A Christmas Carol

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge
  • George Cole as Young Ebenezer Scrooge
• Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Dilber, Charwoman
• Mervyn Johns as Bob Cratchit
• Hermione Baddeley as Mrs. Cratchit
• Michael Hordern as Jacob Marley
• Patrick Macnee as Young Jacob Marley
• Glyn Dearman as Tiny Tim
• John Charlesworth as Peter Cratchit
• Michael J. Dolan as the Ghost of Christmas Past
• Francis de Wolff as the Ghost of Christmas Present
• Czesław Konarski as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
• Rona Anderson as Alice, Scrooge’s past fiancée
• Carol Marsh as Fan “Fanny” Scrooge
• Jack Warner as Mr. Jorkin, Scrooge’s second employer
• Roddy Hughes as Mr. S. Fezziwig, Scrooge’s first employer
• Brian Worth as Fred, Scrooge’s nephew
• Olga Edwardes as Fred’s wife
• Miles Malleson as Old Joe
• Ernest Thesiger as Mr. Stretch (the undertaker)
• Louise Hampton as the Laundress
• Peter Bull as First Businessman at exchange (also Narrator)
• Douglas Muir as Second Businessman at exchange
• Noel Howlett as First Collector for people in need
• Fred Johnson as Second Collector for people in need
• Eliot Makeham as Mr. Snedrig
• Henry Hewitt as Mr. Rosebed
• Hugh Dempster as Mr. Groper
• Eleanor Summerfield as Miss Flora, Fred’s party guest
• Richard Pearson as Mr. Tupper, Fred’s party guest
• Clifford Mollison as Samuel Wilkins, Scrooge’s poor client
• Hattie Jacques as Mrs. Fezziwig
• Teresa Derrington as Fred’s Maid
• David Hannaford[4] as Boy buying prize turkey
• Catherine Leach as Belinda Cratchit
• Moiya Kelly as Martha Cratchit
• Luanne Kemp as Mary Cratchit
• Maire O’Neill as older Alice’s patient at the Charity Hospital
• Anthony Wager as Mr. Fezziwig’s Lad
• Derek Stephens as a Dancer at Fezziwig’s
• Vi Kaley as Old Lady sitting by stove at the Charity Hospital

Storyline:

Ebenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly, miserly businessman, has no time for sentimentality and largely views Christmas as a waste of time. However, this Christmas Eve, he will be visited by three spirits who will show him the error of his ways.

About A Christmas Carol Movie:

Scrooge (released as A Christmas Carol in the United States) is a 1951 British Christmas fantasy drama film that adapts Charles Dickens’s classic novella A Christmas Carol (1843). Directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, the film stars Alastair Sim in the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge, alongside a notable cast including Michael Hordern, Kathleen Harrison, George Cole, and Hermione Baddeley.

Plot Summary

The film follows the familiar story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly businessman who despises Christmas and all things joyful. On Christmas Eve, he encounters the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley (Michael Hordern), who warns him that he will be visited by three spirits. Marley, bound in chains, tells Scrooge that he must change his ways or face a similar fate.

The three spirits—the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come—take Scrooge on a journey through his life. They show him scenes from his past that highlight his lost opportunities for love and happiness, his current indifference to the suffering of others (particularly Bob Cratchit’s family), and a grim future if he does not change his ways.

Through these experiences, Scrooge learns about compassion and generosity, ultimately leading to his redemption as he embraces the spirit of Christmas.

Reception and Legacy

Upon its initial release, Scrooge received mixed reviews; however, over time it has been re-evaluated and is now regarded as one of the best adaptations of Dickens’s work. Alastair Sim’s performance as Scrooge is widely praised for its depth and nuance, capturing both the character’s bitterness and eventual transformation into a joyful figure.

The film has become a holiday favorite and is frequently broadcast on television during the Christmas season. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1999 for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”

Conclusion

Scrooge (1951) remains a quintessential adaptation of A Christmas Carol, celebrated for its faithful representation of Dickens’s themes of redemption and social responsibility. The film’s combination of strong performances, particularly by Sim, and its emotional storytelling have solidified its place as a classic in Christmas cinema.