A Christmas Carol

Scrooge (1935)

B&W / Colorized – 78m. / 63m. (Edited Public Domain Print) / 61m. (Bastardized Public Domain Print)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 – Fullscreen
Novel By: Charles Dickens
Starring: Seymour Hicks, Donald Calthrop

Scrooge is visited by 3 ghosts to bring him into the spirit of the season. A fair shot at the classic tale offers little in the way of a change in demeanor for Scrooge, captured in Hicks’ performance but does have good period detail. Good luck finding the full version of the film on DVD, however one can procure a bastardized public domain copy on Blu–ray.

Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy.

A Christmas Carol (1938)

B&W – 69m
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 – Fullscreen
A.K.A.: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
Producer: Joseph L. Mankiewicz Novel By: Charles Dickens
Starring: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart, Terry Kilburn, Barry MacKay, Lynne Carver, Leo G. Carroll, Ann Rutherford, D’Arcy Corrigan, Ronald Sinclair, Billy Bevan, Harry Cording, Herbert Evans, Douglas Gordon, Lumsden Hare, Forrester Harvey, Boyd Irwin, Colin Kenny and June Lockhart.

Scrooge is reformed for the Christmas holiday by three ghostly visitors. A good version of the often–filmed Dickens tale boasts of fine performances and good period detail. Admittedly Reginald Owen chews the scenery a bit as Scrooge, but it is forgivable. A couple of trivia notes: 1.) Lionel Barrymore was set to play Scrooge but had to back out of the film production due to illness. 2.) This is the only film with Gene Lockhart, his wife Kathleen Lockhart and their daughter, June Lockhart. Incidentally it is June Lockhart’s film debut.

Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy.

A Christmas Carol (1951)

B&W / Colorized – 86m. (Full Film) / 74 (Out Of Print Video Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 – Fullscreen
A.K.A.: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Scrooge
Novel By: Charles Dickens
Starring: Alistair Sim, Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns, Michael Hordern, George Cole, Rona Anderson, Carol March and Peter Bull.

Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who help him get into the festive mindset for Christmas. Far and away the BEST version of the classic tale. Words cannot do this film justice. The usual notations of high production values and splendid acting can be stated here. I will close by agreeing with film historian and critic Leonard Maltin by saying that this is too good a film to be viewed only once a year.

Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy.

A Christmas Carol (2009)

C. – 96m.
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 – Widescreen. 3D / 2D.  – Motion–Capture Animation / Animated
Writer, Pro. – Dir.: Robert Zemeckis. Novel By: Charles Dickens
Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright and Bob Hoskins

Scrooge has ghostly visitors on Christmas Eve and wakes a new man Christmas Day. Motion–Capture Animation allows the cast to voice various characters in the film. Impressive detail and visuals for animation of this kind. While it is faithful to the book, there are some liberties taken to show off the technology in 3D. Worth watching as these things go though. Suitable from age seven and up in this reviewer’s opinion. Preferably in 3D.

Rated: [PG] – Scary Sequences & Images

Available on 3D Blu–ray, Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy

Thanksgiving Films

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

C. – 30m
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 – Fullscreen. – Animated.

Starring: Todd Barbee, Robin Kohn, Stephen Shea, Christopher DeFaria, Jimmy Ahrens, Tobin Reed. Vince Guaraldi and Bill Melendez.

Charlie Brown must throw together a Thanksgiving dinner after Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown’s house for the holiday. Cute and fun holiday fluff for the whole family to enjoy…

Available on 4K Blu–ray, Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy.

Movie Poster for Dutch (1991)

Dutch (1991)

C. – 107m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen
A.K.A.: Driving Me Crazy

Writer: John Hughes

Starring: Ed O’Neill, Ethan Embry, JoBeth Williams, Christopher McDonald and Kathleen Freeman.

A man, Dutch (Ed O’Neill), makes a grueling trip to pick up his Fiancé s son at his boarding school and bring him home for Thanksgiving with his mom / his fiancé (JoeBeth Williams). The kid turns out to be a jerk that needs an attitude adjustment. Will they get along? Or will they fight at every twist and turn? Only John Hughes could concoct something this simple in story but make it a must watch annually film. Everything works here. Like most films made from a Hughes script, there are a few areas where the pace could have been quickened. However, since that is the only complaint, why worry? Enjoy! A quick trivial note: John Candy was the first choice to play Dutch. Other actors considered for the role, before it went to Ed O’Neill, were: Tim Allen, Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, Robin Williams, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Steve Martin and Chevy Chase.  

Rated: [PG–13]

Out Of Print on DVD but available on Blu–ray & Digital Copy.

Movie Poster for Scent of A Woman (1992)

Scent Of A Woman (1992)

C – 156m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen.

Dir.: Martin Brest.

Starring: Al Pacino, Chris O’Donnell, James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Richard Venture.

A young man, having troubles of his own at his school, accompanies a gruff, blind and old Lt. Col. from CT to NYC during the Thanksgiving weekend and friendship ensues. A wonderful film! Everyone is perfectly cast and Pacino’s performance is haunting and forever lasting as the blind Lt. Col. He won a well deserved Best Actor Oscar® for his perfect performance. While this has little to do with Thanksgiving as a hole, this reviewer watches it annually at that time of year.

Some trivia: The scene where Lt. Col. falls over a trashcan in the street was unplanned. Al Pacino was prepped for the role by a school for the blind. He said he would keep his eyes from focusing on anything or anyone to get the appearance of being blind. Also, he would stay in character in between takes and at lunch and could often be found waking with the cane. Incidentally Pacino turned down the role first. The first choice after him for the role Lt. Col. was Jack Nicholson. Other actors considered for the role, before it went back to Al Pacino were: Joe Pesci, Harrison Ford and Dustin Hoffman. Leonardo DiCaprio auditioned for the role of Charlie. Other actors considered for Charlie were: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, Cole Hauser, Randall Batinkoff and Anthony Rapp. And Chris Rock attempted to audition for Charlie but was turned down. And finally: In addition to winning the Best Actor Oscar®, Al Pacino was also up for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) that same year.

Rated: [R] – Language
Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy.

Home For The Holidays (1995)

C. – 103m
Aspect Raitio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen
Dir.: Jodie Foster
Starring: Holly Hunter, Anne Bancroft, Robert Downey, Jr., Charles Durning, Dylan McDermott, Geraldine Chaplin, Steve Guttenberg, Claire Danes, Austin Pendleton, David Strathairn and Amy Yasbeck.

A woman loses her job, makes out with her former boss, finds out her teen daughter is spending Thanksgiving with her boyfriend and then returns home for Thanksgiving with her dysfunctional family. A lame story almost completely undoes this film. The acting and direction are fine, the story just lacks substance and a reason for the viewers to care about the characters. Notable as a great cast and director who are in great form. Unfortunately when the material one is working with is crappy, there is little to nothing that can be done to save it. A valiant effort but ultimately unsatisfying.

Rated: [PG–13] – Thematic Material, Language & Brief Drug Use
Available on Blu–ray through Shout! Select, DVD & Digital Copy.