A Christmas Carol starring Richard E.
Grant, Joel Grey, Ian McNeice, Saskia
Reeves, Desmond Barrit
Damn Your Merry Christmas! Patrick Stewart's Stellar Scrooge!
Standing out in the crowded field of screen adaptations of the classic
Dickens novel A Christmas Carol is hard to do, but this version pulls it off.
When a transparent Jacob Marley walks through Ebenezer Scrooges
apartment door, you know youre seeing something both timeless and
contemporary. Other strategically placed special effects--a funnel cloud
that transports Scrooge and the ghost of Christmas present, the hollow
specter of Christmas future--keep you riveted without slipping into
anachronism. But, as good as the technology is, the performances are
what really power this 93-minute TNT interpretation. Patrick Stewart brings
a depth to Scrooge that allows the character to go beyond the cartoonish
qualities that have made him a Christmas mainstay. That doesnt mean hes
any less heartless with his hapless employee Bob Cratchit (Richard E.
Grant) or any less dismissive of his well-meaning nephew. A frail-looking

Joel Grey makes an excellent ghost of Christmas past, and a superb
British cast ably fill the remaining roles. Director David Jones, shooting on
location in England and at Londons Ealing Studios, has achieved a
balance of science and sentiment that will help this version hold up for
many years to come. --Kimberly Heinrichs
Personal Review: A Christmas Carol starring Richard E. Grant,
Joel Grey, Ian McNeice, Saskia Reeves, Desmond Barrit
Patrick Stewart stars in a delightfully accurate rendition of Charles Dickens'
A Christmas Carol. I would even say it surpasses Alistair Cooks' and
George C. Scott's rendition.
Best known for his commanding performance as Star Trek: The Next
Generation's Captain Picard, Stewart digs deep into his Shakespearian
roots to practically channel the black-hearted miser, Ebenezer Scrooge.
Stewart won Best Actor by the Screen Actor's Guild in his performance.
He also had played a one man A Christmas Carol with on-stage
performances before coming to the TNT Network for this rendition.
Stewart chose the writer and director and insisted on some CG to make
the ghosts "ghostly" and the special effects perfect without overwhelming
the story and I think they did that in spades.
The Victorian feel and the gothic presence of the whole Dickens's feel was
fun to see. The detail and cinematography were somewhat historically
accurate, though the purple coats and striped socks perhaps not so much.
A few minor quibbles, such as the ghost of Christmas Present, the jovial,
laughing ghost, was more subdued in this one.
Unlike other renditions, Christmas Present travels the world with Scrooge,
in the prisons, on boats, in the coal mines, seeing how the poor and
destitute celebrate. He throws Scrooge's words back at him with a bit too
much relish and sarcasm for my taste.
The Christmas Future is a bit fake with the hood and glowing eyes, kinda
like watching a ten foot tall Star Wars Jawa!
The discovery of Scrooge's grave, cracking open and pulling him in, WOW,
great effects. The after-story carries the viewer through to the end, with
Tim's exclamation of God blessing us, every one, but it's done with taste,
no sap.
Another accurate rendition of the book is the Ghost of Christmas Present's
two creatures hiding under his cloak -- you don't see that one too often --
the boy Ignorance and the girl Want; if one denies Ignorance, he will engulf
you all.

Great quotes include: "Men's actions determine certain ends; if they persist
in them but if their actions change, the ends change too." And said only
the way Stewart could say them.
Fun little bits such as Scrooge checking the books of his younger self at
Fezziwig's and nods approval, or walking into the stock exchange
exclaiming how this is his territory.
I've also noted that Amazon carries some fairly crass renditions of A
Christmas Carol:
"A Diva Christmas Carol" with Vanessa Williams and "A Carol Christmas"
with a female role for Scrooge. I'll save those for Halloween!
The DVD contains a few trailers but that's about it.
And hey, it's a Hallmark special! Rent!
Recommended.
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