– INTRODUCTION BY LEONARD MALTIN
– “”DEAD TO BEGIN WITH: The Darker Side of A Classic””-
– “SCROOGE BY ANOTHER NAME: Distributing A Christmas Carol””-
– “THE HUMAN BLARNEY STONE: Life and Films of Brian Desmond Hurst”
– A SCHOLAR’S VIEW – video narrative by Fred Guida, author of A Christmas Carol and Its Adaptations
– SILENT DICKENS a collection of early examples of Dickens on film. (includes HD: Scrooge -1922, Bleak House 20 mins)
– BONUS DVD!DVD Extras: MORE SILENT DICKENS (SD A Christmas Carol 1914, Scrooge, or Marley s Ghost 1901, Scrooge 1913) “”CAMPBELL PLAYHOUSE: A CHRISTMAS CAROL””- A digitally remastered version of original 1939 radio dramatization, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore. AUDIO ONLY (54 mins) BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAY by Fred Guida (10 mins)”
