View source for A Christmas Carol (1984 film)


{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}

{{Infobox television
| image                = Achristmascarol.jpg
| image_size           = 
| image_alt            = 
| caption              = 1984 poster
| genre                = Drama <br/> Family <br/> Fantasy
| creator              = 
| based_on             = {{Based on|''[[A Christmas Carol]]''|[[Charles Dickens]]}}
| writer               = 
| screenplay           = [[Roger O. Hirson]]
| story                = 
| director             = [[Clive Donner]]
| starring             = [[George C. Scott]] <br/> [[Frank Finlay]] <br/> [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]] <br/> [[Susannah York]] <br/> [[Edward Woodward]] <br/> [[Roger Rees]] <br/> [[Liz Smith (actress)|Liz Smith]]
| narrator             = 
| music                = Nick Bicât
| country              = United Kingdom <br/> United States
| language             = English
| executive_producer   = Robert E. Fuisz
| producer             = George F. Storke <br/> Alfred R. Kelman
| location             = Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England
| editor               = [[Peter Tanner]]
| cinematography       = [[Tony Imi]]
| runtime              = 100 minutes
| company              = Entertainment Partners Ltd.
| budget               = 
| network              = [[CBS]]
| released             = {{Start date|1984|12|17|df=y}}
}}
'''''A Christmas Carol''''' is a 1984 [[Christmas]] [[Fantasy film|fantasy]] [[television film]] adapted from [[Charles Dickens]]' novella ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' (1843). The film was directed by [[Clive Donner]], who was an editor of the 1951 film ''[[Scrooge (1951 film)|Scrooge]]'', and stars [[George C. Scott]] as [[Ebenezer Scrooge]]. It also features [[Frank Finlay]] as [[Jacob Marley|Marley's Ghost]], [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]] as Bob Cratchit, [[Susannah York]] as Mrs. Cratchit, [[Angela Pleasence]] as the [[Ghost of Christmas Past]], [[Edward Woodward]] as the [[Ghost of Christmas Present]] and [[Roger Rees]] as Scrooge's nephew Fred; Rees also narrates portions of Charles Dickens' words at the beginning and end of the film. It was filmed in the historic medieval [[county town]] of [[Shrewsbury]] in [[Shropshire]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/shropshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8589000/8589877.stm|title=Shropshire movies: A Christmas Carol in Shrewsbury|publisher=BBC|language=en|date=31 March 2010|access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref>

The film has received significantly positive reviews, with general praise going to the sets, soundtrack, cinematography, and the performances of the cast, particularly Scott's portrayal of Scrooge, with many critics and reviewers considering it one of the best adaptions of the novel.

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words only. -->
On [[Christmas Eve]] in Victorian-era London, greedy commodities trader and finance company owner [[Ebenezer Scrooge]] does not tolerate the revelry of Christmas, much less comprehend its meaning. He declines his nephew Fred Hollywell's invitation for Christmas dinner, and reluctantly grants his underpaid employee Bob Cratchit's request to have Christmas off as there will be no business during the day. Scrooge later charges three businessmen extra for corn, due to failing to meet his demands the previous day, much to their chagrin. Scrooge then declines to give a donation to charity workers Poole and Hacking, saying that the poor are better off dead. That night, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his seven year dead former business partner Jacob Marley, who warns him to repent his miserly ways, lest he be condemned to the same afterlife as that of Marley's: wandering the Earth for eternity while carrying chains forged from his own greed, forced to witness what he could not share in life. Marley says Scrooge will be visited by three spirits in the night that will try to help him avoid Marley's fate.

At one o'clock, the first spirit — the Ghost of Christmas Past — takes Scrooge back in time to his lonely childhood. As a boy, Scrooge is deserted at boarding school by his father Silas who held a grudge against Ebenezer, as the latter's mother died giving birth to him. Silas gets Ebenezer an apprenticeship with the benevolent Mr. Fezziwig, after three days to spend with his loving elder sister Fan, Fred's late mother. Scrooge is eventually engaged to Belle, someone whom he initially loved, but eventually lost as he became preoccupied with financial security upon Silas' death. The Spirit shows Belle on the Christmas Eve that Marley died as a happily married mother. When Belle expresses pity for Scrooge's loneliness, he angrily extinguishes the spirit with her cap and re-appears in his bedroom.

At two o'clock, the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge the joys of the holiday. At the Cratchit residence, they find Bob's family content with their small dinner. The spirit explains that Tim, Bob's crippled son, will die if the future remains unaltered. Scrooge is taken to Fred's house for the party which Scrooge declined to attend. Fred still wants to pursue a relationship with Scrooge for the sake of Fan; Ebenezer is touched by this. The spirit then takes Scrooge to a tunnel where homeless families are camped. There, the spirit shows Scrooge two malnourished children, Ignorance and Want, and warns Scrooge to beware of them. The ghost then disappears, abandoning a distraught Scrooge.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come arrives and takes Scrooge to an exchange, where the three businessmen mockingly discuss the death of a colleague, whose funeral they would attend only if lunch is provided. Scrooge is transported to his own bedroom, where a dead man lies under a sheet. Scrooge does not lift the sheet but demands to be shown emotion over the man's death. He is taken to a poor section of town where his possessions are being fenced after having been stolen, with the thief and the fencer mocking the dead owner. Scrooge complains that he was shown only greed and avarice, demanding to see tenderness instead. He is transported to the Cratchit house, where Bob and his family mourn the recent death of Tim - who has succumbed to his illness. Distraught, Ebenezer asks to be taken home but is instead taken to a cemetery. When he asks who the dead man in his bedroom was, the ghost points to a neglected, snow-covered grave. Scrooge wipes the snow away to see that the tombstone bears his own name; recognising the repercussions of his heartlessness, Scrooge tearfully vows to change his ways and begs to be spared as the ghost's kind hand trembles. Ebenezer then finds himself back in his bedroom before crying himself to sleep.

Awakening as sunlight breaks, and discovering that it is Christmas Day, a gleeful Scrooge anonymously sends the Cratchits a prize-winning turkey for dinner. Offering Christmas wishes among London's citizens, he makes a large donation to Poole and Hacking. At the Hollywell residence, Fred is delighted when Ebenezer accepts the invitation to dinner and reconciles with him. The next day, Scrooge plays a prank on Bob; pretending to be about to fire him for lateness, Ebenezer instead doubles Bob's salary. Scrooge comes to treat everyone around him with kindness and generosity, and becomes a second father to Tim (who recovers and does not die), embodying the Christmas spirit.

==Cast==
[[File:Jacobmarley.jpg|thumb|right|[[Frank Finlay]] as Marley's ghost]]
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[George C. Scott]] – [[Ebenezer Scrooge]]
** [[Mark Strickson]] – Young Ebenezer Scrooge
* [[Frank Finlay]] – [[Jacob Marley]]
* [[Angela Pleasence]] – [[Ghost of Christmas Past]]
* [[Edward Woodward]] – [[Ghost of Christmas Present]]
* [[Michael Carter (actor)|Michael Carter]] – [[Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come]]
* [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]] – [[Bob Cratchit]]
* [[Susannah York]] – Mrs. Cratchit
* the Cratchit Offspring:
** Anthony Walters – [[Tiny Tim (A Christmas Carol)|Timothy "Tiny Tim" Cratchit]]
** Louise Gasser – Martha Cratchit
** [[Orlando Wells]] (Susannah York's real-life son) – Michael Cratchit
** Nancy Dodds – Nancy Cratchit
** Sasha Wells (Susannah York's real-life daughter) – Belinda Cratchit
** Kieran Hughes – Peter Cratchit
* [[Roger Rees]] – Fred Holywell/Narrator
* [[Caroline Langrishe]] – Janet Holywell, Fred's wife
* [[Lucy Gutteridge]] – Belle, Scrooge's fiancée
* [[Nigel Davenport]] – Silas Scrooge, Ebenezer and Fan's father
* [[Mark Strickson]] as Young Scrooge
* [[Joanne Whalley]] – Fan Holywell, Ebenezer's sister and Fred's mother
* [[Timothy Bateson]] – Mr. Fezziwig
* [[Michael Gough]] – Mr. Poole
* [[John Quarmby]] – Mr. Hacking
* [[Peter Woodthorpe]] – Joe the Fence
* [[Liz Smith (actress)|Liz Smith]] – Mrs. Dilber
* [[John Sharp (actor)|John Sharp]] – Mr. Tipton
* [[Derek Francis]] – Mr. Pemberton
* Danny Davies – Forbush
* [[Brian Pettifer]] – Ben (homeless father)
* Catherine Hall – Meg (homeless mother)
* [[Cathryn Harrison]] – Kate
* [[Daniel Chatto]] - William
{{div col end}}

'''Cast notes:''' 
* [[Michael Gough]] voiced Scrooge in a [[BBC Radio]] production, broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]] on 22 December 1990, with Timothy Bateson reprising his role as Fezziwig.<ref>{{Cite web |title=radio plays, drama, BBC, Saturday Playhouse, 1990–1998, DIVERSITY website |url=http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/saturday-playhouse.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055201/http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/saturday-playhouse.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=30 September 2014 |website=Suttonelms.org.uk}}</ref>
* [[Liz Smith (actress)|Liz Smith]] reprised the role of Mrs. Dilber in the [[A Christmas Carol (1999 film)|1999 film]] of ''A Christmas Carol'' starring Patrick Stewart, and played Joyce in the [[A Christmas Carol (2000 film)|2000 film]], which starred [[Ross Kemp]] as a modern-day Scrooge.<ref>{{cite news |last=Shenton |first=Zoe |date=December 27, 2016 |title=Liz Smith dead at 95: A look back at the beloved Royle Family star's career that began at 50 |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/liz-smith-dead-95-look-9520390 |work=[[Daily Mirror]] |access-date=December 25, 2024}}</ref>

==Production==
[[File:EbenezerScroogeGrave.JPG|thumb|upright|Tombstone prop from the graveyard scene still in situ at the churchyard of [[St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury]]. The stone was vandalised in November 2024 but was restored for free by local stonemasons "in the spirit of the film."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8dmzj6j7e0o |title='Fury' over Scrooge's gravestone being smashed |date=November 26, 2024 |website=BBC |access-date=7 December 2024 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Somasundaram |first=Praveena |date=December 12, 2024 |title=Vandals broke a town's Scrooge gravestone. Masons repaired it free. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/12/12/christmas-ebenezer-scrooge-gravestone-repaired/ |work=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=December 25, 2024}}</ref>]]
Director [[Clive Donner]] was the editor of  ''[[Scrooge (1951 film)|Scrooge]]'', the 1951 adaptation of ''A Christmas Carol'' starring [[Alastair Sim]].<ref name=guida/> Donner's ''A Christmas Carol'' was filmed on location in [[Shrewsbury]], [[Shropshire]], in [[The Midlands|the English Midlands]]. It originally aired on the American television network [[CBS]] on 17 December 1984, and was released theatrically in Great Britain. The film appeared on TF1 Television in France on Christmas Day.<ref name=guida>{{citation | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JpvP1yPvsZoC&dq=a+christmas+carol+george+c+scott&pg=PA136 | page = 134 | title = A Christmas Carol And Its Adaptations: A Critical Examination of Dickens's Story And Its Productions on Screen And Television | first1 = Fred | last1 = Guida | first2 = Edward | last2 = Wagenknecht | publisher = MacFarland | isbn = 9780786428403 | year = 2006 | access-date = 1 June 2012}}</ref> The U.S. debut was sponsored by IBM, which purchased all of the commercial spots for the two-hour premiere. The film brought in a 20.7/30 rating/share, winning its time slot and ranking No. 10 for the week.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtango.com/listings/1984/12/17/christmas_carol_a|title=TV Listings Past & Present: December 17, 1984|publisher=tvtango.com|language=en|date=17 December 1984|access-date=31 December 2019}}</ref> The film was marketed with the tagline "A new powerful presentation of the most loved ghost story of all time!"

===Comparison with the source material===
Rather than being a simple miser, Scrooge is more of a ruthless businessman who laughs when he mocks Christmas, and even tries to make excuses to defend his actions during his encounters with the Spirits. The interactions of the two charity benefactors, named as Poole and Hacking in this adaptation, occur at the [[London Stock Exchange]], rather than in the office as in the book. A ghostly hearse that Scrooge sees in the book going up his staircase after he sees Marley's face on his doorknocker happens outside on the street and becomes the hearse that carried Marley's body. Marley's ghost, although initially transparent (as in the book), solidifies when he enters the room. Scrooge's mother is established as having died giving birth to him, causing his father to bear him a grudge. His father still resents him as he moves him to Fezziwig's after only three days back.<ref name=guida/>

==Home media==
''A Christmas Carol'' has run in [[Television syndication|syndication]] on local American channels since its debut in 1984, and was released on [[VHS]] in 1989 (in the UK)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.videocollector.co.uk/christmas-carol-a/13185|title=A Christmas Carol|publisher=videocollector.co.uk|language=en|access-date=31 December 2019}}</ref> and to DVD in 1999. This was because Scott himself (and later his estate through [[Baxter Healthcare]], to whom the Scott family donated their copyright) owned the rights to this film. On 25 November 2007, it returned to national television on [[AMC (TV network)|AMC]] for the first time since its original broadcast, and the network continues to show it each December under license from the Scott estate and [[20th Century Studios]]/[[Walt Disney Television]] (the latter's distribution rights as the result of their owning the video rights). In 2009, the [[Hallmark Channel]] also ran the film soon after Thanksgiving. The same year, the film was re-released on DVD by Fox, with updated box art but the same menu and features as the previous DVD release. Fox released it on [[Blu-ray]] in December 2010.

==Reception==
The film earned high Nielsen ratings, ranking 10th out of 65 shows airing the week of December 17–23, 1984, with a 20.7 household rating and a 30 percent audience share.<ref>{{Cite magazine | title=Broadcasting Dec 31 | magazine=Broadcasting Magazine | date=31 December 1984 | url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-BC/Broadcasting-Magazine/BC-1984/BC-1984-12-31.pdf
 | access-date=29 August 2025 |publisher=The Fifth State | volume=27 | issue=26 | via=World Radio History}}</ref>

The film remains among the most beloved of the many adaptations of ''A Christmas Carol''.<ref name=Salon /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=Nichols>{{cite news |last=Nichols |first=Tom |authorlink=Tom Nichols (academic) |date=December 20, 2023 |title=The Best Version of 'A Christmas Carol' |url=https://apple.news/AyTpk4Sr8Rjinuu9SbyROgg |work=[[The Atlantic]] |access-date=December 25, 2024}}</ref> John J. O'Connor of the ''[[New York Times]]'' gave a positive review, praising the cinematography, production sets and the performances (especially Scott).<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/17/arts/tv-review-george-scott-in-a-christmas-carol.html | title = TV REVIEW; GEORGE SCOTT IN 'A CHRISTMAS CAROL' | newspaper = The New York Times | date = 17 December 1984 | access-date = 12 December 2023 | last1 = O'Connor | first1 = John J.}}</ref> Scott was nominated for an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special]] for his portrayal of Scrooge.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/nominees-winners/1985/outstanding-lead-actor-in-a-miniseries-or-a-movie |title=Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or A Special 1985 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=Television Academy |publisher=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |access-date=December 25, 2024}}</ref> In 2009, novelist and essayist [[Louis Bayard]], writing for ''[[Salon.com]]'', labelled the adaptation "the definitive version of a beloved literary classic", praising its fidelity to Dickens' original story, production sets, the strength of the supporting cast, and especially Scott's performance as Scrooge.<ref name=Salon>{{cite web | first=Louis | last=Bayard | authorlink=Louis Bayard | url=http://www.salon.com/2009/12/25/christmas_carol_3/ | title=The best 'Christmas Carol' ever | date=24 December 2009 | work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] | access-date=25 December 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091229124957/http://www.salon.com/2009/12/25/christmas_carol_3/ | archive-date= 29 December 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

In 2019, Robert Keeling of ''[[Den of Geek]]'' praised Scott's performance and the adaptation's expansions from the book.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Keeling |first=Robert |date=2019-12-13 |title=A Christmas Carol: The Best and Worst Adaptations |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/a-christmas-carol-the-best-and-worst-adaptations/ |access-date=2023-12-20 |website=Den of Geek}}</ref> He praises the supporting cast but felt Past to be "possibly the most '80s ghost imaginable" and felt that Tiny Tim was "incredibly annoying" and noted that for the character "to make look sicker, they have clearly just put dark make-up round his eyes. It makes him look like a bit like a child zombie more than anything. Nevertheless, it's one of the most comprehensive adaptations of Dickens' work on offer, and is elevated considerably by Scott's marvellous performance."<ref name=":13" /> In 2023, [[Tom Nichols (academic)|Tom Nichols]] of ''[[The Atlantic]]'' wrote, "There are some good adaptations of the Charles Dickens' classic ''A Christmas Carol'', and many bad ones, but only one truly great version, and it is the 1984 made-for-television movie starring George C. Scott." Nichols celebrated Scott's portrayal of Scrooge as "a barrel-chested bully, an imposing and nasty piece of work." He also praised the film's "attention to detail and atmosphere", and the "deeply unsettling apparitions", especially Frank Finlay as Marley's ghost and Edward Woodward as Christmas Present.<ref name=Nichols />

Aggregate site [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gave the film a fresh 98% rating based on 50 reviews, with the consensus reading "A Christmas Carol stands out as a beautifully atmospheric, faithfully Dickensian adaptation whose suspense, warmth, and richly shaded Scrooge make it a strong contender for the definitive screen version."<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Christmas Carol |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1063489-christmas_carol|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250801072556/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1063489-christmas_carol|archive-date=August 1, 2025 |access-date=November 30, 2025 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Christmas films]]
* [[List of ghost films]]
* [[Adaptations of A Christmas Carol|Adaptations of ''A Christmas Carol'']]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0087056|A Christmas Carol}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=461173}}

{{A Christmas Carol}}
{{Clive Donner}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas Carol (1984 film), A}}
[[Category:1984 films]]
[[Category:1984 children's films]]
[[Category:1984 television films]]
[[Category:1980s dark fantasy films]]
[[Category:1980s Christmas films]]
[[Category:1984 English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s ghost films]]
[[Category:Films based on A Christmas Carol]]
[[Category:Television shows based on A Christmas Carol]]
[[Category:American Christmas films]]
[[Category:British television films]]
[[Category:Christmas television films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Clive Donner]]
[[Category:Films set in the Victorian era]]
[[Category:CBS films]]
[[Category:Television shows about ghosts]]
[[Category:British fantasy films]]
[[Category:American dark fantasy films]]
[[Category:British ghost films]]
[[Category:American ghost films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Shropshire]]
[[Category:1980s films about time travel]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy films]]
[[Category:English-language Christmas films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=A Christmas Carol (1984 film)|access_date=2026-02-24}}