Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

mark.waltz Three talkie movies of the Charles Dickens classic had come out when Oscar winner Frederic March tackled the role for this television musical that cuts out much of the meat and left and disguises it with bits of parsley disguised as mistletoe to make it seem better than it is. Adding mediocre songs makes it even more tedious although much of what makes this beloved is there. March isn't so much miserly than a lonely old man too filled with pride to admit that all he was wants is a little attention. He isn't scary at all, and one thing that should be clear is that his wealth makes him a force to be reckoned with whether it be as a lender seeking the return of a loan or as an imperious boss. Basil Rather one is on and off quickly as Marley, but the usually bland Ray Middleton seems liver than normal as both Scrooge's nephew and the ghost of Christmas present. Sti, the plight of Tiny Tim is touching and the themes remain timeless. Remade countless times in several ways, this one will remain an obscure view of Dickens' most beloved classic. It won't ever compare to the several later musical versions, especially the Albert Finney remake in 1970.

TheLittleSongbird To me, this Christmas Carol definitely could have been better considering that it had Fredric March and Basil Rathbone starring and Bernard Hermann as composer and that the story is so timeless. It does have a few big debits but also a lot of things that came off well. The adaptation is too short, from personal opinion this should of if it were allowed been 25 minutes longer, and there are parts especially with Christmas Yet to Come- a scene that came off ridiculously sadly as well- that felt rushed, making Scrooge's change of heart/transformation rushed and less believable too. Some of the story is structurally bare bones, the basic elements are there but things that give Scrooge reason to change and that what made him like he was in the first place were missed out which further led to his transformation from miser rushed and not so believable. The songs are hit and miss here and generally take up too much time of the running time. Some are pleasant, the best being the incredibly touching one sung by Tiny Tim, the most beautiful one melodically and the only song where the lyrics actually resonated with me, and the opening sequence song is the other truly memorable one. But others don't stick in your head very long and some have some corny lyrics, the worst one being Ghost of Christmas Present's which went on forever and didn't serve that much of a point to the story as well as suffering the worst of the lyric writing. The two original carols, outstandingly sung by the Roger Wagner Chorale, are great but don't quite fit within the Victorian/Dickensian setting.However, from a visual standpoint this Christmas Carol looks surprisingly good. It's very well shot throughout, with a big shout out going to the extended shot at the end, and the period detail is evocative and handsomely constructed. The street scenes with the Carollers and Fezziwig's drawing room are agreed the best of the interiors while the snow looks Christmassy and real. While the songs don't quite come over well generally Bernard Hermann's score absolutely does, the chorus writing in the Jacob Marley scene is wonderfully spooky. If there was anything actually that can be singled out as the best thing about this it would definitely be the score. Even with a lot missed out of the story there is no problem at all with understanding the script, which is witty and heart-warming, and while the story is truncated which compromises the pacing and length it still packs a powerful emotional punch(the ending is a tear-jerker) and makes its point effectively. In the acting stakes, nobody is outstanding in the support acting but nobody's disastrous. It was an interesting move to have Belle/Ghost of Christmas Past and Fred/Ghost of Christmas Present doubled up, that has never been done before, and it didn't come off too badly, Sally Fraser's beguiling and Ray Middleton's appealingly hearty(he is better though as Fred, he got the joviality of Ghost of Christmas Present just right but wasn't quite benevolent enough). Wasn't a big fan of the over-sized and rather stereotypical nose but Fredric March really gives his all as Scrooge and is very good, he is great doing the gruff miserable miser but the character's transformation is convincingly acted. His best moment is his facial expressions during the extended shot with the choral singing of Tim's song, a wide mix of emotions beautifully conveyed by March, it was another bold move made here and was most telling. One mustn't forget Basil Rathbone either, who chills the bones as Jacob Marley though in an understated way, a way that not many other actors can do as effectively as Rathbone could.All in all, a pretty decent adaptation of a Christmas classic, thanks to Hermann's score, a couple of good innovations, the visuals and the performances of March and Rathbone but due to it being too short and rushed with a bungled Christmas Yet to Come scene and hit and miss songs it does fall short as well. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

patrickharman My wife's uncle gave us this clunker. It is by far the worst video adaptation of the Dickens classic we have ever experienced! From a visual storytelling perspective, there is far too much wasted screen time that advances the story not a whit; vapid songs about the "Spirit of Christmas" contribute only a "spirit of ennui" to the production, which bears little resemblance to the powerful tale of a soul's miraculous conversion and redemption that comes through the printed word and many fine films. If this video vehicle has any value at all, it could only be as a snapshot of the crass, commercialized America at mid-century that mistook drivel like this for high culture.The 1984 TV movie with George C. Scott delivers a far more satisfying experience.

eggheadjon I remember watching this for several Christmases when I was a young boy. Basil Rathbone as Marley scared the bejesus out of me, and I had nightmares.I never thought I'd ever see it again until a friend found it in a big catalog and gave me a print for Christmas. What a wonderful cast and what a shame this version wasn't better preserved. Maxwell Anderson, the adaptor, was born just a few miles from here and is buried in Crawford County.The cast is superb. Whoever hears of Ray Middleton any more, or Bob Sweeney. Frederic March's reputation has held up a little better, but any would-be actor could do a lot worse than to watch him work.The songs were corny and had the sound of being tossed off between breakfast and lunch. The boy soprano in the beginning had the same effect on me as a dentist's drill.It was neat that the print I got has the Chrysler commercials, spaced out a heckuva lot further apart than they are today. Sadly, they made a fuss about telling viewers the show was in living color, but mine came through in black and white - just like our TV did in 1955.