The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017), Starring Christopher Plummer: Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

Title:  The Man Who Invented Christmas 

Adaptation:  Starring Christopher Plummer as Ebenezer Scrooge, and Dan Stevens as Charles Dickens

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  

FRI, 10 NOV 2017 Ireland

WED, 22 NOV 2017 U.S.A.

My Rating:  *****

Format Reviewed:  live-action film, on DVD and BluRay

 

Runtime:  104 minutes

 

Availability:  As of February 6, 2021, copies of this film are available on DVD and BluRay, for approximately $15 U.S. Dollars

Is this adaptation reverent?  Yes.

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?

Yes. (See below.)

 

Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 

Yes, Charles Dickens' father says it right before he's arrested and taken to debtors' prison. One of the children also says it, near the end of this film.

What does my wife think of this adaptation?
She watched it once, with me, in the theater, and she liked it well enough to watch it with me again, at home, on BluRay.  

Where and when does this adaptation take place?

Although this adaptation begins with Charles Dickens' first trip to the U.S.A. in 1842, most of the action takes place in London, between October, 1843, when Charles Dickens was writing A Christmas Carol, and December, 1843, when it was published.

 
What language and/or dialects are used?  

British English

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?

Not very closely! This adaptation is framed within a biographical yet fanciful dramatization of Charles Dickens' life in the months leading up to his publication of A Christmas Carol. However, characters from the novel are portrayed by actors such as Christopher Plummer, well enough to serve as a cinematic adaptation of the novel.

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  No.

Is this adaptation supernatural? 

Yes, this adaptation is supernatural, featuring ghosts and imaginary characters who appear to Charles Dickens.

Is this adaptation "framed"?  

Yes. (See above.)

Is this adaptation a musical?  No.

 

What songs and/or dances are included?  

(Music by Mychael Danna... There is a little singing and dancing to inspire Dickens to write the scene about Fezziwig's Ball, but music isn't a major part of this film.

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  

The set, wardrobe, architecture, and art are good, and seem very representative of Charles Dickens' London.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?

The transitions are well executed/edited; they are usually sharp cuts, but they are very effective, and seem seamless.

 

What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included? N/A  

 

What use is made of background extras?  

Effective use is made of background extras, especially in the streets of London, as well as in a theatre in the U.S.A.

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation?
The most remarkable thing about this adaptation is that it's framed in a biographical dramatization of Charles Dickens' struggle to write A Christmas Carol, as he receives inspirations from various mundane sources, such as stories his maid reads to herself, and others she tells his children, and chance meetings with a waiter at a restaurant, or a funeral at a cemetery. It also shows how Dickens' imagination might have brought his characters to life, as they are brought to life by the actors who play dual roles of people in Dickens' life as well as his literary characters, such as Ebenezer Scrooge.

 
What extras are included on the tape or DVD?

This DVD and BluRay set come in one, double jewel case. They both include a featurette titled "The Story Behind The Man Who Invented Christmas."

Subtitles are available in English and Spanish.

 

Review by William Mortensen Vaughan 

"Saved by the Bell": "A Home for Christmas" (1991): Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

Title:  "A Home for Christmas, Parts 1 and 2"

At left:  Jennifer McComb and Dustin Diamond as the Ghost of Christmas Present and Ebenezer Scrooge (scrren grab courtesy of CultureCrossfire.com)

Adaptation:  Starring Dustin Diamond as  Ebenezer Scrooge

 

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  

SAT, 07 DEC 1991 U.S.A. (part 1)

SAT, 14 DEC 1991 U.S.A.

 

My Rating:  *****

Format Reviewed:  live-action television episodes, on DVD

 

Runtime:  46 minutes (23 minutes per episode)

 

Availability:  

As of February 2, 2021, copies of the entire "Saved by the Bell" series, on DVD, are available, online, for approximately $30 U.S. Dollars.

Is this adaptation reverent? 

Yes, this adaptation is reverent, including a reverent rendition of "Silent Night" for the grand finale.

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?

Yes. (See above.)

 

Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 

No.

What does my wife think of this adaptation?
She enjoyed it, and recommended it to me.

Where and when does this adaptation take place?

Pacific Palisades, California, circa 1990.

 
What language and/or dialects are used?  

American English

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?

This adaptation contains an abbreviated, theatrical adaptation, within a loose, modernized adaptation of A Christmas Carol, framed in two episodes of "Saved by the Bell," titled "Home for Christmas, Part 1" and "Part 2."

"Part 1" opens with shots of the fireplace mantel, Christmas cards, and Zack's Christmas stocking. Then Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and his friends enter the room, and they discuss their plans for their two-week, Christmas vacation from school, which has apparently just begun.

Slater (Mario Lopez) has a new job, at the Bayside Mall, wrapping gifts, for $4 per hour. Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley) has a new, $8-per-hour job at the mall, as an assistant at Santa's photo booth. Kelly (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen) works as a saleswoman at Moody's Clothing Store for Men. Her wages are unspecified, but she seems to have tenure, because she Mr. Moody gives her time off to participate in a production of A Christmas Carol.

The proprietor, Mr. Moody (Lew Horn), is a modern "Scrooge," as shown later, when he refuses to give one of his employees, a 17-year-old girl named Laura (Jennifer McComb), time off to participate in the production of A Christmas Carol. In "Part 2," he also refuses to give her an advance on her wages so she can buy a jacket for her father. He only relents and let's Laura participate in the play when Zack promises to increase his store's sales by promoting it throughout the play. Zack's mother, Mrs. Morris (Melody Rogers), is the director, and reluctantly approves Zack's new script.

Lisa (Lark Voorhies) works as a Candy Striper.

Zack and Screech don't have jobs, so they hang out at the mall, where Zack literally bumps into Laura and becomes infatuated.

Lisa expects her friends to help her throw a Christmas party for the children at her hospital, so Screech obtains a doll which wets his pants as well as his own. In the Men's Room, a homeless man named Frank (Stephen Mendel) suggests to Screech that he use the blow dryer for hands to dry his pants. Later, after bumming wrapping paper from Slater, Frank passes out in the Food Court. Slater, having received Life Guard training, tells Zack how to help the man while Screech dials 9-1-1.

Then Zack and his friends attend Lisa's Christmas party, and, since Frank is also at the hospital, they stop by his room, where they discover that Laura is already there, because Frank is her father. Thus ends "Part 1."

"Part 2" begins with Zack recapping "Part 1." Then he invites Frank and Laura to his home for dinner. Three slices of pie, four potatoes, and five lamb chops later, Frank and Laura return to wherever they're staying.

Finally, Kelly bids farewell to Mr. Moody as she leaves his store to participate in the play. Zack appears in period costume, dressed for the role of Bob Cratchit, and talks Mr. Moody into letting Laura go as well, even though she only has twenty minutes to learn her lines as the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Screech plays Scrooge; Slater, Tiny Tim and Old Joe; Kelly, a Cratchit girl and Mrs. Dilber; Lisa, another Cratchit girl and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come; and Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Cratchit. The roles of Jacob Marley, Fred, the Ghost of Christmas Past et al are left out.

Throughout the play, Bob, Scrooge, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come continually plug Mr. Moody's Clothing Store for Men, which offers clothes for boys as tiny as Tim, to men as large as Gigantic George.

More drama ensues after the play, when Mr. Moody discovers that the jacket Laura wanted is missing, and there is no receipt for its purchase. Mr. Moody accuses Laura, who denies the theft, but he calls Security, so she flees. Then Kelly arrives and explains that she had asked Marlene (uncredited) to set the jacket aside, and she intended to pay for it after the play.

After a "woman hunt," Mrs. Morris, with the telephonic blessing of her husband, who is out of town, invites Frank and Laura to move in with her and Zack, and they accept.

Mrs. Morris and Zack host another Christmas party, at which Mr. Moody appears with a present for Frank, the jacket Laura had attempted to buy for him. Then Laura gives Zack a kiss, and Frank gives everyone the gift of music by playing "Silent Night" on a piano, which the party guests join him in singing, for the grand finale.

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  

No, but "Part 1" serves as a prequel to "Part 2," during which a theatrical adaptation of A Christmas Carol takes place. The modernized adaptation, in which Mr. Moody is "the Scrooge" who has a change of heart at the end of the story, spans both episodes.

Is this adaptation supernatural? 

Yes, it includes ghosts and time travel.

Is this adaptation "framed"?  

Yes, this adaptation is framed as a play at a shopping mall.

Is this adaptation a musical?  No.

 

What songs and/or dances are included?  

Music by Rich Eames and Scott Gale...  Members of the cast sing "Silent Night" for the grand finale.

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  

The set and wardrobe are good, including a variety of Christmas costumes, as well as modern clothing, including multi-colored houndstooth and a multi-patterned sweater, as well as blue jeans, slacks, and skirts of various lengths. Costumes include four Santa Claus costumes (for the mall Santa and his helper, Jessie; and two more, which Zack and Kelly wear to the hospital, in the guise of Mr. and Mrs. Claus, to entertain the children), a Rudolph costume, and two elf costumes, as well as Lisa's Candy Striper uniform, which resembles a candy cane. Also seen are various period costumes, during the theatrical adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Lisa portrays one of the most fashionable and talkative Ghosts of Christmas Yet to Come, looking more like a young widow dressed in black than a Grim Reaper. Laura dresses more like the classic Ghost of Christmas Present, in a green robe with white, fur trim, although she is an unusual choice for this role, being a slender, young woman instead of a fat, aging man.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?

The transitions are adequate.

 

What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included? N/A

 

What use is made of background extras?  

Adequate use of background extras, at a school, a mall, and a hospital.

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation?
The most remarkable thing about this adaptation is, perhaps, the innocence with which the coming of age of Zack and Laura (and their romance) is portrayed.

Speaking of age, it is also remarkable how little Mario Lopez seems to have aged in the three decades since "Saved by the Bell" premiered. He still looks more like Tiny Tim than Old Joe, as he continues to host "Extra" and MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew."

 
What extras are included on the tape or DVD?

Optional subtitles are available in English and Spanish. There is an option to "Play All" the episodes on the disc, or select a certain episode.

Unfortunately, the "Main" screen indicates that the episodes on the disc are from Season Four, although they are from Season Three.

 

Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

Ms. Scrooge (1997), Starring Cicely Tyson: Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

Title:  Ms. Scrooge

Adaptation:  Starring Cicely Tyson (1924-2021) as Ebenita Scrooge

 
Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  

WED, 10 DEC 1997 U.S.A.

WED, 25 NOV 1998 Finland

FRI, 18 DEC 1998 Japan

 

My Rating:  ****

Format Reviewed:  live-action film, on YouTube

 

Runtime:  87 minutes

 

Availability:  As of February 2, 2021, Ms. Scrooge is available on YouTube, and copies of it, on DVD, are also available online, for approximately $30 U.S. Dollars.

Is this adaptation reverent? 

Yes, this adaptation is reverent, and features a Christian minister.

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?

Yes.

 

Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 

Yes.

What does my wife think of this adaptation?
She doesn't like it; she finds Ms. Scrooge's voice annoying, until after her transformation.

Where and when does this adaptation take place?

The U.S.A., after the Viet Nam War

 
What language and/or dialects are used?  

American English

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?

This adaptation is so "loose," that it seems odd that it included the names "Scrooge," "Cratchit," and "Marley."

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  No.

Is this adaptation supernatural? 

Yes, it includes ghosts and time travel.

Is this adaptation "framed"?  No.

Is this adaptation a musical?  No.

 

What songs and/or dances are included?  

Music composed by David Shire...  This adaptation includes one of the best vocal renditions of "Good King Wenceslas" that I've ever heard, as well as "Go Tell It on the Mountain." 

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  

The visual art is adequate.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?

The transitions are adequate.

 

What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included? 

N/A 

 

What use is made of background extras?  

The use of background extras is adequate.

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation?
The most remarkable thing about this adaptation is, perhaps, that it portrays an elderly, black, female version of Scrooge. Young, black, female versions of Scrooge are played by Vanessa Williams, in A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000); and by Demetria McKinney, in Stone Cold Christmas (2018).

The best part of this adaptation, for me, was the rendition of "Good King Wenceslas."

 
What extras are included on the tape or DVD?

N/A

Quiz 3 on An American Christmas Carol (1979), Starring Henry Winkler

 1.  Of what company is Mr. Slade the President?

 2.  What is the first name of the sister of "the Tiny Tim," in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

 3.  What is the first initial and last name of the third person whose possessions "the Scrooge" repossesses, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

 4.  What is the name of the store owned by the third person whose possessions "the Scrooge" repossesses, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

 5.  Initially, who does "the Scrooge" think that the Ghost of Christmas Past is, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

 6.  What was the name of the person in charge of the county orphanage, when "the Scrooge" lived there, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

 7.  What was the first and last name of the person who removed "the Scrooge" from the county orphanage, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

 8.  Approximately, when was "the Scrooge" removed from the county orphanage, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

 9.  What is the name of the driver who took "the Scrooge" to the shop where he was employed as a child, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

10.  What was the name of the company that employed "the Scrooge" when he left the shop where he worked as a child, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Answers to this quiz were published on February 8, 2021.

Quiz by William Mortensen Vaughan

Answers to Quiz 2 on An American Christmas Carol (1979), Starring Henry Winkler

 1.  When Mr. Slade mentions "Morgan," who or what was he probably referring to?

John Pierpont Morgan, the founder of J.P. Morgan and Company

 2.  When Mr. Slade mentions "Coolidge," who or what was he probably referring to?

Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States

 3.  When Mr. Slade mentions "Zebulon Pike," who or what was he probably referring to?

The man who climbed Pike's Peak, in Colorado

 4.  An instrumental adaptation of what song is heard during the opening scene, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol, before the choirboys are heard singing another song?

"We Wish You a Merry Christmas"

 5.  What are the first and last names of the first person whose possessions "the Scrooge" repossesses, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Matt Reeves

 6.  What is the first name of the wife of the first person whose possessions "the Scrooge" repossesses, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Jennie

 7.  What are the first and last names of "the Tiny Tim," in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Jonathan Thatcher

 8.  In this adaptation of A Christmas Carol, the Ghost of Christmas Past mentions playing a trumpet in war, and walls which fell; who does he seem to imply that he was, or knew, in a previous life?

Joshua, Moses' successor, who conquered Jericho (see Joshua 6:1-27)

 9.  What is the last name of the second person whose possessions "the Scrooge" repossesses, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Jessup

10.  In what county is the opening scene, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Merrimack County, New Hampshire

Quiz and Answers by William Mortensen Vaughan

Answers to Quiz 1 on An American Christmas Carol (1979), Starring Henry Winkler

  1.  When was this film first released?

16 December 1979, in the U.S.A. According to the Internet Movie Database, it was also released 24 December 1988, in the Netherlands.

 2.  Where does this film's opening scene take place?

Concord, New Hampshire

 3.  What song do the boys sing as they ask for donations?

"We Three Kings"

 4.  What is the name of the company that Mr. Thatcher asks Mr. Slade to re-open?

The  Alden Granite Company

 5.  What are the first and last names of "the Scrooge," in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Benedict Slade

 6.  Who is "the Cratchit," in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Mr. Thatcher

 7.  What are the first and last names of "the Marley," in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Jack Latham

 8.  What day of what year is it, during this film's opening scene?

Dec. 24, 1933

 9.  What does "S&L" stand for, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Slade and Latham

10.  What is the title of the booklet that "the Scrooge" passes out to the choirboys, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

"You Can Do It!" 

Quiz and Answers by William Mortensen Vaughan 

Carry On Christmas (1969), Starring Sid James as : Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

Title:  Carry On Christmas

Adaptation:  Starring Sid James as  Ebenezer Scrooge

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  

WED, 24 DEC 1969 U.K.

 

My Rating:  *  (Viewer Discretion Advised)

Format Reviewed:  live-action film, on DVD,

 

Runtime:  50 minutes

 

Availability:  

As of January 20, 2021, copies of this film, on DVD, are available  online, for about $10 U.S. Dollars.

Is this adaptation reverent? 

No, this adaptation is not reverent; it's bawdy, and seems to mock Christians.  For example, Scrooge throws the contents of his chamber pot on a nun and her Christmas carolers.  Also, Bob Cratchit prays a humorous, irreverent prayer, and disapproves of the humorous answer he receives.

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?

Yes.

 

Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 

No.

What does my wife think of this adaptation?

She hates it.

Where and when does this adaptation take place?

Victorian England

 
What language and/or dialects are used?  

British English

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?

This adaptation does not follow the original novel very well.

For one, thing, there is no Jacob Marley.  Instead, the Ghost of Christmas Past shows up with several balls and a chain.  He shows Scrooge a vision of Dr. Frank N. Stein, to whom he refused to lend money to finish his monster.  Count Dracula serves as his assistant, instead of Igor, and he takes some of Dr. Jekyll's formula.

The Ghost of Christmas Present is a petite blonde lady, whom Scrooge attempts to seduce.  She shows him a vision of a poet named Robert (Bolling?) who dies trying to elope with his girl friend.

The Ghost of Christmas to Come shows Scrooge another vision - of Cinderella.

Scrooge wakes up and decides to mend his ways, so he takes a chamber pot full of his money outside, and offers it to a woman, who has a Bobby arrest him for soliciting her.

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  No.

Is this adaptation supernatural? Yes, there are ghosts and time travel.

Is this adaptation "framed"?  No.

Is this adaptation a musical?  No.

 

What songs and/or dances are included?  

There are two Christmas carols, each sung by a different group of carolers.  Scrooge blows up the first group of carolers, with a bomb, as they sing "The First Noel," leaving only their shoes with smoke pouring out of them. The second group of carolers is a nun with four schoolgirls (played by elderly men), singing "Good King Wenceslas"; Scrooge empties the contents of his chamber pot on them.

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  

The set, wardrobe, architecture, and art are good, including signs in excellent calligraphy.  There are three main sets:  the streets outside Scrooge's office and quarters, Scrooge's office, and his private chamber upstairs.  There are also three sets for the visions:  Dr. Frank N. Stein's laboratory, the bedroom of Robert's girl friend, and Cinderella's kitchen.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?

The transitions are fair, involving mostly cameras cutting to the next scenes.  For the bombing scene, an explosion is heard; smoke rises from the bottom edge of the screen until it covers the screen; when the smoke clears, the camera zooms in on the smoking shoes.

 

What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included? N/A  

 

What use is made of background extras?  

Little use, if any, is made of background extras, but they don't seem necessary.

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation? 

The most remarkable thing about this adaptation is, perhaps, the number of feminine costumes worn by elderly men.  

 

Also notable, is the absence of reverence. 

 

This adaptation also has one of the Ghosts of Christmas in chains as if he were Marley, but this is not unique; the Sesame Street and the Sanford and Son adaptations show something very similar.

 
What extras are included on the tape or DVD?

Three other Carry On Christmas shows are included on the DVD.