This telefilm, along with the cherished 1951 Alistair Sim version, are the two finest I have seen, yet I just might give the edge to this one as my personally preferred. It's a tough call to make, as both are wonderful. For this adaptation, George C. Scott is multi-dimensional in a moving performance as the embittered tightwad Ebinezer Scrooge, whose longtime lost love and resentful father have blackened his own heart throughout his life. What Scott brings to his Scrooge is more of a realistic humanity, rather than just some cartoonish caricature. In addition to Scott, the rest of the cast here is splendid as well. And little Anthony Walters as the crippled but optimistic and lovable Tiny Tim is my favorite of any variation of this character. The film is shot in striking color and settings which benefit the Christmas festivities (though Sims' '51 version also worked nicely in black and white for its moody holiday atmosphere). It seems that every version of the story both includes or omits certain details, thus making so many of them worth seeing. *** out of ****
Review of A Christmas Carol
