Carol McKee Marque

I couldn’t get past the bad acting and the poor dialogue. I only finished it because I liked watching the stunning visuals.

Frightening. I don't even know how to rate this movie. On the one hand it was well made and had my interest, on the other hand, there was something sinister at play that I'm unsure was intentional- to wit, the overt alcoholism and the teacher that encouraged an anxious student to drink hard liquor so he would perform well on his exams.

The screenplay was one of the best I've seen of this classic Victorian story by Dickens. It was deep and meaningful. The acting was stellar. The setting although bleak was realistic and gorgeously rendered. Although the script didn't follow the book (find me a movie that does) it was daring, thought-provoking, and helped to make further sense of the Scrooge character. He wasn't just mistreated by his father but sold for implied sex favors as a boy, in exchange for free tuition to the headmaster of his private boarding school. Hence the old story of the abused becoming the abuser. I also liked the obsessive-compulsive aspect of Ebenezer and at times I wondered if he might be on the autism spectrum. Between his attachment to his dead partner Jacob Marley and his disinterest in having "intercourse" with Mary despite her standing naked before him, made me think perhaps he might be gay. In all, I found this version of Scrooge fascinating and far more complex than the other film versions. And as despicable and terrible as he was, I couldn't help but want him to recognize his sins and defects and then seek redemption. The only criticism is that it dragged a bit at times. Perhaps that was just me though. I highly recommend this movie!