Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843, and proved such an enormous success that he followed it with three more Christmas books that combined ghosts with the festive season. The BBC’s 1977 adaptation remains one of the most faithful and enjoyable, notable for its strong cast and impressive visual style, inspired in the main part by the original illustrations by John Leech, while the ghost sequences make ingenious use of special effects and impressionistic limbo sets.
This compact adaptation stays very close to the original, reproducing much of the dialogue verbatim. What anchors this adaptation, however, is Michael Hordern’s Scrooge. He completely dominates the production, equally convincing as a cynical curmudgeon in the opening scenes and, later, as a panic-stricken old man terrified by the vision of his own dismal death. His final redemption and re-birth as a kinder and more generous human being is appropriately joyous and heart-warming. – Sergio Angelini
Written by Arnoud Tiele and dramatised by Elaine Morgan.
Starring Michael Hordern, John Le Mesurier, Bernard Lee.
Included in the BBC Drama Collection as DVD 36.
Note: This version only seems to be available via the Charles Dickens Complete Movie Collection, and only as PAL (not for North America Region 1 players).