SCROOGE BEST FAMILY FILM, 1970 - 5 Stars ONLY CHRISTMAS CAROL WITH SAME ACTOR IN BOTH ROLES You can say what you like about all the other Christmas Carols out there - but this is the only one (that I'm aware of) in which the same actor plays both the older and younger Scrooge. Every year I watch this film, and every year I am amazed when Albert Finney reappears later in the film as the younger Scrooge. Then I remember that he was only 34 in 1970 when he played this role! Finney is best known for his portrayal of Tom Jones in the film by that name; but I don't believe he ever surpassed his portrayal of Scrooge. I don't think most people even realize that it is the same actor playing both roles because they are so different. He really does look and act like an embittered old man as the older Scrooge AND a hopeful and handsome young man as the younger. It's incredible. Another thing that makes this the best of all Christmas Carols is the over-all look and tone: it is joyfully festive, full of street scenes and interactions with the various people who owe Scrooge money. Other versions are woefully lacking in this aspect. It also contains the best music of all the versions since it is, after all, a musical. The sets are big and wonderful, and the scene in hell is the most developed of all versions. There is also a wit and humor to SCROOGE that is lacking in other versions. Not only is Albert Finney funny as the main character, he is also the butt of endless jokes by the other characters, especially the ghosts. And there is a wonderfully sardonic wit to the Marley character, played by Alec Guiness, that makes him perfect as Marley, and the perfect counterpoint to Scrooge. Other clever renditions are Edith Evans as the Ghost of Christmas Past (the only female ghost that I'm aware of); Kenneth More as the Ghost of Christmas Present (another witty, almost sarcastic character - and unforgettable); Michael Medwin as an amiable nephew Fred; Laurence Naismith as a loveable Fezziwig; and perhaps the best of the Bob Cratchits, David Collings. Collings draws true empathy from us, so that when Father Christmas shows up at his house, we are as overjoyed as he is. Another thing that makes this film special are the children, and the scenes involving toys. After all, this is a Christmas story, and Christmas is, to a large part, about children; yet, in most versions, the kids take a back seat to the grown-ups. Not here. Tiny Tim, played by Richard Beaumont, is as good a Tim as there ever was, and there are plenty of other moments involving kids (the caroling boys that harass Scrooge, the toy shop, the Punch & Judy show, the Cratchit children, the boys choir at the church, etc.) that make this a truly family film. There are many wonderful Scrooges out there, including the classic film version by Alastair Sim, the George C. Scott version and the Hallmark Hall of Fame version starring Patrick Stewart. All are wonderful. But none of them contain a better performance than the one given by Albert Finney, and in none of them does the star play both roles, as he does - and so convincingly. That, plus all the other wonderful aspects of this film, make it the best Christmas Carol to date, and one worth watching every year. Waitsel Smith, December 17, 2005 Text © 2005 Waitsel Smith. Image © 1970 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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