A Christmas Carol (Ultimate Collector's Edition)(B/W & Color)
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Features
• Black & White
• Color
• Digital Sound
• Subtitled
• Widescreen
• NTSC
In Theaters : 1951
DVD Release : 23 October, 2007 |
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DVD : Not yet released |
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A Christmas Carol (Ultimate Collector's Edition)(B/W & Color) description
This is the desert-island choice of the many versions of A Christmas Carol, with a magnificent, full-bodied portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge by Alastair Sim that leaves everyone else in the dust. Lean and direct, this film's version of the story wastes no time trying to impress viewers with the magical nature of the spirits' visitations. Director ... review details
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A Christmas Carol (Ultimate Collector's Edition)(B/W & Color) Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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B&W classic, with color and unexpected extras!
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I have been in love with the Alastair Sim characterization of Scrooge since the first time I saw it. Sim brings a sense of depth, pathos and believability to the role that few others have managed. From the pennypinching, misanthropy of the early scenes to the open-hearted ecstasy in the last, Sim utterly inhabits the role, much to the delight (and edification, I hope!) of the millions who have seen him. Not to mention the phenomenal cast (Kathleen Harrison's Mrs. Dilber is a wonder throughout). The adaptation to the screen is wonderful, with a few scenes added (like Mrs. Dilber's panicked reaction to Scrooge's post-visitastion antics) and always in keeping with the tone, if not the precise wording, of Dickens' masterpiece.
I'm no aesthete, but after suffering many years with a VHS copy of the film, I was at least looking for an improvement from its scratchy images. To my untrained eyes, the black and white ACC is superb -- detailed enough to allow a view of the face behind the gauze of the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come. The colorized version suffers, in my opinion, but makes ACC accessible to those poor souls who cannot tolerate the glory of its original black-and-white palette. You'll notice the problems with this newfangled version at every dissolve and especially in scenes where the addition of color takes the eye away from the main action. It's hard to tear your eyes away from the ragged drapes of the pawnshop scene, whose distracting green pulls the gaze away from the lurid bargaining that goes on beneath them. Still, any edition of the film that calls itself "ultimate" needs to include this version, with its imperfections.
An unexpected bonus! The DVD includes the 1935 Seymour Hicks version of the story, giving viewers a comparison point for the Sim version. While not bad, Sim outdoes Hicks in subtlety and (most importantly) redeemability.
I heartily recommend the Ultimate Edition, and am glad to have added it to my library of Christmas films. To paraphrase Tiny Tim, good viewing, every one! |
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A Christmas Carol (Ultimate Collector's Edition)(B/W dvd movie.