Christmas Carol, A (DVD)
APPROX. 69 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 1938 - MPA RATING: NR
" The movie is nothing if not sincere, which goes a long way in a sentimental tale like this one.
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Scrooge's conversion to sweetness and light still comes as a splendidly moving scene in a moment to be cherished. The movie is nothing if not sincere, which goes a long way in a sentimental tale like this one.
Video:
The 1.33:1 standard-screen image shows up as strongly as most of MGM's and WB's old black-and-white films, largely, I'm sure, because the studio found a good print, cleaned it up, and transferred it to disc at a high bit rate. The B&W contrasts are not as vivid as some I've seen, and there is a touch of film grain in evidence, but otherwise, the picture looks fine. There are very few age marks, a few specks here and there is all, and no scratches or no deterioration whatever. Things hold up nicely and make viewing a pleasure.
Audio:
Warner Bros. have reproduced the sound as well as might be expected. Their Dolby Digital rendering of the 1.0 monaural sonics reveals almost no background noise (unless turned up to the threshold of pain), a clear midrange, and an expectedly limited bass and dynamic impact. Nothing to complain about.
Extras:
Warner Bros. have included several old Christmas items with the main movie. The first is a nine-minute MGM short subject from 1931 called "The Christmas Party," featuring child star Jackie Cooper. In it, young Jackie decides he wants to invite his pals to a party on Christmas, but the guest list keeps growing and soon he has to get Norma Shearer to ask Mr. Mayer if he can use one of the studio sound stages for the event. Serving as waiters and waitresses to Jackie's guests are such MGM luminaries of the day as Ms. Shearer, Jimmy Durante, Wallace Berry, Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Bette Davis, Ramon Navarro, Marion Davies, and Reginald Denny, among others.
The next bonus items are a brief, two-minute snippet of a young Judy Garland singing "Silent Night," followed by the eight-minute, 1939, Oscar-nominated cartoon, "Peace on Earth," still an effective antiwar fable. Finally, there's a theatrical trailer for "A Christmas Carol" that is introduced and narrated by actor Lionel Barrymore, who was originally set to star as Scrooge until illness forced him to cancel. Too bad; he would have made a wonderfully grumpy Ebenezer, just as he made a wonderfully grumpy Mr. Potter in "It's a Wonderful Life" a few years later. The disc has eighteen scene selections, but no chapter insert; English as the only spoken language; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
Take your pick of Scrooges, from Reginald Owen to John Carradine to George C. Scott to Albert Finney to Michael Caine to Tim Curry to Rich Little to Scrooge McDuck to Patrick Stewart, with many dozens of others in between; but my favorite continues to be, as I've said, Alastair Sim, who is the meanest skinflint in the world at the beginning of the story and the wackiest, silliest, most deliriously happy man imaginable by the end. Reginald Owen fits somewhere in between, not quite as convincing as he should be at either extreme. And, anyhow, as I've said, the film is as much about Bob Cratchit and nephew Fred as about Scrooge, a curious turn of events. Nevertheless, the movie is a pleasant trifle to warm the Christmas season.
Warner Bros. have made "A Christmas Carol" available on its own or in a box set with two other holiday favorites, "Boys Town" (1938), which also includes "Men of Boys Town" (1941) on the same disc, and "Christmas in Connecticut" (1945).
"God bless Us, Every One."
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