Is there a more jubilant conclusion to any version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol?” Oh my! Thank you very much, indeed!
Albert Finney’s make-up as “Scrooge” (1970) is a bit of a distraction (he was only 33 at the time, in this, his first big-screen “character role”) and Leslie Bricusse’s hit-and-miss score makes “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” seem like Noel Coward, but the choreography and energetic commitment to the enterprise make it a satisfying entry in the unlikely craze for Dickens musicals, unleashed by Lionel Bart’s “Oliver!”
This characterization of the Humbug-spouting miser isn’t as straightforward as some. Finney and director Ronald Neame (“The Horse’s Mouth,” “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” “The Poseidon Adventure”) offer us premature glimpses of Scrooge’s nascent goodness and almost childlike humor, stirred by metaphoric spiritual visitations and the “milk of human kindness,” but willfully tamped down by obstinate backslidings. Until, of course, his redemption inspires the usual eruption of joy.
I have to confess, I was a little cranky when I sat down to watch it late last night, but the film succeeded in instilling a little holiday spirit and made me miss what movies used to be able to accomplish.
The discussion will be generous when Roy and I dive headlong into this Christmas pudding, on a special holiday edition of Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner. All the punch will be in the comments section, when we livestream on Facebook, YouTube, etc., at a special time, THIS THURSDAY EVENING AT 7:00 EST!
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