How much did Scrooge donate?
Anyone know how much Scrooge donated near the end of the movie? :)
share[deleted]
MovieChat Forums > A Christmas Carol (1984) Discussion > How much did Scrooge donate?
As I recall he whispers it to those 2 men. We never learn how much.
He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?
I think you hear them exclaim "fifty pounds!" to each other.
shareI'm guessing 50,000 pounds.
shareI tried reading his lips this viewing and thought he whispered "A thousand pounds."
shareHe did whisper "One Thousands Pounds".
shareHow much would that be equal to today?
shareI am sure that in the middle of 20th century (about 100 years after this story supposedly takes place) 1000 English pounds were worth 2800 American dollars. I'm not sure what the exchange rate was for 1000 pounds during the mid-19th century, but I believe it was a little over 4000 dollars.
share[deleted]
I'm afraid all who answered are wrong. We do not know how much Scrooge donated because WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW. Dickens made this a point of his story--and this is one of the major morals of the story but I guess a lot of people have missed his point. Dickens did not want to reveal how much Scrooge donated because it might belittle smaller donations given by other people. In other words, the point Dickens was making is that it is not how much you donate, rather that you donate what you can.
In not revealing the number Dickens sets the point that the joy in donating is simply giving what you can instead of some huge number Scrooge throws out that makes other donations look petty.
Understand?
People can try to "read lips" all they want. There's no way Scott says a number. I bet he said something totally unrelated to money. Every movie follows the story in this unrevealing way.
And you are entitled to your opinion and we are entitled to ours. As with ALL stories, there is no one way to interpret them; there are as many interpretations as there are viewers.
p.s. I asked a deaf friend who is an excellent lip reader. She viewed the clip and said Scrooge says "a thousand pounds" and Mr. Poole says "One thousand pounds!" to his partner. I know it's not in the book, but neither is Fred's wife given a name in the book, and she is clearly called Janet numerous times in the movie.
It isn't my opinion. It's fact. What I explained above was the reason why Dickens wrote it as a whisper instead of coming out and saying how much it was. And if this isn't the case, then why have Scrooge whisper in the first place? Why not have him just come out and say it? It doesn't make sense otherwise. It just bugs me that this was one of the main themes of the story--it's not how much you give but what you can afford to give--and people don't respect the literary genius of Dickens in this moment. There's no way Scott gives a number.
share[deleted]
Just because it's your opinion or interpretation doesn't make it a fact. Facts are things like "Charles Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol'." Yes, in the BOOK the sum is not mentioned. But this board is for discussion of the MOVIE, although sure, a lot of us enjoy discussing the book as well. I presumed the original poster on this thread was asking what the characters/actors said in the MOVIE, and I believe they whisper "A thousand pounds," but it may have been " ____ thousand pounds" where ____ is some other number.
As I mentioned in another thread, there are a lot of things in the movie that are not in the book -- names, events, etc. -- and vice versa.
goodthingsjohn's point is very well taken and probably does accurately describe Dickens' motivation for not giving a specific sum in the book.
Having said that, I offer the following just for fun. I have watched this film many times and also believe that Scott's Scrooge whispers "a thousand pounds" to the charitable fund collector. Based upon relative purchasing power, one thousand pounds in 1843 equates to 76,600 pounds at the end of 2010 (the latest date for which my source has accurate comparison figures available). At the current exchange rate, 76,600 pounds equates to approximately $123,000. A very sizable donation by any reasonable standard!
Wow! I've never been able to tell what Scott's Scrooge whispers in that scene, and we're probably not really supposed to be able to tell, but if you're right, then that is a very impressive donation.
I love this film and have seen it more times than I can recall, as is probably obvious to anyone who has read my overly long post (somewhere on this board) comparing and contrasting it with the 1951 version. However, I watched it again recently and found even more to admire, especially in the performances of David Warner and Roger Rees--both of whom bring a certain subtlety to their roles that seems to be absent from many portrayals of Bob Cratchit and Fred.
Regardless of what we choose to celebrate or not celebrate, I hope that we all have an amazing holiday season and contribute in whatever way we can to improving the lives of others.
"Courage is found in unlikely places." ~ The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien
Quick update, in case anyone happens to be scrolling through this post at Christmastime 2016. Based on the applicable exchange rate as of December 20, 2016, a donation of a thousand pounds in 1843 would equate to approximately U.S. $109,800 on that date. Still a sizable donation by any reasonable standard, but adversely affected by various events during 2016 (and I think I'll just leave it at that).
shareAnd you are entitled to your opinion and we are entitled to ours. As with ALL stories, there is no one way to interpret them; there are as many interpretations as there are viewers. >>> Stupid response, as he gave a great answer which is true to the facts and all you are doing is sticking your head up your own butt in stubbornness. It was explained clearly enough to you. If it isn't in the story, then why would it be in the movie? Why does it matter? It is clearly evident that the audience is not supposed to know how much it is. Clearly evident. You are entitled to be wrong and miss points all you like, though. Having an opinion doesn't magically make it the right opinion. The weak crutch of "it's my opinion and I am entitled to it" doesn't really hold any water when up against the simplicity of common sense and logic.
- - - - - - -
Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
sspear wrote "... I offer the following just for fun. I have watched this film many times and also believe that Scott's Scrooge whispers "a thousand pounds" to the charitable fund collector. Based upon relative purchasing power, one thousand pounds in 1843 equates to 76,600 pounds at the end of 2010 (the latest date for which my source has accurate comparison figures available). At the current exchange rate, 76,600 pounds equates to approximately $123,000. A very sizable donation by any reasonable standard!"
Wow, fascinating, thanks! :-D
I've never seen any version of A Christmas Carol that reveals how much Scrooge donates. It's always ambiguous.
shareThere's a more than a hint too how much Scrooges donates in this version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4XPIy2yPvI
TO MY HATERS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PaHcZUHI00
It is explicitly referenced as £500 in one version but as one of the posters above has put, it is irrelevant.I'm afraid I agree with that sentiment because the actual purpose of Dickens' story, like the character of Scrooge himself, is submerged by this film adaptation.It's nice to enjoy it as just a story but I'm sure Dickens would have appreciated The Great Gonzo's closing salutation in the Muppets adaptation 'If you like this you should read the book'.
shareHe never said it out loud. Only that there were a lot of back payments in it.
share