Silent Christmas Masterpieces

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.

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!!!

As a collector of virtually all of the film versions of "A Christmas Carol" (that I can get my hands on), I was delighted to get this DVD. As noted by another reviewer, the film billed as a 1926 film titled "Old Scrooge" is actually the 1913 British film "Scrooge". Scrooge is portrayed by none other than Seymour Hicks who reprised the role in 1935. Originally released in Great Britian by Zenith Films, Pathe Films re-released the film in the U.S. in 1926 under the title "Old Scrooge". The Pathe re-release does not list any of the cast members on the screen. For more details on this film (including a couple of wonderful still pictures from the production) look up the book "A Christmas Carol And Its Adaptations" by Fred Guida with a forward by Edward Wagenknecht (available from Amazon). The video transfer is quite good considering the age of the source material. The DVD also offers a slide show using still pictures from both the 1923 and 1926(1913) versions. My only complaint about the dvd is the choice of the music that was used. The 1926(1913) film sometimes is accompanied by music that sounds like Glenn Miller or some dance band from the 1940's--totally wrong for the subject. So turn off the sound, sit back and enjoy two wonderful versions of the Dickens classic.[ASIN:0786428406 A Christmas Carol And Its Adaptations: A Critical Examination of Dickens's Story And Its Productions on Screen And Television]]

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