The only worthwhile DVD version of this 1935 version is from Image Entertainment...it is uncut and contains about 20 minutes more footage than most of the prints in circulation, which are often found in discount bins. Those extra 20 minutes (not to mention the much better condition print) make a huge difference.

We true fans of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and the various film adaptations it has inspired tend to have pretty strong feelings when it comes to which version is best. The film starring Alistair Simms wins the vote of many, despite its sometimes rash departures from Dickens' original story, while the newer version starring George C. Scott has many of its own stalwart defenders - including me. I doubt that many fans would nominate 1935's Scrooge, starring Sir Seymour Hicks, as their all-time favorite, but it is definitely a respectable and immensely rewarding theatrical recreation of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. Some of this film's obvious shortcomings are necessarily accounted for by the time of its creation,

Sir Seymour Hicks makes for a surly and unattractive incarnation of Mr. Scrooge, leading me to wonder just how convincing his eventual change of heart would be on the screen, but those final scenes play out wonderfully and erased any prior doubts I had up until that point as to the emotional power of the film. Heart-strings that have been pulled many times in the past were pulled yet again for this fan, making this a truly memorable version of Dickens' intimately familiar Christmas story.

You'll notice some definite peculiarities with this film. It's rather dark, for one thing - and not just in terms of the print; a few scenes seem to have soft touches of German expressionism woven into them. All of this is not surprising, given the date of production. I will admit that one scene, in which an unimportant character's head becomes momentarily transparent, borders on the weird, though. Don't expect a whole lot from Jacob Marley - upon his arrival, he announces that only Scrooge can see him. He isn't lying, as Marley's ghost is completely invisible here. The Ghost of Christmas Past is equally unimpressive, existing as sort of a hazy area of light. (The Ghost of Christmas Present appears in all his glory, however - albeit without a certain pair of disturbing children underneath his flowing robes.)

The film is basically pretty faithful to Dickens' story up until the appearance of the Ghost of Christmas Past. Many adaptations spend an inordinate amount of time in the past, but here the first haunting is over before you can say "Bah! Humbug!" There's almost no attempt to explore the path by which Scrooge became such an insufferable miser. The Ghost of Christmas Present takes a few odd detours in his journey with Scrooge, but the story of the Cratchits is told quite well. (I was a little bothered to see Scrooge's nephew belittling him unmercifully at his own Christmas celebration, though.) The look at Christmas Future plays out very well indeed, and then of course we have the aforementioned change of heart that transforms Scrooge into the merriest of men. That change of heart begins far too early, however - right after the very much abbreviated look at Christmas Past, in fact.

The film is a little uneven in its middle portions, and it adds a few needless scenes to the original story, but Seymour Hicks evidences a grand rebirth on Christmas morning, and a film that moved me very little early on proved itself more than capable of delivering a powerful and heart-touching ending. I feel safe in saying there are better adaptations of A Christmas Carol out there, but this early film is more than worth your time should you happen across it.

One of the reasons Alister Sim and Albert Finney work so well as Scrooge is that you are able to witness a transformation of a person throughout their lives. This truncated version does little to convey the whole story. It is also a horrible transfer and the original print has faded to dull tones of grey.

It is interesting to see the censorship laws at various times throughout our cinematic history in the choices made when producing "A Christmas Carol." The Patrick Stewart version is perhaps the best-filmed version but the heavy-handed script writing destroys the illusion of 19th Century England. Stewart's one-man stage play is a much better version by far.

Seymour Hicks is very good at being nasty but that's not what Scrooge is about. Scrooge is a guy who has had a tough life and he chose to value money above people to get through the day. Hicks can never seem to rise above the nastiness. He is never subtle like Finney or giddy like Sim, he's always just there.

For a completest, you should get this DVD; other folks should enjoy Albert Finney's musical version and Alistar Sim's B&W triumph.

I saw Scrooge starring Seymour Hicks on television when I was a little girl, I believe it was on Christmas Eve and I remember sitting on the livingroom floor in front of the TV and liking this movie so one day I was in a store and found this movie on video and I purchased it but the tape's quality was awful and it was cut down in length from about 80 minutes to 60 minutes so it made an already short movie even shorter and very choppy so I'm hoping to buy the DVD that has the restored length and better film quality!

This 1935 version of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens stars Seymour Hicks as Scrooge, which probably explains the title. The performance by Hicks, who had played the role on stage may times and in a 1913 silent film version, dominates the rest of the actors (Hicks was knighted that same year). Beyond that it is the sense of Victorian England that director Henry Edwards evokes that stands out. The contrast between the home of Scrooge's nephew Fred and that of Bob Crachit (Donald Calthrop) is rather shocking; you would think the Crachits were squatters because they really do have NOTHING. Combined with Scrooge's brutal treatment of his kindly clerk, this is the version of "A Christmas Carol" that really emphasizes the poverty and social conditions that offended Dickens.

This film runs only 78 minutes, and those familiar with the story will find that most of what is excised are the Ghost of Christmas Past scenes. This is rather unfortunate since they are the key building blocks in creating sympathy for Scrooge and the first steps in his transformation. Still, this is yet another fine version of "A Christmas Carol," and it is simply that there are versions that are better in various ways. But this particular "Scrooge" is the oldest version readily available and deserves to maintain that status. Final Note: Look quick for Maurice Evans as the Poor Man. The Shakespearean actor was still three decades away from his most famous roles in "Rosemary's Baby," "Planet of the Apes," and the television series "Bewitched."