''Scrooge'' is a 1970

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' (1843). It was directed by

Ronald Neame Ronald Neame CBE, BSC (23 April 1911 – 16 June 2010) was an English film producer, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Beginning his career as a cinematographer, for his work on the British war film '' One of Our Aircraft Is Missin ...

, and starred

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining fame for movie acting during the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' ( ...

Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, ''A Christmas Carol''. Initially a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas, his redemption by visits from the ghost of Jacob Marley, the G ...

. The film's score was composed by

Leslie Bricusse Leslie Bricusse OBE (; 29 January 1931 – 19 October 2021) was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films '' D ...

and arranged and conducted by Ian Fraser. The film was a follow-up to another Dickens musical adaptation, 1968's award-winning '' Oliver!''. Both films were shot by Oswald Morris and many of the sets at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of Pinewood Group, the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not ...

were reused for ''Scrooge''. The posters for ''Scrooge'' included the tagline, "What the dickens have they done to Scrooge?", designed to head off any criticism of an all-singing, all-dancing old skinflint. Finney won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy in 1971, and the film received four Academy Award nominations, including for Best Original Song (for "Thank You Very Much").

Plot

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

1860, in London, stingy money-lender

declines his nephew Harry's invitation for Christmas dinner and reluctantly gives his loyal employee Bob Cratchit Christmas Day off. As Scrooge leaves his office, he declines two gentlemen's offer to collect money for charity. Returning home, Scrooge encounters the ghost of his seven-year-dead business partner Jacob Marley. It is revealed that if Scrooge does not repent his miserly ways, he will be condemned in the afterlife as Marley was, carrying a heavy chain forged by his own selfishness and greed. Before leaving, Marley says that three spirits will visit Scrooge that night. At one o'clock, Scrooge is visited by the

Ghost of Christmas Past The Ghost of Christmas Past is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits that appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a visit from t ...

, who takes him back in time to Scrooge's childhood and early adult life. They visit his lonely school days, where he is ultimately taken back home by his beloved sister, and then his time as an employee under Mr. Fezziwig. At a Christmas party held by Fezziwig, Scrooge falls in love with the former's daughter, Isabel. Isabel eventually left Scrooge when he chose money over her. Scrooge asks the spirit to remove him and finds himself back in his bed. At two o'clock, Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present. Scrooge and the spirit visit Bob's house to observe the family's Christmas dinner. The spirit hints that Tiny Tim, Bob's ill son, might die. They next visit Harry's Christmas party, where he defends his uncle from his guests' snide remarks, hoping to know a better side to Scrooge. Before vanishing, the spirit returns Scrooge home. At three o'clock, Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, who shows him the future Christmas 1861, with the citizens rejoicing at Scrooge's death. At a cemetery, Bob mourns at Tim's grave. A horrified Scrooge vows to change his ways as he falls through his own grave into the caverns of

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

. There, Marley shows him to his ice-bound "office", where he will be "the only man in Hell who's chilly" to serve as

Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...

's personal clerk, just as Scrooge had forced Bob to work in a cold office. Scrooge is adorned with a large chain by four masked devils. He cries out for help, his shouts of "help" turning into "hell" and "hellelujah" as he starts losing his sanity, before he wakes up in his bedroom. A gleeful Scrooge then repents. Finding that it is Christmas Day, he decides to bring happiness to London's citizens and goes on a shopping spree, buying food and presents, with the help of children. He runs into Harry and his wife, giving them presents, and accepts their invitation to Christmas dinner. Dressed as " Father Christmas", Scrooge then delivers a giant turkey, presents and toys to the Cratchits and promises to double Bob's salary and that they will work to find the best doctors to make Tim better. Scrooge then frees his clients from their debts and promises to donate to charity. Scrooge returns home and starts preparing for dinner with his family.

Cast

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...

as Jacob Marley *

Edith Evans Dame Edith Mary Evans (8 February 1888 – 14 October 1976) was an English actress. She was best known for Edith Evans – stage and film roles, her work on the West End theatre, West End stage, but also appeared in films at the beginning and t ...

as the

Kenneth More Kenneth Gilbert More (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English actor. Initially achieving fame in the comedy ''Genevieve (film), Genevieve'' (1953), he appeared in many roles as a carefree, happy-go-lucky gent. Films from this period ...

as the Ghost of Christmas Present * Paddy Stone as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come *

David Collings David Collings (4 June 1940 – 23 March 2020) was an English actor. In an extensive career he appeared in many roles on stage, television, film and radio, as well as various audio books, voiceovers, concert readings and other work. He garnered ...

Bob Cratchit Robert "Bob" Cratchit is a fictional character in the Charles Dickens 1843 novel ''A Christmas Carol''. The overworked, underpaid clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge, Cratchit has come to symbolise the poor working conditions, especially long working hou ...

* Frances Cuka as Mrs. Cratchit * Richard Beaumont as "Tiny Tim" Cratchit * Karen Scargill as Kathy Cratchit *

Michael Medwin Michael Hugh Medwin (18 July 1923 – 26 February 2020) was an English actor and film producer. Life and career Medwin was born in London. He was educated at Canford School, Dorset, and the Institute Fischer, Montreux, Switzerland. He first ...

as Harry, Scrooge's nephew * Mary Peach as Harry's wife * Gordon Jackson as Tom, Harry's friend * Anton Rodgers as Tom Jenkins, one of Scrooge's debtors *

Laurence Naismith Laurence Naismith (born Lawrence Johnson; 14 December 1908 – 5 June 1992) was an English actor. He made numerous film and television appearances, including starring roles in the musical films '' Scrooge'' (1970) and the children's ghost fil ...

as Mr. Fezziwig * Kay Walsh as Mrs. Fezziwig * Suzanne Neve as Isabel Fezziwig *

Derek Francis Derek Francis (7 November 1923 – 27 March 1984) was an English comedy and character actor. Biography Francis was a regular in the Carry On film players, appearing in six of the films in the 1960s and 1970s. He appeared in '' The Tomb of Lig ...

as a charity gentleman *

Roy Kinnear Roy Mitchell Kinnear (8 January 1934 – 20 September 1988) was an English character actor and comedian. He was known for his acting roles in movies such as Henry Salt in the 1971 film ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'', Algernon in The Be ...

as a charity gentleman * Geoffrey Bayldon as Pringle, the toyshop owner * Molly Weir as a woman debtor * Helena Gloag as a woman debtor * Reg Lever as Miller, the puppeteer * Keith Marsh as a well-wisher *

Marianne Stone Marianne Stone (23 August 1922 – 21 December 2009) was an English character actress. She performed in films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s, typically playing working class parts such as barmaids, secretaries and landladies. Stone app ...

as a party guest

Musical numbers

# "Overture" (removed from current Blu-ray release) # "A Christmas Carol" – Chorus # "Christmas Children" – David Collings, Richard Beaumont, & Karen Scargill # "I Hate People" – Albert Finney # "Father Christmas" – Urchins # "See the Phantoms" – Alec Guinness # "December the 25th" – Laurence Naismith, Kay Walsh & Ensemble # "Happiness" – Suzanne Neve # "A Christmas Carol (Reprise)" – Chorus # "You...You" – Albert Finney # "I Like Life" – Kenneth More & Albert Finney # "The Beautiful Day" – Richard Beaumont # "Happiness (Reprise)" – Suzanne Neve & Albert Finney # "Thank You Very Much" – Anton Rodgers & Ensemble # "I'll Begin Again" – Albert Finney # "I Like Life (Reprise)" – Albert Finney # Finale: "Father Christmas (Reprise)" / "Thank You Very Much (Reprise)" – All # "Exit Music" (not included on LP) A soundtrack album containing all of the songs from the film was issued on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in 1970. The album peaked at No. 29 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s Best Bets For Christmas album chart on 19 December 1970. Due to legal complications, however, the soundtrack has never been re-released in the CD format. The current Paramount Blu-ray release of the film has removed the Overture (which is intact on all VHS and DVD releases).

Production

Filmed in London and on location in Buckinghamshire between January and May 1970, the film sets at

included fully reconstructed Victorian streets. Finney was in his mid-thirties and wore makeup to look older and was able to draw effectively upon his theatrical training and incorporate various vocal inflections and physical mannerisms as the old miser.

Title sequence

The film features an opening

title sequence A title screen (also called an opening screen or intro) is the method by which films or television show, television programmes present their title and key filmmaking, production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often an op ...

of numerous hand-painted backgrounds and overlays by British illustrator

Ronald Searle Ronald William Fordham Searle (3 March 1920 – 30 December 2011) was an English artist and satirical cartoonist, comics artist, sculptor, medal designer and illustrator. He is perhaps best remembered as the creator of St Trinian's School and f ...

. Art of the Title described it, saying, "As is often the case with Searle’s illustrations, the forms jump and squiggle into shape, the strokes loose and sprightly. In each scene, swaths of colour and life pour out, white snowflakes dotting the brush strokes." The illustrations later appeared in the book ''Scrooge'' by Elaine Donaldson, published in 1970 by Cinema Center Films.

Reception

Box office

''Scrooge'' opened on two screens in Los Angeles and Chicago, grossing $36,000 in its opening week. The release expanded two weeks later, including an opening at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...

in New York City, and moved up to second place at the US box office behind '' Lovers and Other Strangers''. The following week it became number one but again fell to second place behind ''Lovers and Other Strangers'' for one week before returning to number one for two weeks before Christmas. In its sixth week at Radio City Music Hall it grossed $375,095 for the week, which '' Variety'' believed to be the biggest ever single week gross for a theatre worldwide surpassing the record set the previous Christmas by '' A Boy Named Charlie Brown''. Over the course of its initial theatrical release, the film earned $3 million in distributor rentals in the United States and Canada.

Critical reception

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert. Siskel started writing for the '' ...

of ''

The Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN radio and WGN tel ...

'' awarded the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, praising Finney's "masterful performance". Arthur D. Murphy, reviewing for '' Variety'', called ''Scrooge'' "a most delightful film in every way" and praised Finney as "remarkable", and also complimented Bricusse's "unobtrusive complementary music and lyrics; and Ronald Neame's delicately controlled direction which conveys, but does not force, all the inherent warmth, humor and sentimentality."

Charles Champlin Charles Davenport Champlin (March 23, 1926 – November 16, 2014) was an American film critic and writer. Life and career Champlin was born in Hammondsport, New York. He attended high school in Camden, New York, working as a columnist for the ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' applauded ''Scrooge'' as a "lovely movie, one of the few genuinely family-wide attractions of the whole year, calculated to please equally all those who have loved the Dickens work forever, and all those enviable youngsters who are about to discover it for the first time."

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' gave the film three stars out of four, feeling it "works very nicely on its intended level and the kids sitting near me seemed to be having a good time." However, he was critical of Bricusse's songs, writing that they "fall so far below the level of good musical comedy that you wish Albert Finney would stop singing them, until you realize he isn't really singing". He also criticises the depiction of Hell feeling it "papier-mâché". Reviewing for the ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'', Ann Guarino wrote ''Scrooge'' was "bright with humor and moves along at a lively pace in 19th Century settings." She further praised the cast as "excellent," but described Bricusse's songs as being "pleasant, but unfortunately forgettable with the exception of 'Thank You Very Much'".

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called Finney's performance "absurd, sentimental, pretty, never quite as funny as it intends to be, but quite acceptable, if only as a seasonal ritual." He called the Hell sequence "rather livid and supposedly comic". Overall, Canby felt the adaptation was "surprisingly faithful", and he complemented Ronald Neame for directing "the movie with all of the delicacy possible after a small story has been turned into a comparatively large, conventional musical. The settings—London streets and interiors, circa 1860 (updated from the original 1843)—are very attractive, somewhat spruced-up variations on the original John Leech illustrations."

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...

, writing in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', found ''Scrooge'' to be an "innocuous musical version of ''A Christmas Carol'', starring Albert Finney looking glum. The Leslie Bricusse music is so forgettable that your mind flushes it away while you're hearing it."

Jay Cocks John C. "Jay" Cocks Jr. (born January 12, 1944) is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is a graduate of Kenyon College.Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine derided Finney's performance as "drastically disappointing. egrumbles and hobbles through his part, employing mannerism instead of nuance." Cocks was also critical of Bricusse's songs, and summarized the film as "a high-budget holiday spectacular, a musical extracted from Dickens' ''A Christmas Carol'' that turns out to be a curdled cup of holiday cheer ..First frame to last, ''Scrooge'' is a mechanical movie made with indifference to every quality but the box office receipts." Author Fred Guida called it one of the most underrated adaptions of the book. In 2019, Robert Keeling of ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...

'' called ''Scrooge'' "about average". Criticising the film's decision to depict the ghosts in the way they are presented to be "a bit strange". He felt the Hell sequence "really doesn’t work at all, and seems comically out of place for a Dickensian movie…frankly a bit much". He called the Cratchit family "irritatingly chipper" though praised the use of cockneys playing the roles of this working class London family. However, Keeling praised Finney's performance as the "saving grace" of the film."

Accolades

The film was nominated for best original song score, and "Thank You Very Much" for best original song, though it failed to win in either category. It also received nominations, but no oscars, for art direction/set decoration and costume design.

Adaptations

Stage

In 1992, a

stage musical Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

adapted from the film, featuring Bricusse's songs and starring

Anthony Newley Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, director, comedian, singer, and composer. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest ...

, was mounted in the UK under the title '' Scrooge: The Musical''. "I Hate People" was re-written as "I Hate Christmas", and a cast recording was released. The stage adaptation was mounted in Melbourne, Australia, in 1993, starring Keith Michell, Max Gillies, Tony Taylor, William Zappa, Dale Burridge, Emma Raciti, Ross Hannaford, Paul Cheyne, and Glenda Walsh. The show was revived in 2003 on a tour of the UK by British song and dance man

Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele recor ...

, and he reprised the role at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

in 2004, making him the performer to have done the most shows at the Palladium. In 2007, Shane Ritchie starred at the Manchester Palace. It was revived once more at the London Palladium from October 2012 to 5 January 2013, with Steele again in the title role.

Animated film

In 2022, following a limited theatrical release in the United States, an animated remake, titled '' Scrooge: A Christmas Carol'', was released by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. Produced by Timeless Films ('' Monster Family''), and written and directed by Stephen Donnelly, the remake incorporates many of Bricusse's songs from the 1970 film, but has a newly-written

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

. It features the vocal talents of Luke Evans as Scrooge, Johnny Flynn as Bob Cratchit,

Fra Fee Fra Fee (born 20 May 1987) is a Northern Irish actor and singer. He is best known for playing Courfeyrac in Tom Hooper's 2012 film adaptation of ''Les Misérables'', and for his role as Kazi in the Disney+ series ''Hawkeye'', which is set in ...

as Harry, Giles Terera as Tom,

Olivia Colman Sarah Caroline Sinclair ( Colman; born 30 January 1974), known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Award ...

as the Ghost of Christmas Past,

James Cosmo James Ronald Gordon Copeland (born 1947), known professionally as James Cosmo, is a Scottish actor. Known for his character work, he has played supporting roles in films such as '' Highlander'' (1986), ''Braveheart'' (1995), '' Trainspotting' ...

as Fezziwig, Jessie Buckley as Isabel, Trevor Dion Nicholas as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nom ...

as Jacob Marley.

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control 1970 films 1970s Christmas films 1970s musical fantasy films American Christmas films American musical fantasy films British Christmas films British musical fantasy films Cinema Center Films films National General Pictures films Films based on A Christmas Carol Films directed by Ronald Neame Compositions by Leslie Bricusse Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe winning performance Films set in London Films set in 1860 Films set in the Victorian era Films shot at Shepperton Studios 1970s English-language films 1970s American films 1970s British films English-language musical fantasy films 1970s films about time travel English-language Christmas films 1970 musical films Christmas musical films