MovieChat Forums > A Christmas Carol (1999) Discussion > Something about Fezziwig that I never no...

Something about Fezziwig that I never noticed until this adaptation

posted 8 years ago by homergreg
6 replies | jump to latest

What an oaf I am. I have seen, read, and heard this story so many different times and in different ways, and until tonight I missed one of the most basic of parallels in this story.

I always looked at the visit to Fezziwig's as a reflection to show Scrooge how he was young and merry at one time, how he worked for a kindly boss and danced. I just thought it was to remind him of how he was.

In this adaptation is became clear to me. It was also to show Scrooge what a crappy boss he was to Cratchit compared to the boss Fezziwig was to him.

When the Ghost said something of the party just costing a few pounds and when Scrooge said of Fezziwig how he had the power to make them happy or unhappy, it suddenly became clear, and they did such a good job of showing that it was clear to Scrooge as well.

Yes, I'm pretty dense. It took this adaptation to help me see this. It's amazing what you can pick up in the 100+ telling of the tale.

"But I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] homergreg 8 years ago

I share your appreciation of this version now that I've seen it.

Watching the replay to get the very first part that I wasn't paying as much attention to as I should have!

I just caught the Fred and his wife parallel, and Scrooge and the wife he could have had.

Early we see Scrooge getting onto Fred about his debt and asking him why he married. He felt resentment for how Fred was happy and poor with his wife, then we are shown how he let his own Belle go because of his love of money.

I remember him getting onto Fred in the other adaptations, I just don't remember his castigation including him getting married. If they had, they bounced off me.

"But I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"

[–] GorchBrother 8 years ago

It is the best adaptation I've seen at conveying the idea of what the return to Fezziwig's Christmas party. It actually appeals to Scrooge's sense of value for money, when the ghost gives faint praise to Scrooge's old boss spending a couple of pounds and Ebenezer protests that the return on that investment was far greater than its cost, in the appreciation, loyalty and love felt by his employees.

In fact Scrooge tries for a moment to talk himself out of acknowledging such sentiment. But then satisfies himself that old Fezziwig was in fact wise, and that it was money well spent.

Other adaptations do use the scene simply to illustrate that Scrooge was once a happy albeit relatively poor man.

The Alistair Sim version has Scrooge being rather callous even while an employee of Fezziwig, and happy to exploit his old boss's misfortune. Which I find hard to watch sometime.

"Who can't use the Force now?! I can still use the Force!" - Yarael Poof

[–] homergreg 8 years ago

This adaptation has shown me that Dicken's intent was that Fezziwig was an example of how Scrooge should be now, and that Fred is an example of the man Scrooge should have been. I even see know that Scrooge's disdain for Fred was that Scrooge was reminded of the poor choice he made between greed and love every time they met.

Fred's visit Scrooge and Marley's office was the true first haunting I now see, Fred himself was the ghost of Christmas could have been.

"But I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"

[–] GorchBrother 8 years ago

Fred's visit Scrooge and Marley's office was the true first haunting

Nice. 👍

"Who can't use the Force now?! I can still use the Force!" - Yarael Poof

[–] whoanelly (1592) 4 years ago

Fred’s visit was a reminder of Scrooge’s deceased sister.