Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageA Christmas Carol (1984)
Director: Clive Donner
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
The only character in Dickens' sentimental tale who never stuck in one's craw was the pre-reformation Scrooge, and so it seems exactly right that Donner's movie should rest entirely on the solid shoulders of George C Scott. His intelligence and quickness at last give us a Scrooge of many dimensions; a man of tortured and forbidding nobility, made cruel by uncaring parentage and a malign fate, rather than the usual thin miser. The fact that he is also one of nature's monetarists does not go unnoticed. As to the rest: Shrewsbury looks well enough under snow; one can enjoy the urge to kick away the crutch of a more than usually repellent Tiny Tim; and only Roger Rees (as Scrooge's nephew) suggests that goodness might be vertebrate. CPea.Author: CPea
Cast & crew
Director: Clive Donner
Producer: William F Storke, Alfred R Kelman
Cast: George C Scott, Frank Finlay, Angela Pleasence, Edward Woodward, Michael Carter, David Warner, Susannah York, Anthony Walters, Roger Rees full cast
Duration: 101 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now