Film Diary: Scrooge
December 25, 2007 2:27 pm Film Diaries - Libby1970
Director: Ronald Neame
Viewed: December 25, 2007
Format: Videocassette - CBS/Paramount (2001)
I watch my favorite version of A Christmas Carol every year. Albert Finney’s performance is nearly perfect. He balances Scrooge’s utter repugnance with a childlike wonder that is both disturbing and sad. You dislike Scrooge before his epiphany, but at the same time you pity him for his foolishness. Finney creates pathos and fear, and by the end convinces you to love this man. The physical transformation is astounding as well. Finney was only 34 when he made Scrooge, but his body language suggests age and infirmity. There is no movie that more beautifully extols the joys of Christmas.
