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A Christmas Carol is a 1984 Christmas fantasy television film adapted from Charles Dickens' novella A Christmas Carol (1843). The film was directed by Clive Donner, who was an editor of the 1951 film Scrooge, and stars George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge. It also features Frank Finlay as Marley's Ghost, David Warner as Bob Cratchit, Susannah York as Mrs. Cratchit, Angela Pleasence as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Edward Woodward as the Ghost of Christmas Present and Roger Rees as Scrooge's nephew Fred; Rees also narrates portions of Charles Dickens' words at the beginning and end of the film. It was filmed in the historic medieval county town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire.
The film has received significantly positive reviews, with general praise going to the sets, soundtrack, cinematography, and the performances of the cast, particularly Scott's portrayal of Scrooge, with many critics and reviewers considering it one of the best adaptions of the novel.
Contents
Plot
On Christmas Eve in Victorian-era London, greedy commodities trader and finance company owner Ebenezer Scrooge does not tolerate the revelry of Christmas, much less comprehend its meaning. He declines his nephew Fred Hollywell's invitation for Christmas dinner, and reluctantly grants his underpaid employee Bob Cratchit's request to have Christmas off as there will be no business during the day. Scrooge later charges three businessmen extra for corn, due to failing to meet his demands the previous day, much to their chagrin. Scrooge then declines to give a donation to charity workers Poole and Hacking, saying that the poor are better off dead. That night, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his seven year dead former business partner Jacob Marley, who warns him to repent his miserly ways, lest he be condemned to the same afterlife as that of Marley's: wandering the Earth for eternity while carrying chains forged from his own greed, forced to witness what he could not share in life. Marley says Scrooge will be visited by three spirits in the night that will try to help him avoid Marley's fate.
