Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

bkoganbing Lionel Barrymore's loss was the gain of Reginald Owen in this adaption of A Christmas Carol. In that age of radio Lionel Barrymore's radio version of the Dickens classic was a holiday staple and I dare say that there are many places on the globe now which are hearing it. But when it came to doing a film version Barrymore became unavailable so another of MGM's contract players substituted.Much as I would like to have seen Lionel as Scrooge, Reginald Owen makes one fine Christmas miser. And MGM gave Owen a fine supporting cast with Gene Lockhart and his wife Kathleen Lockhart as Bob Cratchit and his good wife and a very precious Terry Kilburn as Tiny Tim.One interesting person in the cast was Barry MacKay who I can't believe came over from the United Kingdom just to play Scrooge's nephew Fred. Across the pond MacKay was a popular light leading man who did several well received films with among others Jessie Matthews. Yet this supporting role seems to be the reason MGM brought him over here. I can't believe they didn't have more in mind.Anyway this version of A Christmas Carol is one great adaption of Charles Dickens's Christmas classic. Even without Lionel Barrymore.

Marc Israel This movie seemed to be longer when seen as a kid, and on TV. It was interesting, sad and uplifting. On DVD 40 years later, for me, it was none of those things. It it obvious, characterized players with the outcome as obvious as was every Reginald Owens expression. He was as accessible as a sale at Nieman and Marcus. Pretentious and uninviting as a serious piece but a nice little snippet of straightforward stage performances to fill out the holiday schedule. My daughter plucked it off the shelf here in July to view, so the message is felt year round, even if old Ebeneezer is too mean to start and on lithium to finish. At least Tiny Tim is sympathetic.

writers_reign It's almost certain that they'll continue wheeling out versions of this seasonal favourite for the foreseeable future and we can take or leave them as we wish. For my money Reginald Owen is much too bland for the lead and Lionel Barrymore in his Potter mode from It's A Wnderful Life could have phoned it in. Likewise Gene Lockhart is really too hearty and jovial for the downtrodden Bob Cratchit albeit he plays well with his real -life wife Kathleen and daughter June. Several posters have drawn attention to the deviations from the book but I doubt that these will impair most viewer's enjoyment of a tale well told and it's a nice touch to have well-known actor-to-be (Spellbound, The Man From Uncle) Leo G. Carroll appearing in something called a Christmas Carol. I took it as part of a four-part boxed set of Christmas-themed films and though I won't watch it again it was fairly painless.

TheLittleSongbird Not the best version of A Christmas Carol(one of Charles Dickens' most famous, best and most accessible stories)- the Alastair Sim and George C. Scott versions, the 1994 Jetlag and 2001 animated films are the only versions below average- and is not perfect. The Ghost of Christmas Past section is too brief and should have been much more- more time, more detail-, the reason why Scrooge seems to have repented too soon in this version, and Terry Kilburn's Tiny Tim is too healthy and overwrought, the character should have a lot of pathos but Kilburn seems to be trying too hard. There is still a lot to like though. The Ghost of Christmas Present section is very heart-warming, definitely of the Three Ghosts sections the one with the most heart, and the one of Christmas-Yet-to-Come will have youngsters diving under the covers, the people in the section observing and commenting on the situation are quite realistically drawn. While not lavish or big in budget, the film still has splendid period detail and shot in lovely black and white. The special effects are not too shabby, though not award-worthy. The whimsical music score, mean-meaning script, heartfelt message that gets its point across and the ceaselessly entertaining and poignant storytelling are other selling points. And the acting is fine on the most part. Reginald Owen does make a great account of himself as Scrooge(if not quite embodying the character like Sim did), while Leo G. Caroll is very spooky if soft-spoken Jacob Marley and Barry MacKay is possibly the best and most likable Fred on screen. Lionel Brahurn's Ghost of Christmas Present is wonderfully jovial, Ann Rutherford is utterly beguiling though deserving of more screen time and Gene Lockhart appeals in how humble he is. Overall, warm, charming and entertaining though not definitive. 8/10 Bethany Cox