This was included in one of those cheap DVD's containing some Christmas classics (cartoons, a non-stop fireplace accompanied with Christmas music) and old toy ads. I think this is one of the better ones. (Not as good as the 1951 version, but very good). If you can find it, I recommend it.
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The Image DVD is uncut. All the other DVD versions are nearly 20 min. short. The price of the Image DVD is worth it. Great Movie!!!
shareNot all the DVD editions are cut short. I came across the Westlake DVD version at K-Mart back in December for $3.00 and it has the full 78 minute running time. The DVD is great. The opening minutes are very scratchy, but I think it all adds to the vintage of the film, so I have no gripes about it (I understand it is like this on other DVD editions of this film too). Given the age of the film, I will be very forgiving of this shortcoming.
"Snozberries? Who ever heard of a snozberry?"
I got this DVD in 2004 for $3.00 and love it! I dusted it off and watched it again this year. The Bob Cratchit character is one of the most kindly ever, you really feel sorry for him. It was an honor to see Seymour Hicks play Scrooge as he was a veteran of the very early silent version in 1913.
shareI just bought mine in the dollar bin (2 movies on one dvd) of a local family dollar store, one of the movies is Scrooge the 1935 version, mine is 75 minutes, so 3 minutes were cut out somewhere, but for the price (basically 50 cents) guess i can't gripe, by the way this is the Brentwood version distributed by Eclipse. and I think this version is in my top 3 versions of this film, it is very good., I have managed to collect about 6 versions of this classic tale so far.
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This is from a site about CED VideoDiscs, but this guy has a ton of info on lots of Christmas Carols and Scrooges:
http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/christmas-carol/christmas-carol.html
Alas, I hadn't realized that there was a longer version of this but purchased the DVD earlier this year on ebay, obviously the cut version (60 minutes), almost 20 minutes shorter than the 78 minute film I've now seen described here.
However, I found it an interesting addition to my collection of A Christmas Carol adaptations. Sir Seymour Hicks was excellent as Scrooge, truly one of the best portrayals I've seen, both as his original nasty self and his later repentant one. Cratchit was an endearing fellow (if a bit old for the role) and the nephew Fred suitably jovial.
Even though Marley's ghost remains invisible to the viewer and the Spirit of Christmas Past appears merely as a lighted outline, the story came across quite convincingly. However, I would definitely have preferred a better attempt at showing these spirits. Also, I disliked the portrayal of the Spirit of Christmas Present who appeared slovenly rather than the jovial and benevolent giant of the novel.
One point of interest was the inclusion of a scene featuring a banquet with the Lord Mayor of London toasting Victoria. I couldn't quite fathom its relevance except that it gave everyone, rich and poor, an opportunity for a respectful rendering of God Save the Queen!
Other key scenes and characters were missing, at least in my DVD, though perhaps some of them appear in the uncut version. No depiction of the two portly gentlemen collecting for the poor, no mention of young Scrooge's school days or apprenticeship years, no sister Fan, no Fezziwig, and no portrayal of Fred's Christmas dinner party.
I'd like to see the proper uncut version but despite the understandably poor picture quality as well as the missing scenes, I'd still recommend even this one. What is shown is quite faithful to Dickens and Seymour Hicks ranks among the best.
A pleasant surprise. Though the quality of the print I have just watched on TV was not very good, the excellent acting and wonderful cinematography came out unscathed. The 1951 version is still the best for my money, but this one runs it a good close second, Catch it if you can. Merry Christmas!
shareThe 60 minute version floating around in bargain bins for years (taken from 16mm source material) does not do the film justice. By all means, seek out the full 78 minute version. (Image puts one out, as does Westlake, among others. Search the bargain bins carefully.) The full cut of the film shows that it had some influence on the 1951 classic with Alastair Sim. (Including its opening. The shorter version of the film uses titles created for a later reissue, and are not the credits used upon its initial theatrical run.) Sadly, when VCI recently released their double DVD of the Sim film and included the 1935 version as a bonus, they used the shorter cut. Even worse, Legend Films has just released a colorized version, which is also the chopped up version. (They boast of being a leader in film restoration, yet their copy doesn't look as good as the longer cut appearing on some of the bargain Public Domain company disks.)
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I bought the same set of Christmas DVD's and tought the exact same thing! It was really a find. Wish that would happen more often.
shareI'd been wanting to watch this version for years, but was never able to find a copy until this year.
It's got serious flaws -- it's really hard to justify the invisible Marley and near-invisible ghosts of the past and future -- but I've watched it three times this year and it's really grown on me. I'm a fan of films of the period, and this one has a certain charm to it.
I'd love to get the full version, though at the moment I can only find it available for more than $100 ... and it's just not worth that kind of money.
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Collection-Movie-Pack/dp/B000GRTR4M
Here you go. I just saved you $95.00. Merry Christmas! You also get about 36 other features including TV Shows and Cartoons.
I agree with you on the invisible Marley, but I think the fact that Seymour Hicks played the role more than any other actor, IN Victorian England no less, makes this a real keeper.
Cheers,
-Droppo
Ah, thank you!
Yes, I do like Hicks' performance. The style of the film -- and the style of his performance -- is dated, and very much in keeping with the era in which it was filmed, but it's an era I'm a fan of. And there are some wonderful moments in his performance -- such as his tearful reaction upon waking on Christmas morning.
YEa. Hicks really runs the gamut from bastard to sweet old man better than anybody I've seen. It's a shame most of career was in the silent era. Makes you wonder what might have been if he were ten years younger.
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Yes it is one of the better ones! As far as the different versions available, the WEG release does have excellent picture quality but as with many DVD boxes the running time shown is not the correct one. You really can't trust the times given but have to use the display button on your remote while the movie is playing to find out the true running time. Some movies are even longer than the running time shown on the box!
shareImage, Front Row and Westlake all use the full 78 minute cut of the film, available for over five years now. The chopped up version, done for the 16mm market, not only reduced the running time, but replaced the original credits with lackluster titles superimposed over a plaque. The full cut of the film restores the original opening titles, cast and crew list.
shareWell it's really amazing then how many different running times are avilable with this film. Someone here on the message board said they have one that's 75 minutes; The Motion Picture Guide by Jay Robert Nash and SR Ross claims it's 72 minutes; Modern Sound Pictures 16mm catalog has it at 65 minutes(probably 63 minutes as listed on the Scrooge(1935)page here on IMDb); The Videohound Golden Movie Retriever, latest edition, gives it 61 minutes.
shareIn addition to bits & pieces possibly being cut, there is also a chance that some of the video versions out there on NSTC video may have been taken from a PAL source, which can give a slightly faster playback during the format change. (Then, too, someone may be merely giving an estimated running time without actually checking to verify how accurate their information is.)
shareAnyone out there ever hear of something called Public Domain? You might want to check out archive.org...
shareNot bad - 7.5
"She let me go."
~White Oleander