Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” was first published on 1843 and has remained a solid seller, and a definer of what Christmas is supposedly meant to mean for nearly 180 years. It has been adapted into plays, radio dramas, musicals, etc. over the years. I won’t bore you with a plot synopsis – you know it – maybe not in detail but enough to get the gist. The three adaptations here take various departures from the original (some considerably more than others) but only to add to the core story rather than detract from it.

Scrooged (1988)
Bill Murray takes the Scrooge role and makes it very much his own. Using the traditional story as a leitmotif rather than any attempt to maintain the narrative in a literal sense, Murray (an obnoxious TV executive) is visited by three seasonal spirits; Past, a somewhat robust New York taxi driver, Present, a fairy-like entity who belies her image by being insulting and physically violent to him, and finally Future, who appears as a looming death-like figure who he first mistakes as an achievement of an over-ambitious wardrobe department. Murray’s Scrooge achieves some personal development and moves from being a self-obsessed, driven jackass to a more pleasant, understanding, cuddlier jackass. Not all conversions are instantaneous and revolutionary!

Certificate: PG
1 hour 41 min
Prime / YouTube
Director: Richard Donner
Cast: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe

A Christmas Carol (2009)
Jim Carrey’s Scrooge avoids the territory you might expect of him and makes a very solid, entertaining, easily understood animated version which is very much targeted at children. It’s more full of action than any other version and yet retains the main form of the story, the feel of the time and all in vivid colour. It’s bright and attractive and gives a superb introduction to the story as a family film to be enjoyed by all ages. It doesn’t pull any punches over the message but avoids too many worrying images that might unsettle younger viewers. Robert Zemeckis, the director, has a notable list of films in his repertoire, and this deserves to sit among the best of them.

Certificate: PG
1 hour 36 min
Prime / YouTube
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth

Scrooge (UK) / A Christmas Carol (US) (1953)
If you’re going to watch this, do watch the black and white version. It’s a good print and nicely filmed, and monochrome suits the story very well. The colourised version just lacks something in definition and finish diminishes the overall feel of the film.
Alistair Sim’s Scrooge defines the old miser immediately on beginning the film, and maintains his curmudgeonly outlook until the Spirits begin to arrive. He struggles through the visit of the Spirit of Christmas Past, quavers and begins to doubt himself with the Spirit of Christmas Present, and finally succumbs to enlightenment with the Spirit of Christmas Yet To Come. All of this is known and expected but Sim’s delivery is superb – not subtle but exaggerated and almost like a stage performance to accentuate the parable. The film occasionally feels a little heavy-handed, overtly sentimental and occasionally preachy but overall it works, and does so better than any version which came after. This, to me, is the definitive version and a regular annual watch.

Certificate: U
1 hour 26 min
Prime / YouTube
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst
Cast: Alastair Sim, Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison