Adam Rock Having read the book a couple times, and have watched every notable Hollywood production of the tale, this version is far and away the best and most faithful to the original book. Not ever detail is precisely from the book (but so what); the over-arching story is most accurate and captures the real essence of the story. (For those who don't know, Dickens continued to edit and re-write his one man stage performance for many years after publication of the book, so don't be so petty as to demand perfect adherence to the original novel if Dickens himself didn't.) Stewart nails Scrooge; head and shoulders above all other actors playing this role. My biggest complaint is that it was clearly edited for TV time constraints and I just wish they would release a "directors cut" with a few scenes being more fulled expressed. This version is a must-watch every Christmas. A+

cdjole Well, for the start, I'd just like to say that I loved this adaptation of the Christmas Carol. The first one I ever saw was the adaptation in Blackadder back in the 90s. The second one was this one. And after seeing a few more, I have to see that this one is still the best. For one, Stewart's Scrooge isn't cartoonish in his hatred of Christmas, even though it was sort of a norm in many adaptations. He is more subtle and such leaves us with a more realistic Scrooge IMHO. Patrick Stewart presents well the emotional cripple that is Ebenezer Scrooge and his fears of abandonment and betrayal. Instantly you see that Scrooge is a deeply tortured person. Also, the spiritual transformation is very organic, and you can see the key points in which Scrooge starts doubting himself, before he finally sees the error of his ways. The supporting cast is pretty damn good overall. Richard Grant conveyed the misery and helplessness, but certain and occasional hopefulness (brought on by the holidays) of Bob Cratchit quite marvelously. Now TV star Dominic West is truly masterful in his role as Fred. Interactions between him and Stewart have brought us some of the best scenes in any of the adaptations. The effects aren't top notch as far as technology for that time goes, but are presented to us in such a manner that they don't really seem out of place. The story is quite faithful to the Charles Dickens story. And one more thing that was very important to me: The movie conveys the fact that it is Christmas masterfully. Some movies fail utterly to deliver this feeling. But here, the sets are just right, the lighting, the extras, the music, the props... Everything makes you believe that its Christmas. In the end - I love this movie.Whenever December comes by I always enjoy watching it. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

ma-cortes Charming and worthwhile adaptation about timeless and quintessential Christmas story . ¨A Christmas Carol¨ is an enjoyable British production, a wonderful and straight forward approach to the Dickens's source material being perfectly adapted . It is given the full sense of wonder , a deluxe treatment in this superior TV film . The production values & acting are both excellent, with just enough attractive to appeal to the tenderhearted , and with some doses of horror , case of the potentially frightening elements the Ghosts of Past (Joel Grey), Present (Barrit) and Future , adding sentiment ; all of them are blended into the mix , until , like a nice Christmas punch , the result appeals to all . Scrooge (Patrick Stewart) is a miserly old businessman in 1840's London . He displays no charity to mankind generally, and in particular, to his employee Bob Cratchett (Richard E. Grant married to Saskia Reeves) and his unfortunate son, Tiny Tim . One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of Marley (Lloyd), his dead business partner. He is warned that he must change his miserly ways or face damnation. Marley foretells that Scrooge will be visited by three spirits, each of whom will attempt to show Scrooge the error of his ways . In Just One Night , He Has Seen His Past, His Present, And His Future. And They've All Come Back To Haunt Him Will Scrooge reform his ways in time to celebrate Christmas? . To his delight, the spirits complete their visits in one night giving him the opportunity to mend his ways. The first spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Past, shows Scrooge visions of his own past in which had spent much of his childhood neglected by his father over the holidays at boarding school until he was finally brought home by his loving sister , who died prematurely after giving birth to his nephew Fred (Dominic West). A past in which appears a young Scrooge (Doughty) and including a broken engagement to his girlfriend (Laura Fraser) . Will Scrooge change his life in time to celebrate Christmas? .A wonderful recounting of a Christmas vintage classic and Patrick Stewart demonstrates once again his versatility on screen in this retelling of Charles Dickens' immortal story . Atmospherically, the movie is as comfortable and heartwarming as an old Christmas card . The whole concept of looking at your life in the past, present and future is creative in and of itself . After watching the movie, you may look at your life from the same perspectives . Special effects add a nice little touch , but it is Patrick Stewart's interaction with the 'ghosts' and various characters that really steal the show . Though most of us , if not all of us, have seen other adaptations in the past or read the story , and know already what to expect, Stewart manages to capture pure magic with his stunningly awesome portrayal of main character Ebenezer Scrooge and it is definitely worth a look . It's fun and different approach to the Christmas classic with acceptable effects by means of computer generator . Furthermore , an emotive musical score by Stephen Warbeck and an appropriate cinematography by Ian Wilson add assets in this splendid TV film . A highly recommended picture that nobody should miss it especially during Christmas time . ¨David Hugh Jones's Christmas Carol¨ still ranks as one of the best TV adaptations of the Dickens classic ever . This retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption will appeal to Patrick Stewart fans .Other versions about this stunning story courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions are the following : The rather obscure 1935 version,with Sir Seymour Hicks ; adaptation released by MGM , directed in 1938 by Edward L Marin with Reginald Owen ; the 1951 British production with Alastair Sim and the 1970 musical by Clive Donner with Albert Finney. Under the title of 'A Christmas Carol' a cartoon rendition (1997) by Stan Phillips and voiced by Tim Curry and another (1991) by Jimmy T Murakami with Simon Callow ; in addition adaptations made by classic animated characters as ¨Mickey Mouse's Christmas Carol and ¨Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol¨ . Finally the made-for-TV productions: 1984 with George C. Scott , 1999 with Patrick Stewart, and the 2004 musical with Kelsey Grammar and the recent made by means of Motion Capture starred by Jim Carrey and directed by Robert Zemeckis .

Michael_Elliott Christmas Carol, A (1999) *** (out of 4) Beautiful looking version of Dickens' play has Patrick Stewart taking on the role of Scrooge. Everyone knows the story so there's no point in going on about that so how does this version stand up? I've said several times that the original story is so good that you'd have to try very hard to make a bad film out of it and with that in mind this version here works just fine even though there are a few flaws. What I enjoyed most about the film was its actual look from the cinematography to the lighting to the costume design and art direction. The production of this, I'm sure, had a small budget but you'd never notice by watching the film because the images are just so striking that they will certainly remain in your mind. The ghost of Marley is perhaps the best I've seen in any version with his ash-like look that really captures the feeling of the spirit. The other three ghosts also look quite nice compared to everything else that is on the screen. The visuals have quite a bit of CGI but it never takes control of the story and for the most part the director does a great job at not making it too distracting. Some of it comes out quite beautiful like the scene where Scrooge pretty much walks away from his love for money. The visuals here are quite striking as are the ones showing the ghettos of the town. I think a minor problem with the film is Stewart himself. He gives a good performance but there are times where it seems like he's trying to do something completely original with the role that he goes a bit over the top and takes one out of the mood of the film. A good example of this is when he first wakes up after the visits with the spirits and then again when he first wishes Cratchit a Merry Christmas. The supporting cast are all good in their roles and Stewart does handle some of the softer moments a lot better as well. In the end, this certainly isn't the best version out there but I think there's enough here to recommend to fans of the story of just Christmas fans in general.