Much as the previous silent Scrooges interested me, I am fascinated by the 1914 version. It runs to 22 minutes (some cuts are abrupt enough to suggest something is missing) and although Charles Rock makes a lively Scrooge, this is decidedly a Cratchit movie. We open with Bob Cratchit putting up holiday greeneryContinue reading “SCREEN SCROOGES: Silent Supplement 4”
Category Archives: Scrooge
SCREEN SCROOGES: Silent Supplement 3
“Scrooge”, rereleased later as “Old Scrooge” for no apparent reason, appeared in 1913 and was the longest (known) version of the story up to that time, clocking in at some forty minutes. It opens with a little pseudo-documentary beginning with shots of Charles Dickens’s birthplace (with people pointing at it in part so weContinue reading “SCREEN SCROOGES: Silent Supplement 3”
SCREEN SCROOGES: Silent Supplement 2
This is a supplement to the comparison of film versions of A Christmas Carol, taking a look at the surviving silent versions. We considered the earliest surviving version, from 1901, last week. After a lost version of A Christmas Carol made in Chicago in 1908, the next, and first American, Christmas Carol was releasedContinue reading “SCREEN SCROOGES: Silent Supplement 2”
SCREEN SCROOGES: Silent Supplement I
A sorry spot in serializing some of my non-fiction works in this space is a nagging refrain of “Remember how hard this was to research? Sure woulda been easier with the Interwebs”. Take, for example, my comparison of screen versions of “A Christmas Carol”, serialized herein not so long ago. It would easily haveContinue reading “SCREEN SCROOGES: Silent Supplement I”
Screen Scrooges: And The End Of It All
Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city ever knew, or any other good old city,Continue reading “Screen Scrooges: And The End Of It All”
Screen Scrooges: December the 26th
But he was early at the office next morning. Oh, he was early there. If he could only be there first, and catch Bob Cratchit coming late! That was the thing he had set his heart upon. And he did it: yes, he did! The clock struck nine. No Bob. A quarter past. Continue reading “Screen Scrooges: December the 26th”
Screen Scrooges: And So To Fred
He went to church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of houses. And up to the windows; and found that everything could yield hi pleasure. He had never dreamed that any walk—thatContinue reading “Screen Scrooges: And So To Fred”
SCREEN SCROOGES: To Cheat Or Not To Cheat
Interlude Even the movies which do not cheat the ending like to toss in a scene showing the arrival of a prize turkey at the home of the Cratchits. They NEED to see that turkey done all the way through. None I have seen quite discuss the effect of the arrival of aContinue reading “SCREEN SCROOGES: To Cheat Or Not To Cheat”
SCREEN SCROOGES: Scrooge’s Christmas
The hand in which he wrote the address was not a steady one, but write it he did, somehow, and went down stairs to open the street door, ready for the coming of the poulterer’s man. As he stood there, waiting his arrival, the knocker caught his eye. “I shall love it asContinue reading “SCREEN SCROOGES: Scrooge’s Christmas”
Screen Scrooges: The Boy
Rushing to the window, he opened it, and put out his head. No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial. Stirring, cold; cold piping for the blood to dance to; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air, merry bells. Oh, glorious. Glorious! “What’s to-day?” cried Scrooge, calling downward to a boy in Sunday clothes,Continue reading “Screen Scrooges: The Boy”
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