The players (in credits order): Sir Seymour Hicks (Scrooge, a miser), Donald Calthrop (Cratchit, his clerk), Robert Cochran (Fred, his nephew), Mary Glynne (Belle), Oscar Asche (Christmas Present), Athene Seyler (Scrooge's housekeeper), Mary Lawson (poor man's wife), Maurice Evans (poor man), Garry Marsh (Belle's husband), Barbara Everest (Mrs Cratchit), Eve Grey (Fred's wife), C.V. France (Christmas Future), Morris Harvey (the poulterer), Philip Frost (Tiny Tim), D.J. Williams (the undertaker), Margaret Yarde (Scrooge's laundress), Hugh E. Wright (Old Joe), Charles Carson (Middlemark), Hubert Harben (Worthington).The technicians (transposed from the opening credits of the movie): Director: HENRY EDWARDS. Screenplay adaptation: H. Fowler Mear. Dialogue: Charles Dickens. Based on the 1843 novelette, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Photography: Sydney Blythe, William Luff. Supervising film editor: Jack Harris. Film editor: Ralph Kemplen. Art director: James A. Carter. Music scored and directed by W.L. Trytel. Costumes: L. & H. Nathan. Hair styles: Charles. Producer supervisor: Hans Brahm. Assistant directors: Arthur Barnes, James Davidson. Sound recording: Baynham Honri. Visatone Sound System. Producer: Julius Hagen.Produced at Twickenham Film Studios. Copyright 30 December 1935 by Paramount. U.S. release through Paramount: 30 November 1935. New York opening at Loew's Orpheum: 13 December 1935. U.K. release through Twickenham: August 1935. Australian release through 20th Century-Fox: 1 January 1936. 78 minutes. COMMENT: Seymour Hicks was a Scrooge specialist. He'd played the role over two thousand times on the stage before making his initial film version in 1913 (for which he himself wrote the scenario). He'd no need to write the script for this one which follows Dickens so faithfully it even uses the novelist's own dialogue. To put it simply, Hicks is Scrooge to the letter. The other characters are likewise faithful transitions, and all are superbly brought to life here. Produced on an admirably lavish budget, the movie is brilliantly directed by Henry Edwards who imaginatively takes full advantage of the many prodigiously decorated sets. The music score is also a stand-out. In all, this is a truly moving yet spirited production that cannot be faulted even by the most fervent Dickensian. Those who dote on special effects, however, will have a beef. There are very few-and I think the movie is all the better for this restraint. For once, we don't have Marley's ghost visualized before our eyes-aside from his obligatory imposition on the door knocker. Instead we hear his voice and the ominous rattling of his chains. A few present-day critics have complained that Oscar Asche is far from their conception of Christmas Present-yet his appearance and his "business" are based on an extremely popular illustration widely circulated both in the book itself and as a Christmas card in the first half of the 20th century. To depict Christmas Present otherwise would have keenly disappointed most picturegoers. In fact, Oscar Asche was so admired in the part that his name not only became a household word but was widely used as a rhyming-slang synonym for "cash". I've lost count of the number of times I've been accosted in the street by friends, beggars and strangers who asked, "Got any Oscar Asche, mate? Any Oscar Asche?"

SCROOGE is an early British adaptation of the famous Dickens story, A Christmas CAROL. It features a strong central performance from noted stage actor Sir Seymour Hicks who makes his Scrooge a dastardly creation who you enjoy seeing getting his comeuppance. Despite the low budget, a lot of effort has gone into making this an atmospheric piece with fog-swirling streets and the like.Obviously, SCROOGE has dated a fair bit since release, and more recent Scrooges have made this all but forgotten. It's dated and a bit creaky, as are a lot of 1930s films, and it doesn't help that the quality of the print has deteriorated significantly over the years. The low budget is sometimes apparent when we only hear rather than see the ghosts. Nonetheless, I think it does a good job of capturing the spirit of the Dickens original, and the effort of the cast and crew can't be faulted.

I've never warmed to this version of A Christmas Carol, probably because I've been spoiled by the wonderful Alastair Sim version. While I find Hicks' portrayal of Scrooge to be quite good and believable, the production itself feels a bit raced through - because it's missing 18 minutes of footage from the original version! - and is lacking human warmth. It's also quite a drawback that there are no special effects at all to speak of when it comes to the portrayal of the spirits. Old Marley's ghost isn't even seen, and the Ghosts of Xmas Past and Future are pretty basic. The opening of the film is quite good in establishing a real feel for London of the 1840s, especially with the not-refined playing of the amateur street band.The blu-ray brings a bit of improvement to the DVD version I own as part of VCI's "UCE" of the Alastair Sim version (which - like the BD under review - is also the 60-minute "cut" version of the 78-minute original). The included colorized version is so drab as to not seem to be in color at all. Little if any effort has been made to clean up or sharpen the film's image, though the soundtrack is relatively quiet for such an old film.Still, it's good to have different versions of this classic story available on film. I would certainly rank this production higher that the horrible George C Scott version, which is over-produced to within an inch of its life, and which has in Scott possibly the worst portrayal of Scrooge ever set down on film.Okay and nothing more.

The Queen's here, but no little sister Fran. Old Fezziwig is M.I.A., too. Victoria could not have been queen for long in 1843--when SCROOGE is set--so why do the film makers cram this flick with a complete verse of "God Save the Queen"? Worse yet, this ditty is preceded by a long scene in which a convoy of carriages disgorges the Hoi Polloi of London in front of a palace in which the banquet feast is to be consumed. Worst of all, these vignettes sandwich an even lengthier visual cataloging of every food, drink, and dessert item to be presented to Queen Vicky. What were they thinking here?! None of this twaddle is in Charles Dickens' beloved story, and it adds absolutely nothing to this movie. It's as if we had decided to make a film adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's great American novel, THE SCARLET LETTER, and wasted the first hour of the film on Nat's boring Custom's House prologue. Apparently, the print which was digitized for this version of SCROOGE was "half-gone" before its transfer, which certainly doesn't help. With all the grainy gray pea soup fog, this might as well be titled JACK THE RIPPER BUTCHERS A CHR!STMAS CAROL.