GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

writers_reign Apologies to Variety for borrowing their headline (Styx Nix Hix Pix: a reference to cinema patrons in rural America objecting to the way they were portrayed by Hollywood) and adapting it to include the star of this film (Sir) Seymour Hicks. Primarily a man of the theatre this was his most famous role and he played it several times including this, the first 'talkie' version of the old war-horse. For the time it presents a solid adaptation and although it is structured around Hicks the rest of the cast are all up to snuff. Several reviewers here have expressed surprise that rather than end with Tiny Tim's verging-on-immortal @God bless us, everyone' the film ends with Scrooge taking a pew next to Bob Cratchit in church and joining him in a rendition of Hark, The Herald Angels Sing. That, however, may be splitting hairs.

Byrdz With a story that has been made so many times and in so many different ways, the trick is to not compare versions so I won't. BUT there are several versions of the 1935 Seymour Hicks "Scrooge". There is the public domain sixty minute copy and several longer ones of varying lengths. All are available on You-Tube. I had watched a murky public domain VHS copy, and after reading the IMDb boards, found that I had missed some key scenes. I chose the longest available one on-line. Good idea ! Several mysteries were cleared up by seeing all of the film. Most noticeable is just where Mr. Scrooge suddenly got all of those nice new clothes. The interaction with the butcher alone is worth watching the longer version ... it's quite funny !Another scene that is omitted from the shortened version is a charming family piece concerning the making and serving of the Christmas Pudding.Hicks is wonderful as Scrooge. Because he is a totally unknown actor to me, I could see him as Scrooge and not be distracted by his "real" self or any other characters he had played. The same for all of the other actors. One un-intentionally funny note is the scene with Scrooge's former fiancé and her actual family... she has literally dozens of dancing children with many of them of the same age. I like the invisible Marley and the suggested ghosts. Listen to the voice of Marley and see if you agree as to who it is said to be. (Hint = invisible!) <--- edit: said to be an urban legend. The film is very atmospheric and the music is very mood setting and enhances the action. It's quite suspenseful and downright creepy at times. Scrooge's transformation seems genuine with him being eager to improve as a man as the story progresses. Recommend giving this version a try. I predict that it will be in your top 3 favorite Scrooges too.

Leofwine_draca SCROOGE is an early British adaptation of the famous Dickens story, A Christmas CAROL. It features a strong central performance from noted stage actor Sir Seymour Hicks who makes his Scrooge a dastardly creation who you enjoy seeing getting his comeuppance. Despite the low budget, a lot of effort has gone into making this an atmospheric piece with fog-swirling streets and the like.Obviously, SCROOGE has dated a fair bit since release, and more recent Scrooges have made this all but forgotten. It's dated and a bit creaky, as are a lot of 1930s films, and it doesn't help that the quality of the print has deteriorated significantly over the years. The low budget is sometimes apparent when we only hear rather than see the ghosts. Nonetheless, I think it does a good job of capturing the spirit of the Dickens original, and the effort of the cast and crew can't be faulted.

Mark Stenroos I've never warmed to this version of A Christmas Carol, probably because I've been spoiled by the wonderful Alastair Sim version. While I find Hicks' portrayal of Scrooge to be quite good and believable, the production itself feels a bit raced through - because it's missing 18 minutes of footage from the original version! - and is lacking human warmth. It's also quite a drawback that there are no special effects at all to speak of when it comes to the portrayal of the spirits. Old Marley's ghost isn't even seen, and the Ghosts of Xmas Past and Future are pretty basic. The opening of the film is quite good in establishing a real feel for London of the 1840s, especially with the not-refined playing of the amateur street band.The blu-ray brings a bit of improvement to the DVD version I own as part of VCI's "UCE" of the Alastair Sim version (which - like the BD under review - is also the 60-minute "cut" version of the 78-minute original). The included colorized version is so drab as to not seem to be in color at all. Little if any effort has been made to clean up or sharpen the film's image, though the soundtrack is relatively quiet for such an old film.Still, it's good to have different versions of this classic story available on film. I would certainly rank this production higher that the horrible George C Scott version, which is over-produced to within an inch of its life, and which has in Scott possibly the worst portrayal of Scrooge ever set down on film.Okay and nothing more.