A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1984)

Scrooge’s gravestone was broken: to begin with. There’s no doubt whatever about that. Though Scrooge was never alive to begin with, being a fictional character of Charles Dickens’ iconic 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. And yet when the 1984 film adaptation sought a prop for the revelatory third act, the St Chad’s church in Shrewsbury chiselled our protagonist into a genuine gravestone where the name had weathered completely. Then 40 years later, a true Scrooge had smashed the popular tourist attraction in twain. If there’s anything to learn from the classic tale and its many iterations, despite the most unscrupulous behaviours, the magic of the Christmas spirit will prevail…

Good friend and Frame Rated colleague Alexander Boucher influenced me in recent years with his tradition of imbibing merrily in Christmas Carols. Not one, nor two, but as many as we can handle over the holiday season. In our Scrooge sessions, the idiosyncrasies that each cast and crew bring shine brighter in close comparison and reinforce the timeless meaning of old Ebenezer’s night of supernatural introspection.

One unassuming made-for-TV version from 1984 has been heralded by many as one of, if not the, definitive retelling of Scrooge recounting his wicked ways. Director Clive Donner had edited the other definitive version, Scrooge (1951) with Alastair Sim, and knew to not upset audiences seeking comforting familiarity with the story they know and love. No twists, gimmicks, or muppets to be had here, and yet Donner weaves in just enough subtle distinctions for this entry to stand by itself.

“Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!” Dickens’ wonderful prose is evocative for readers of all ages but translating that into the physicality of acting is the enduring challenge. One can lean on the cartoonish nature with Jim Carrey in 2009 but the literal animated performance lacks that needed touch of humanity. Then there’s honing in on the behavioural side with Guy Pearce in 2019 which tests the limits of forgiveness from audiences. Critic Ariel Feist reconciles with the various interpretations and the lasting message from the novella that “there certainly are and were plenty of wealthy individuals throughout history who undoubtedly can be described as monsters. Having him be so evil and without sympathy makes Scrooge seem almost irredeemable and even a little unrealistic.”

So how does George C. Scott stand in the rankings? Well for one he’s an American “who does not make any effort to have an English accent in a movie that takes place in England with an almost entirely British cast.” And despite that, his approach reveals a captivating effort in understanding the complexities of the character comprehending his own redemption.

Many performances interpret Scrooge as a petty villain who indulges in wanton cruelty. The reality is most politicians, CEOs, or other rich people simply don’t care about you. In a TV-budget adaptation lacking in theatrical flash, the first impression of Scott’s performance could be indifference. But that is precisely the character not the actor. Demonstrating an impeccable reading of the source material, Scott portrays “a person like Scrooge with the means to help and change the world for the better, who feels that he’s entitled to his wealth because of the struggles he endured, [and] may simply be unaware of why he should.”

Visited by three spirits, the climaxes of each visit can serve as momentous shifts in Scrooge’s personality in a broader performance. The beauty of Dickens’ dialogue is that every line is Shakespearean in the sense that it allows for endless nuances in renditions. Scott delivers a real person set in his ways but accepting enough to listen since he has no choice. Critic Eric McMillan accentuates; “Giving in on some points, dismissing others, being seduced by some scenes of jollity or hardship, closing his mind against others.” Not a caricature in broad strokes, each and every moment is given due consideration.

Most crucially, this Carol is a film worth watching rather than putting on during a Christmas party. George C. Scott carries a persona with expectations of boisterous explosions of rage and Scrooge is an exceptionally reactionary character. But if he splutters with incandescent self-righteousness throughout then is he ever listening in order for his transformation to matter? Responses consist of dismissive gestures or offhand comments, it takes three spirits to draw blood from a stone when this is a man unshaken by his life-long business partners’ depressing and lonely death.

McMillan recognises “this may be annoying to viewers who await the declamation of famous lines only to have them tossed off as if unthinkingly,” but don’t expect Scrooge to exclaim “humbug!” as if he’s aware that’s his own catchphrase. It’s simply a thought he expresses in reaction to the moment. When he orders his assistant Bob Cratchit (David Warner) to not fuel the fire in their office, that isn’t because he revels in abject misery, it just saves money. Donner and Scott produce a Scrooge that is genuinely difficult, and thus engaging, as he does not recognise the goodness of Christmas cheer from the badness of his own miserly outlook. If it’s cold, put on your coat. Why should he be accosted in the middle of the night by three ghosts? This Scrooge doesn’t see the error of his ways.

The supporting cast help lighten the festivities to contrast Scrooge’s disquieted introspection. The three spirits of Christmas have always been ripe for dramatic flair and there are no shocking redesigns here. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Angela Pleasence) is, as per usual in these adaptations, a fair bit creepier than the Christmas Yet to Come spirit, but it serves the haunting nature of Scrooge grasping his past decisions. Scrooge’s father (Nigel Davenport), mentioned by Dickens but never seen, makes an onscreen appearance to reinforce the sympathetic inevitability of his character. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Edward Woodward) brings the boisterous warmth of other incarnations but Woodward wields a shocking turn in temperament to rattle Scrooge. An unusually confrontational Present who has no qualms in spitting back Scrooge’s hypocritical insults to get through to him. The Cratchits don’t need nor want his newfound pity not when he spent every present day actively keeping Bob Cratchit in poverty. The Ghost of Christmas Future (Michael Carter) is the most predictable one, flowing black robes evoking Death, though the direction is so understated his inevitable appearance is nevertheless unnerving.

There are recognisable faces aside from Scott such as David Warner, Susannah York, even Michael Gough has a small supporting role. What one might not be aware of is that Donner filled the cast largely with real non-actors from the shooting location of Shrewsbury. Journalist Katy Rink documents more than 450 locals were used to fill the streets lovingly made up with fake snow to represent Victorian London. Office worker and one-time actor in 1984, Bob Jameson reminisced, “They advertised locally for extras—people with interesting faces. It was a love affair between the film company and the people of Shrewsbury. We loved having them. They loved being there.”

It’s here that the authentic mirth and community that the classic ending represents shines through. Danny Davies was cast as a merchant haggling with Scrooge, “When we finished, George asked me: ‘shall we run your lines for your next scene?’ I didn’t know I had another scene!” Samuel Kuhl was overjoyed at her Hollywood salary, “I got paid £20, which seemed a lot to a nine-year-old.” Nancy Searby who got the role of young Alice Cratchit couldn’t believe she also got to go to “the premiere in London on the red carpet with the Queen in the audience!”

There were many children given the chance to be on television especially five-year-old Anthony Walters. Chosen at his school for the pivotal role of Tiny Tim, who did not die, it was a tremendous bet for Donner to have faith in the common people. A commitment that Walters learnt fast on the job during his first scene with Scott: “His complete change of personality terrified me. I froze on the spot and burst into tears. That was the first time I understood this is what real acting was.” In hindsight it makes Alexander and I feel like real scrooges for annually retweeting, “Utterly horrifying Tiny Tim. So frightening he’s impossible to root for. I don’t want him to get better.” for the last several years.

Shrewsbury town crier Martin Wood, who used his towering figure to double for the Ghost of Christmas Present (without Edward Woodward’s stilts), has performed annual tours on all the picturesque locales shot by Donner. He regales every visitor with the significance of their town that “it was originally a choice of Chester or York, but the two producers decided that each would visit one of the cities and meet somewhere in the middle and so they chose Shrewsbury!” It also happens to be where the very first public reading was conducted by Dickens himself.

The festive season was in part Hollywood magic as the frozen lake was sheets of polythene on plywood with gallons of washing-up liquid sloshed down to slide the ice-skaters along. But it had that authentic English temperature for Scott to forgo the traditional nightgown and slippers and stay fully dressed during his ghostly jaunt. Despite the frosty climate there was plentiful warmth found during production. One day Donner asked Wood where his wife was and learnt in true British fashion she didn’t want to bother the fast-working crew with her wheelchair. Donner promised “every day you’re on set I want your wife here as well,” and arranged to have Mrs Wood sit beside him at the director’s chair for the rest of production.

There’s no traditional way to mark the success of an adaptation that aired on TV, no box-office nor recorded ratings. Scott was nominated for an Emmy for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Special’, which was well earned. Shrewsbury is still as busy as ever with their Christmas Carol tours, and fittingly to the novella, we end at the broken gravestone of Ebenezer Scrooge. But that’s not the triumphant jubilation Dickens leaves us on…

“The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like!” It takes the mortal Midland Masonry a little longer, and graveyard repairs require church approval. But within 48 hours and emergency permission by the Diocese of Lichfield, the wonderful landmark has been fully restored. This is not the first or the last Christmas Carol, nor is it the flashiest or most famous, but it provides real, living proof of the power in Charles Dickens’ words.

UK • USA | 1984 | 100 MINUTES | 1.33:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH • PORTUGUESE

Cast & Crew

director: Clive Donner.
writer: Roger O. Hirson (based on the novella by Charles Dickens).
starring: George C. Scott, David Warner, Angela Pleasence, Edward Woodward & Susannah York.