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The 1938 adaptation of Charles Dickens 1843 holiday classic, A Christmas Carol is not the first, but certainly one of the earliest on screen performances of the novel we all know today. Reginald Owen plays as the stingy business mogul in this MGM classic edition of the tale, but fun fact he was not originally scheduled to play the part. Owen was cast in as a last minute replacement for It's a Wonderful Life star, Lionel Barrymore.
We will never know how Lionel would have done playing the part, but what we do know is that Reginald executes his role perfectly. You can see the genuine fear in Ebenezer Scrooge's face, as he is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and yet to be. The performances are just spot on across the board, from the child actors playing roles such as, Tiny Tim, all the way up to the ghostly appearance of Jacob Marley, played by North by Northwest star, Leo G. Carroll. The casting director selected quite an ensemble that really knows how to work with one another in this film.
The other quality that really impressed me was the lighting, all of the scenes are well lit, especially the night scene in Ebenezer's house right before he is visited by the ghostly figures.
This 1938 MGM classic stays very true to the source material and never lingers on, with a run time of only 69 minutes. This version of, A Christmas Carol is considerd to be one of the best adaptations ever released and currently stands with a 100% rating on rotten tomatoes.
There are dozens of adaptations of the Dicken's classic, but this is a reiteration that is worth a watch.
December 4th
A Christmas Carol (1938)
Directed by: Edwin L. Marin
"Humbug"
-Ebenezer Scrooge
-Ebenezer Scrooge
The 1938 adaptation of Charles Dickens 1843 holiday classic, A Christmas Carol is not the first, but certainly one of the earliest on screen performances of the novel we all know today. Reginald Owen plays as the stingy business mogul in this MGM classic edition of the tale, but fun fact he was not originally scheduled to play the part. Owen was cast in as a last minute replacement for It's a Wonderful Life star, Lionel Barrymore.
We will never know how Lionel would have done playing the part, but what we do know is that Reginald executes his role perfectly. You can see the genuine fear in Ebenezer Scrooge's face, as he is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and yet to be. The performances are just spot on across the board, from the child actors playing roles such as, Tiny Tim, all the way up to the ghostly appearance of Jacob Marley, played by North by Northwest star, Leo G. Carroll. The casting director selected quite an ensemble that really knows how to work with one another in this film.
The other quality that really impressed me was the lighting, all of the scenes are well lit, especially the night scene in Ebenezer's house right before he is visited by the ghostly figures.
This 1938 MGM classic stays very true to the source material and never lingers on, with a run time of only 69 minutes. This version of, A Christmas Carol is considerd to be one of the best adaptations ever released and currently stands with a 100% rating on rotten tomatoes.
There are dozens of adaptations of the Dicken's classic, but this is a reiteration that is worth a watch.