The day before the Christmas holiday, Ebenezer Scrooge, a hard-fisted miser, refuses to contribute to the Charity Relief Committee, and then rudely rejects his nephew Fred when he visits Scrooge in his office. When Scrooge returns home, he sees the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley, who warns him of the punishment he will suffer in the next life if he does not change his ways. That night, Scrooge is visited by three more spirits, who show him his past, the present, and the future that awaits him.
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The title "A Christmas Carol" makes it of course obvious that here we have another take on the famous story by writer Charles Dickens and this is certainly among the oldest as it has its 107th anniversary already this year. Dickens wasn't even dead for half a century when this was released. There were quite a few directors working on this one, especially if we take into account that it runs for 14 minutes only (the version I saw did, not just for 11 like it says here on IMDb). Sure the film is crucially hurt by the lack of sound and color, but you cannot really blame the makers for that. This also means that if you hear a score while watching, then this is not original and was added (decades) later. They still did a good job overall here, especially with the ghost sequences that are pretty impressive for their time. The actors are fine too and don't make the mistake of overacting too much, which was a common problem back in the day. The one playing the title character was in fact not even 30 here, but his gray wig hides it pretty well. Intertitles could have been more frequent for sure (another common problem back then), but you understand what's going on thanks to the famous material this is based on. And the latter is also what guarantees this to be a fine watch during the holidays. Not my favorite version (that's probably still the animated one by Disney), but it is worth seeing. If you are looking for other silent Christmas films, then my suggestion is to go for "A Christmas Accident" that came out not much later than this one here.
This tells the story of a maser who is hunted by ghost on Christmas eve. It is very spooky. This great film. It has great acting. It also has a great story line. It also has great special effects. It also has great acting. It is very scary. It tells a very good morale. This movie is a must see. Mac McDermott was a great actor. William Bechtel was a great actor. Vole Dana was great actress. Carey Lee is a great actress. Shirley Mason was a great actress. It is one of the best Ghost stories ever. This movie is must see. 6.1 is under rating it. It is a 9. This a great movie. Great movie great movie great movie great movie great movie.
This is obviously not a full adaptation of Charles Dickens story--it only runs 17 minutes! It assumes the audience knows the story and just basically gives us the highlights. It involves all 4 visits from the ghosts (using some surprisingly good special effects for the time) and flashbacks to Scrooge's life. And it shows his complete change. It's actually very well-done and, for what it is, entertaining. But where's Tiny Tim? Nevertheless, recommended.
Obviously this version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is largely noteworthy for it's historical value since it doesn't have time to delve very deeply into the Dickens story. This one-reel wonder is watchable as long as you have a fondness for silent movies like I do. I'm not so sure others will consider it worth a look.Besides Marley there's only one other ghost, no Tiny Tim and comparatively few dialogue boards. What is left is largely a pantomime performance of the holiday classic but the familiarity of the story makes it easy to follow. What special effects there are are wonderful considering the time period and this will whet your appetite for other silent film versions of the tale.Anyone who enjoys the Edison Company's equally short production of FRANKENSTEIN is sure to appreciate this film as well.