Tuesday, November 9, 2021

The Ghost & Mrs. Muir: The Ghost of Christmas Past (1969): Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

 


Title
:  "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir":  
"The Ghost of Christmas Past"

AdaptationStarring as Claymore Gregg (the Scrooge) and an ancient Claymore Gregg (also a Scrooge); as "the Ghost"; and as Mrs. Muir

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  
THU, 25 DEC 1969 U.S.A.
 
My Rating*****(Favorite)

Format Reviewed
live-action film, streamed from YouTube
 
Runtime:  30 minutes
 
Availability:  
As of November 9, 2021, copies of this television series, on DVD/VHS, are available, online, for approximately $30 U.S. Dollars.

Is this adaptation reverent? 
This adaptation is somewhat reverent; it is suitable for general audiences, and includes the hymns, "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and "Silent Night."

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?
Yes, when carolers sing "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen!"
 
Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 
No.

What does my wife think of
this adaptation?
She enjoyed it; in fact, she's the one who recommended it to me!

Where and when does this adaptation take place?
Victorian England and the fictional fishing village of Schooner Bay, Maine, circa 1975
 
What language and/or dialects are used?  
American English.

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?
This adaptation doesn't follow the original version very well.  The story is an episode of the television series "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," starring Hope Lange as Mrs. Muir, and Edward Mulhare as the ghost of Captain Daniel Gregg.

In this episode, Claymore Gregg (Charles Nelson Reilly), is "the Scrooge," refusing to sell Mrs. Muir a Christmas Tree for what she considers a reasonable price.  After she leaves his tree lot without buying a tree, Mr. Claymore discovers an abandoned infant in his car, which he decides to leave with Mrs. Muir.

She goes to bed on Christmas Eve, and dreams about a version of herself with Captain Gregg approximately one hundred years prior (circa 1870).  She plays the role of the previous Claymore's niece and employee - essentially Fred and Bob in one character.  She also ends up with an abandoned infant.

The previous Mr. Claymore goes to bed on Christmas Eve, and is visited by the Voice of the Conscience He Used to Have, instead of any Marley or Ghosts of Christmas.  As a result, he becomes a nicer person on Christmas morning.

Still in Mrs. Muir's dream, she receives a present from Captain Gregg in the form of a metal rattle, from the Bay of Tunis, for the baby she has taken in.

Later, her dream ends with a romantic kiss that Captain Gregg shares with her.

Then Mrs. Muir wakes up and soon discovers that the baby has a metal rattle just like (or perhaps the same rattle) as the one in her dream.  She also discovers that her maid, Martha (Reta Shaw), Claymore, and her own two children, have had similar dreams.  The Ghost of Captain Gregg finally admits that he is the culprit, and that the dreams are his Christmas presents to them.

Claymore has a change of heart, and gives Mrs. Muir a Christmas Tree for free.

Martha also fields a phone call from the local constable, informing her that the mother claimed the baby, whom his brother had mistakenly placed in Claymore's car, and is en route to retrieve him.

The episode ends as Claymore asks the Ghost if the infant in the dreams is his ancestor, and the Captain answers by asking how he could do such a thing to a child, even in a dream.

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  
No.

Is this adaptation supernatural? 
Yes.  It's about a ghost with magical powers, similar to Jeannie in "I Dream of Jeannie" and Samantha in "Bewitched."

Is this adaptation "framed"?  
Yes, this version is framed within a modern Mrs. Muir's dream, with a parallel in her modern reality; both the reality and the dream include a Claymore who is a "Scrooge" who reforms.

Is this adaptation a musical?  
No.
 
What songs and/or dances are included?  
Music by George Greeley.  Carolers sing "O Come, All Ye Faithful," "Silent Night," "Deck the Halls," and "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen!"

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  
The set and wardrobe are adequate, and typical of the 'Sixties.  looks a lot like Vincent Price.

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?  
(Give specific examples of scenes with adequate or inadequate numbers of background extras.)

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation? 
For me, the most remarkable thing about this adaptation is that the Ghosts of Marley and Christmas are replaced by the voice of a conscience, which is able to change Claymore's attitude so quickly and easily!
 

What bonus material is included on the tape or DVD? 
N/A

Dr. Who: A Christmas Carol (2010): Review by William Mortensen Vaughan


 TitleDr. Who:  A Christmas Carol

AdaptationStarring as Kazran Sardick (the Scrooge) and Elliot Sardick; as The Doctor

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  
SAT, 25 DEC 2010 U.K. & U.S.A.
 
My Rating***(Offensive Favorite)

Format Reviewed
live-action film, on DVD
 
Runtime:  1 hour 2 minutes
 
Availability:  
As of November 9, 2021, copies of this film, on DVD, are available, online, for approximately $15 U.S. Dollars.

Is this adaptation reverent? 
This adaptation is somewhat reverent, in that it seems to focus on the importance of human lives, and even the life of a potentially man-woman-and-child-eating shark.

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?
[T.B.D.]
 
Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 
[T.B.D.]

What does my wife think of
this adaptation?
She thinks "it's weird."

Where and when does this adaptation take place?
On a futuristic planet, owned and operated by a Scrooge-like despot named Kazran Sardick, who is capable of freezing family members as collateral for debts, and reviving them years later.  He is also unimpressed by (and unconcerned with) Earthling spaceships entering his planet's atmosphere, and crashing and burning on its surface.
 
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 closely.  Kazran Sardick is "the Scrooge."  A spaceship from Earth enters the angry fish filled cloud cover he maintains over the planet he rules.  The spaceship is about to crash, and several people beg for his assistance, but he insists on letting the Earthlings crash and die.  Dr. Who (Matt Smith) arrives and, in addition to begging for the Earthlings' lives, plays the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past, showing Kazran why he became the way he is.  By traveling through time, he meets Kazran as a boy (Laurence Belcher), and, returning every Christmas Eve for years, cultivates a friendship, and a romance between a young, adult Kazran (Danny Horn) and one of the people, Abigail (Katherine Jenkins) he kept frozen as collateral against her family's debt.  Dr. Who and Kazran unfreeze Abigail each Christmas Eve, and party together, then refreeze her.

Eventually, Kazran discovers that Abigail has a set number of days to live, and the next day Abigail is released, she will die.  This makes him a bitter man again, and he refuses to release Abigail again, and takes his frustration out on everyone else on his planet.

But Dr. Who needs Kazran to release Abigail to sing, soothe the angry sky fish, and save the Earthlings' spaceship.  Somehow, he persuades Kazran to release Abigail, let her sing, and enjoy her last Christmas Eve with him as best she can.

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  
No.

Is this adaptation supernatural? 
No, it's more science fictional than supernatural.

Is this adaptation "framed"?  
No.

Is this adaptation a musical?  
No.
 
What songs and/or dances are included?  
Music by Murray Gold. Abigail sings what sounds like opera music, which soothes the angry sky fish.

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  
The sets, wardrobe, and special effects are good.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?
The transitions are creative, startling, and intense.  Dr. Who turns up in startling places.  It's easy to understand why Kazran becomes frustrated with him after ordering his henchmen to remove him from his home office, only to discover removing him is virtually impossible.
 
What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included?  
The Doctor takes Kazran and Abigail on an aerial sleigh ride.  
 
What use is made of background extras?  
Adequate use is made of background extras.

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation? 
This is perhaps the most complicated adaptation of A Christmas Carol I've ever seen.  It requires its viewers to pay close attention in order to follow what's going on.
 

What bonus material is included on the tape or DVD? 
Scene selection and optional, English subtitles are available.  Two featurettes are included:  "Dr. Who Confidential Christmas Special 2010" and "Dr. Who at the Proms 2010."