Monday, February 20, 2017

A Christmas Carol (1939) (Orson Welles' Radio Broadcast): Review by William Mortensen Vaughan


Title
A Christmas Carol

AdaptationFeaturing the voice of Lionel Barrymore as  Ebenezer Scrooge
, and Orson Welles as the Narrator

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  
SUN, 24 DEC 1939 U.S.A.
 
My Rating** (Substandard - audio recording during a slide show)

Format Reviewed:  DVD
 
Runtime:  55 minutes
 
Availability:  
As of February 2, 2021, this recording is available on YouTube. Copies of this recording are available, on CD, for approximately $10 U.S. Dollars.

Is this adaptation reverent? 
Yes, this adaptation is reverent.  It is an abridged, audible version of the novel.

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?
Yes.  (See below.)
 
Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 
Yes, Tiny Tim  says, "God bless us, everyone!"

What does my wife think of
this adaptation?
She's not impressed.

Where and when does this adaptation take place?
Victorian England
 
What language and/or dialects are used?  
American English

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?
This adaptation follows the original novel fairly well.  It has Orson Welles and Lionel Barrymore reading/quoting the text from the novel for a radio show.

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 by Bernard Bernstein...

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  
My copy of this adaptation is an extra, included on a DVD titled Christmas and A Christmas Carol, a documentary about Christmas in general, with an emphasis on how Charles Dickens' novel, A Christmas Carol, influenced it.  
Overall, the DVD seems unprofessional and poorly edited.  There are scenes with no logical explanations as to what the viewer is looking at, or even why the footage is included.

A slideshow is included with the audio recording of Orson Welles' radio adaptation of A Christmas Carol, with historic illustrations from or related to the novel, but they are not placed or timed with any logical correlation to the words heard while the images are on the screen.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?
The transitions are poorly done.
 
What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included?  N/A  
 
What use is made of background extras?  N/A

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation?
The most remarkable thing about this adaptation is, perhaps, the lack of correlation between the audible words and the illustrations.
 
What bonus material is included on the tape or DVD?
This slideshow with an audio track is a bonus on a DVD.

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