How sad is this?

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

I've seen them all and none measure up to Alastair Sim.I first saw this movie on TV as a child around 1958. I have to watch this movie every year otherwise I can't begin to catch the Christmas spirit. As I got older I'd have to scour TV Guide every year to find out when it was airing. Finally I bought a DVD as soon as it was available. Now I have a .avi file I can watch anywhere. Alastair Sim's portrayal of Scrooge's metamorphosis and redemption rings so true you experience it with him Also watch it to see Kathleen Harrison (Mrs Dilber) imho deliver one of the most moving two word lines in film history in her scene with Scrooge on the stairs.

This 1951 version of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is considered by many to be the best and most authentic of the many cinematic versions of the tale. Alistair Sim's interpretation of Ebenezer Scrooge is unparalleled.Set in 1830s London, the story is of Scrooge, a hated miserly financier who's partner Jacob Marley (Michael Hornden) had passed on seven years earlier whereupon Scrooge had seized Marley's assets and taken over control of their company. Scrooge works his poor meek clerk Bob Cratchit (Mervyn Johns) to the bone depriving him of a heated work station and reluctantly giving him Christmas day off each year. Cratchit has a young son Tiny Tim (Glyn Dearman) who is crippled and may soon die.On Christmas Eve night Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley who warns him that his fate will befall Scrroge if he doesn't mend his ways. He foretells of three spirits who will visit Scrooge that very night and disappears. At midnight the first spirit appears, the Spirit of Christmas Past (Michael Dolan) who takes Scrooge (George Cole) back to his youth and shows his relationship with his sister Fan (Carol Marsh) and her premature death giving birth to her son. He is also reminded of his love for the kindly Alice (Rona Anderson) whom he discards in favor of his miserly ways. We see Scrooge apparently content working for Mr. Fezziwig until he is tempted by Mr. Jorkin (Jack Warner) to join him in business. It is there that he meets young Marley (Patrick MacNee) and the two ultimately take over Fezziwig's firm and later that of the bankrupt Jorkin.The second spirit, the Spirit of Christmas Present (Francis de Wolff) , shows Scrooge Cratchit happily celebrating Christmas with his wife (Hermoine Baddeley) and family on the meager resources provided by Scrooge. He is then shown the Christmas happy celebration by his nephew Fred (Brian Worth) his wife and friends. Scrooge had these many years, blamed Fred for the death of his beloved sister Fan.The third spirit, that of Christmas yet to come (Czesalw Konarski) shows Scrooge what will happen if he fails to change his ways. Scrooge awakes Christmas morning and turns over a new leaf by helping out the Cratchits,, giving Bob a raise in salary and joining his nephew Fred for Christmas dinner.There are true elements of horror contained within the story. Michael Hornden's portrayal of Marley's ghost is particularly scary. The third ghost itself is scary as are the things he points out to Scrooge. The housekeeper Mrs. Dilber (Kathleen Harrison) is comical as she "picks the bones" of the old miser in the future segment and her reactions to Scrooge when he does a ninety degree personality change at the film's climax.A true classic in every sense but you must watch it in it's original black & white in order to feel the atmosphere of Victorian England. Avoid the colorized version.

Classic performance by Sim and a well shot, if leisurely paced, stately version that does the tale proud. A Christmas tradition!

An old bitter miser (Alistair Sim) is given a chance for redemption when he is haunted by three ghosts on Christmas Eve.This is generally considered the best adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" ever made. That is a bold statement, given how many have been made (dozens, maybe hundreds). But, indeed, if it is not, it certainly ranks among the more prominent. (For my money, "Muppet Christmas Carol" is the best, though it may be a bit different.) Regardless, this one, having been made in 1951, has no doubt influenced future versions for more than sixty years.Worth checking out if you like the story and have not seen this version. It does not stray far from the novella, and therefore is not much different from most other versions, but still has a strong cast.