1938: A Christmas Carol (82nd)

What else happened this year? War in the East, while in the West a lot of stuff that suggests that a full World War would be inevitable - Sudetenland goes back to Germany, for one. A quick internet search suggests that it was only this year that the discovered Arabia had petrol - amazing.

What is the plot - in one sentence? We meet Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable old man with a dislike of Christmas.

I don't have time, just spoil it for me? He’s visited by three spirits of Christmas, as well as the ghost of an old business associate. They show him how being miserable will lead to his demise, and because of this he has a complete change-of-personality and becomes psychotically happy and generous.

What is the meaning of the title? Thinking of it, it’s a bit weird that it’s called Christmas Carol because that is usually a type of song.

This is a small part of the Cratchit family, weirdly stroking the goose's corpse as though it was a living puppy.

Anything that's not aged well? Does a woman get slapped around? Can you imagine? There’s nothing of the sort, there’s some implied child death, but that’s all right, it was Victorian times.

Any thoughts? I hadn’t seen a non-Mickey Mouse version of this (or the Muppets, come to think of it), - I certainly haven’t seen a straight live-action version of this, because it’s such a classic. I was mildly fearful it would be too reverent, and was delighted that within a couple of minutes, the Donald Duck nephew character was sliding along with a crippled child on his back.

In this age before ice skates, sliding seems to be one of the few pleasures open to people, save for actively fighting in the streets (something that the ghost of Christmas present has a much-needed magic cure for).

Like all the best Christmas Carol’s, a lot hinges on Scrooge being a completely miserable old git. More hinges on him becoming a certifiable madman at the end of it too, and the Scrooge in question is more than up to the task.

The Cratchett family, which seems to number in the low hundreds, are shown enjoying Christmas and coo and gabble like maniacs for a goose, and for punch, and then for pudding. I was therefore surprised that they’re relatively restrained when Scrooge rocks up with gifts for them at the end. Seriously, they’re stroking the feathery corpse of a goose like it’s a puppy.

In Tiny Tim news, I was disappointed that he was actually pretty big and healthy looking, but happy to note that he, and one of his sisters at least, remain alive at the time of writing. I’m aware that it’s a bit morbid, watching movies and looking up who’s alive, and making a note of child actors who are now well into their nineties, but I don’t have a lot of love in my life right now. 

The sister who is alive still, who found huge fame later on on Lost in Space, was the legitimate daughter of the actors who were playing the Cratchit parents, which is pretty nice.

Would you recommend this? As mentioned before, I hadn’t seen a non-comedy, non Mickey version of it, but it’s a pretty well defined tale by now and is sentimental and nonsensical. I enjoyed it, but perhaps I’d enjoy it a bit more a bit closer to Christmas itself!? (Note, I watched it in, August - time of publishing is December, eep)

Final thoughts? Tiny Tim is carried around by his dad for a bit, and it looks like an ordeal. It’s close to being an ironic nickname.

The ghost of Christmas past turns up and she’s gorgeous, and the ghost of the future needed to be a lot more gaunt (it didn’t say anything, but the arm with which it pointed was fleshy and youthful looking), I want basically a skeleton arm pointing there.

I always think of a Christmas Carol from an article I read that stated that as Ebeneezer doesn’t celebrate Christmas, is a tight-fisted money lender, and has a weird name, he's a Jewish parable. I can’t even remember if that is from a pardoy or not. Anyway, keep going!

Enjoyed this? check the rest here. Didn't? Well, you can go fuck yourself here.