Product Description

Two delightful versions Of the Charles Dickens classic unseen for over eight decades! Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol is a Victorian morality tale of an old and bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the c

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13310 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-10-30
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 68 minutes

Customer Reviews

Original Seymour Hicks version!
As a "Carol" lover I was pretty excited to see this recent release. Let me first say that both films are very interesting and in pretty good shape. "Old Scrooge" is even better than the 1923 "Christmas Carol" (which is remarkable for reasons I will explain later). The 1923 "Christmas Carol" runs roughly 30 minutes and differs from most other versions because all of the ghost activity takes place in Scrooge's chambers through visions presented by the spirits. "Old Scrooge" (which runs roughly 40 minutes) is very different indeed. Quite a bit of time is taken to introduce Scrooge himself as he walks the streets and as he ultimately ends up in the counting house for the day. Following the "quite convenient" part of the text, Bob Crachit leaves for the day and Scrooge enjoys his gold by the fireplace before falling asleep. Jacob Marley appears here (instead of in Scrooge's bed chambers) looking like a Japanese Kobuki actor and says that he is "representing" the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. He presents the usual visions to Scrooge, all within the counting house, which leads to Scrooge's redemption. The other three ghosts do not appear anywhere in this version. I found the following scene, in which Scrooge calls to the boy on the street, to be quite amusing. Instead of the usual exchange from the window to the street, the "boy" (who looks to be about 15 years old) is invited inside. Scrooge first asks him if Tiny Tim is still alive. He then asks him about the prize turkey to which the 15 year old replies, "the one as big as me?" I would have loved to have seen that particular turkey. Scrooge ends the scene by telling the boy to "take a cab and keep the change." All humor aside, as I was watching this version (not being able to find any information on it previously) I kept thinking that Scrooge strongly resembled Seymour Hicks (of the famous 1935 "Scrooge"). During a subsequent search I found that this film is actually the 1913 "Scrooge" (starring Hicks) which was re-distributed in the U.S. in 1926 as "Old Scrooge." Mystery solved and quite exciting to finally see this early version.

All i want for christmas!!!
I am a huge fan of silent films & a christmas carol, so this is a special treat to fans of both!! This dvd contains to rare silent versions of charles dickens imortal classic. The first film "a christmas carol" from 1923 is from a very watchable print source! It is an old film print but from a direct film source and title cards are very watchable. The old look only adds to the atmosphere of the film. The second film is "old scrooge" released in 1926 from pathe films. This one is a superb print for a film this rare, with some tinting in spots. Both films have a very good music score, & the sound quality is amazing!!! This DVD is highly recamended for every silent film buff!!!

Two Gems!
Being a collector of film/tv versions of "A Christmas Carol" I was pleasantly surprised when these 2 silent versions surfaced on DVD. Now, the picture quality isn't perfect but both are very watchable and each version has it's little distinct differences from all the others. This would have received a 5 star rating, in my book, but there's no information on the "Old Scrooge" film other than it's date of 1926. I can find no info on thos version anywhere?

Someday, someone may "clean up" the video but I won't hold my breath. In the meantime it's a welcome addition to my collection imperfections and all!