I was surprised how much I loved 1984's "A Christmas Carol." Where other adaptations, as I've noted, are keen to dig into the story of Scrooge's failed romance with Belle, this one pulls emotions from something sadder. Almost every version involves some relationship between Scrooge (played here by George C. Scott) and his nephew Fred (Roger Rees). But this movie gives more depth to Scrooge's relationship with his sister, Fred's mother, when she was alive. When we see Scrooge as a sad, lonely boy at school, we also get a scene of his sister begging their father to let him come home. Their love is warm and palpable. When Scrooge apologizes to Fred and his wife at the end of the film, it has a new emotional weight that I really cherished. Scott's Scrooge is a top-tier interpretation of the character.
And if you're a musical hater, this one is not a musical, and it clocks in at a pretty perfect 100 minutes.
Watch "A Christmas Carol" (1984) on The Roku Channel.
