There is no way to get around it, and I originally posted this review ten years ago-this is the definitive Scrooge. My family is bigger than when I first wrote it and my husband, kids and I watch it every year without fail-often on Thanksgiving night to usher in the season. Somehow Alastair Sim perfectly balanced the cruel and parsimonious traits of the unreformed Ebenezer with the hilarity and humility of the redeemed one, making each characterization seem undeniably believable. Though all the much anticipated scenes (the appearance of Marley's ghost and the three spirits, for example) are excellent, it is the little moments of the film that really touch the viewer: the sweet encouragement of the nephew's maid; the seedy atmosphere of the merchant's lair where Ebenezer's effects will be sold, literally off his back; the swift descent of the undertaker to capitalize in his most competitive of businesses; Fan's deathbed. "In keeping with the situation", this movie should be seen early and often once the Thanksgiving leftovers are safely in the fridge. And I dare you not to hum "Barbara Allen", or that mazurka, while decorating the Christmas cookies!
Review of A Christmas Carol
