What The Dickens Have They Done To Scrooge?
Before 1970, no one ever sang "A Christmas Carol."
What the Dickens have they done to Scrooge?
That was the tagline for the 1970 movie musical, Scrooge.
Looking back at this 53 year old film today, it’s hard to believe that in 1969 producers thought turning Dickens’ classic Christmas story into a movie musical was a radical idea.
This is especially true because one year earlier, in 1968, the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, Oliver! was a huge box office hit and won 6 Academy Awards at the Oscars, including Best Picture.
After all that success, why would anyone doubt that making a movie musical from Charles Dickens’ most beloved holiday story was a risky box office bet?
Well, it turns out that back in those days, Hollywood believed that the only musicals that should be filmed were hit Broadway shows like The Sound of Music.
Yet, ironically, by the end of the sixties, movie musicals based on Broadway shows like Camelot and Hello Dolly! were all beginning to lose money.
This was especially true in 1969 when Paint Your Wagon bombed at the box office and lost millions of dollars.
It turns out that nobody wanted to hear Lee Marvin or Clint Eastwood sing.
I can’t imagine why.
So when writer-composer Leslie Bricusse proposed making an original movie musical out of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, producers were hesitant to finance the film.
After all, Bricusse recently had two box office disappointments of his own back to back: Dr. Doolittle (1967) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969).
According to the book Road Show by Matthew Kennedy, Bricusse was only able to convince producers into making Scrooge by hyping up its appeal to families by saying, “The film will make its money back before you can say ‘Merry Christmas.’”
And it turns out he was right.
Almost everyone in my generation who was between the ages of 10 and 14 back then couldn’t wait to see Scrooge in theaters that Christmas.
You see, back in 1970, families weren’t inundated with Christmas movies during the holiday season like we are today.
We didn’t have streaming channels like Netflix, Max, or the Hallmark Channel playing holiday movies 24/7 back then.
Our Christmas films were actually television specials that were shown every year around the holidays, such as Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (1964); A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965); and the animated Frosty the Snowman (1969).
As a result, getting the opportunity to see a Christmas film in a movie theater during the December of 1970 was a big deal for us.
And, from all the comments I’ve read on social media, everyone who saw Scrooge during the Christmas season of 1970 still has fond memories of both the movie and of our parents and/or grandparents taking us to see the film.
For myself, I vividly recall sitting in the center of the of my favorite movie theater, The Indian Hills, as the movie was about to begin. When the lights dimmed, the overture played in glorious 6 track stereo sound that resonated throughout the large 850 seat auditorium. Then the curtains opened to reveal a 105 foot wide, 35 foot high screen.
As Scrooge began, I felt like I was watching a Broadway show on film.
I was transported back to the world of Dickens. It was a magnificent experience.
But that was over 50 years ago.
So why is Scrooge still worth seeing today?
First, the movie is very well directed by Ronald Neame. Neame began his career as a cinematographer in the British film industry in 1933 and later directed his first film in 1947.
Prior to Scrooge, Neame received a lot of praise for directing Maggie Smith in the 1969 film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
As a classically trained director, Neame’s work doesn’t call attention to itself. He’s not a modern auteur like Scorsese or Coppola.
Yet, Neame always knows where to put the camera to get the most interesting shot. He also consistently gets great performances from his cast too.
In Scrooge, the fine acting is a major strength of this movie.
Albert Finney was only 33 years old when Scrooge was filmed, but by undergoing a grueling 3 hours of makeup every day while the movie was in production, Finney was able to transform himself into a hunched over old man who speaks in a raspy voice with a permanent grimace on his face.
Whether he’s barking out insults or shoving kids out of his way, Finney’s Scrooge is a sight to behold. He’s the ultimate curmudgeon.
Finney also gets the chance to humanize his portrayal of Scrooge in the film’s flashback scenes that show Scrooge as a young man.
In those scenes, Finney exhibits a dashing charm that makes viewers pause when they see Scrooge return as an old man. You can’t help but ask yourself, “what the hell happened to him?”
Equally good is Alec Guinness as Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s deceased business partner.
Since Marley is a pale green ghost, Guinness brings a playfulness to the role by moving backwards in an odd way, sitting on invisible chairs, and even floating in the air as Jacob Marley clangs his chains against each other.
Alec Guinness filmed his scenes in Scrooge seven years before he became famous as Obi-Wan-Kanobi in the original Star Wars, so it’s only natural to think that Guinness had a lot of fun playing this role.
However, that’s not true. After Scrooge was released, Guinness whined to reporters that the film took too long to make. He also complained about getting a double hernia from wearing the harness and wires that were necessary to make his ghost fly around rooms and in the sky.
Even so, I believe Guinness’ version of Jacob Marley is one of the best interpretations of that character put on film.
Also great in co-starring roles are veteran British thespians Dame Edith Evans as the Ghost of Christmas Past and Kenneth Moore as The Ghost of Christmas Present.
Here, in one of her final film roles, Dame Edith Evans provides both sympathy and accountability to Scrooge as they revisit his past. The way she clucks her tongue to chastise Scrooge’s past behavior is just perfect. (Note: Scrooge was a reunion for Evans and Finney. In 1963, they both appeared together in the film version of Tom Jones).
As The Ghost of Christmas Present, Kenneth Moore, who was actually shorter than Albert Finney, wore stilts to turn himself into a tall imposing figure. His version of The Ghost of Christmas Present draws on Shakespeare’s Falstaff to give the character a booming voice and a larger than life, joyous quality.
The rest of the cast is also excellent, especially Anton Rodgers as Tom Jenkins and 9 year old Richard Beaumont as Tiny Tim.
Another reason why Scrooge is worth seeing today is because of Leslie Bricusse’s fine script and music score.
Bricusse’s screenplay is a wonderful adaptation of the Dickens’ holiday story. It’s also notable for the amount of time it spends on Scrooge’s childhood and young adulthood, especially in the way it fleshes out Scrooge’s relationship to his fianće, Isabel Fezziwig.
These scenes, which usually aren’t as developed in other adaptations of Dickens’ story, give viewers the opportunity to better understand how and why Scrooge became such a hateful, unhappy man later in life.
However, Bricusse’s screenplay does make one serious mis-step: adding a new scene of Scrooge going to hell. This happens at the end of Scrooge’s encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come.
Unfortunately, the sequence doesn’t work. This is partly because it goes on too long and partly because the filmmakers’ vision of hell has been imagined as the inside of a mouth (presumably Satan’s?) with white tooth-like rocks sticking down from the top of a cheesy looking set that appears to be made out of red paper-maćhe.
This is too bad because Bricusse has some great ideas for this scene, especially when Marley shows Scrooge his new office: a cold, freezing room with a desk just like the one Scrooge made Bob Cratchit sit at every day.
As Guinness’ Marley wryly states, “you’ll be the only person cold in hell. And, you’ll be treated by him (Satan) the same way Bob Cratchit was treated by you.”
But, for me, best scene in the film is when The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come shows Scrooge a possible future where all the people who owe Scrooge money have an impromptu celebration after the old miser has died.
As written by Bricusse and directed by Neame, this sequence transcends the rest of the movie to become one of the most surreal and ironic scenes in any Dickens’ adaptation.
As actor Anton Rodgers’ Tom Jenkins leads the crowd in cheers, Scrooge believes everyone is there to honor him, not realizing that he has died in this vision of a possible future. Scrooge also begins to thank the crowd himself, even though they can’t see or hear him.
In fact, Scrooge is so clueless that even after he realizes that the crowd consists of all his former debtors, he turns to the Ghost of Christmas Future and says, “they all love me and I never knew.”
Even better, when the undertakers carry out his coffin, Scrooge doesn’t realize what’s really happening. Filled with glee, Scrooge merrily joins in as Tom Jenkins leads everyone in singing the film’s best song, “Thank You Very Much,” while they parade Scrooge’s coffin down the street. Once again, Scrooge is so blind to the truth that he doesn’t realize the crowd is thanking him for finally kicking the bucket.
It’s a scene you can’t forget.
Unfortunately, with the exception of “Thank you Very Much,” many critics didn’t care for Bricusse’s score for Scrooge, but I think that’s an unfair judgement.
This is a beautiful score that can be enjoyed on its own as well as in the film.
As I listen to my old vinyl soundtrack album, I’m struck by how melodic many of the songs are, including the ballads “Happiness,”sung by Isabel Fezzwig; Tiny Tim’s “On a Beautiful Day;” and Bob Cratchit’s “Christmas Children.”
Other songs are quite catchy, such as the ironic “Father Christmas” as sung by the street urchins about Scrooge at the beginning of the film, and “I Like Life” which is performed in the movie by Scrooge and The Ghost of Christmas Present.
Near the end of the film, Scrooge’s testament to his transformation, “I’ll Begin Again,” is an emotionally powerful ballad about the power of redemption.
Since it was written in the style of traditional music theatre, the score for Scrooge doesn’t feel dated at all. In fact, it’s amazing how well it holds up today.
The final reason why Scrooge is worth watching now, 53 years after it was made, is because we’re never going to see another movie like it again.
Scrooge was made at England’s Shepperton Studios when the British film industry was at its height in 1969, one year after Oliver! won 6 Oscars. Many of the same craftsmen, costumers, art designers, and staff who worked on Oliver! also helped bring Scrooge to the screen, including acclaimed cinematographer Oswald Morris.
It’s also important to remember that Scrooge was made years before digital technology was invented.
Because of this, Scrooge seems old fashioned to us now because everything in the movie is real and not computer generated, including the sets, costumes, and decor.
Another bonus is all of the singing and dancing extras too. If the film were made today, chances are they wouldn’t use a chorus of 100 people. Instead, the chorus would be digitally created in order to save money.
The result of all this effort is wonderful recreation of 1860’s London on sound stages that brings the world of Charles Dickens alive down to the tiniest detail, from the flickering candlelight in street lamps to the most realistic fake snow I’ve ever seen in a movie.
But perhaps the most important reason to rewatch Scrooge now, over a half century since it was made, is to take a look at the alternative: the almost unwatchable remake Netflix bankrolled a few years ago.
Retitled Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, this cartoon version of Bricusse’s movie musical has some of the cheesiest looking animation you’ve ever seen.
In addition, the setting and characters don’t look like 1860’s London at all.
And, some incredibly bad new contemporary pop songs have been added to the original score.
But, perhaps worst of all, in this Netflix remake, the film’s animators have decided to give Scrooge a companion - a dog!
Does Ebenezer Scrooge look like a dog person to you?
So, for anyone who wants to see an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on film in the way it was originally written, the 1970s musical Scrooge is still worth watching today.
It’s a beautifully crafted, old-fashioned holiday movie that families can enjoy together.
With its talented cast, wonderful music, and period sets, Scrooge is still the perfect Christmas movie for both young and old.
(“Scrooge” is currently available on blu-ray and on various streaming channels. You can also watch the entire movie for free on Youtube by clicking on the link below.)
I have seen Scrooge maybe 100 times. Happy to see it getting some love here.
It's a wonderful piece Jim. I have not seen this version. I have to say growing up when I did, we had Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol and I really miss that. It may have been a bit smarmy but I can still see many of the images and hear some of the dialogue and the songs all these years later. It would be nice to see the Magoo version again but I am afraid it wouldn't be the same as I am not the same. Years ago I made a mistake renting the funniest film from my childhood, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. I barely got through it and thought it was awful. I know, I know, everyone always asks me how could I have hated that film when I saw it again? Sometimes there are films we loved that we shouldn't revisit. I hope all is well my friend.