Scrooge

"Charles Dickens' Joyous Holliday Classic!"

1951 1h 26m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

🍅

86%

FRESH

⭐

8.1

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 382🍅86%Rotten Tomatoes★8.1IMDB · 27,655

FantasyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ebenezer Scrooge malcontentedly shuffles through life as a cruel, miserly businessman, until he is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve who show him how his unhappy childhood and adult behavior has left him a selfish, lonely old man.

“Charles Dickens' Joyous Holliday Classic!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Alastair Sim
Ebenezer Scrooge
Mervyn Johns
Bob Cratchit
Glyn Dearman
Tiny Tim Cratchit
George Cole
Young Ebenezer Scrooge
Brian Worth
Fred Scrooge
Michael Hordern
Jacob Marley
Kathleen Harrison
Mrs. Dilber
Rona Anderson
Alice

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Brian Desmond Hurst
Writers: Noel Langley
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

75 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, shot by C.M. Pennington-Richards. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Addinsell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Clive Donner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alastair Sim and Mervyn Johns and Glyn Dearman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Charles Dickens' Joyous Holliday Classic!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0044008 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Brian Desmond Hurst directs. C.M. Pennington-Richards behind the camera. Richard Addinsell scores. Clive Donner cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
275 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, shot by C.M. Pennington-Richards. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Richard Addinsell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Clive Donner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Alastair Sim and Mervyn Johns and Glyn Dearman carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Charles Dickens' Joyous Holliday Classic!".
8IMDB entry: tt0044008 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 15 themes, including "london, england", "based on novel or book", "businessman", "holiday".

The technical file

Cinematography: C.M. Pennington-Richards
Original score: Richard Addinsell
Editing: Clive Donner
Costume design: Phyllis Dalton
Makeup / hair: Betty Lee
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Scrooge (1951)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 8.1/10 · 27,655 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

1 win total

Also by

Brian Desmond Hurst

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2020-12-20
★ 8/10
My first time watching this adaptation of Charles Dickens' work - thoroughly enjoyed it! I've previously only watched the Disney animated film and the 2019 television miniseries with Guy Pearce. I also like both of those, they each have things that are inferior and superior to this 1951 film. Alastair Sim is the best Ebenezer Scrooge of the three, I loved watching him from start-to-finish. Sim's facial expressions are terrific throughout, while his happiness later on is infectious. A top performance! None of the others massively standout, unlike the aforementioned productions, but George Cole (young Scrooge) is pleasant, as are those who play the ghosts. Other positives include the score, the tension building and the arc of the lead character - given the fact that they make him horrid at the beginning. The special effects haven't aged well, but that's to be very much expected almost seventy years on - in fairness, they look pretty good for '51. Elsewhere, I found that some of the camera shots are held for too long, while I also wanted more reactions of Sim when he was seeing the past/present/future - sometimes they chose to stick on the 'event', rather than showing Sim. Those aren't major criticisms at all, just small ones. All in all, <em>'Scrooge'</em> is a very good film - one well worth a view!
Peter McGinn2020-12-26
★ 10/10
I read a review by a critic which stated this is the best adaptation of the oh so familiar story of Charles Dickens’ Scrooge. Not because of advanced production value or cutting edge special effects. In fact, this movie is definitely low tech, being from 1952 as it is. But now I agree with that assessment. There are three elements that in my mind elevate this production to the top of the pile. The first is the setting and the mood of the film. This felt like Dickensian London to me, the rough streets and dense atmosphere through the fog and just the look of the people. The story was also handled with a deft touch. It has been a long time since I have read the novella by Dickens, but this story felt closer to the original. I like the details they added sometimes when Scrooge was with the Christmas ghosts. For one example, when it showed the people selling Scrooge’s belongings, they spoke at some little length, about their lives and about Scrooge. And then later that scene illustrates how much Scrooge has altered, for he interacts with the woman he saw selling his curtains and gives her a raise. Finally there is Alastair Sims as Scrooge. He gives a multi-layered performance I appreciated more and more as the story went on. He convinced me during his second ghost that he might want to change but probably wouldn’t. He wasn’t there yet and needed the third ghost to get him over the top. His final conversion felt convincing to me, the little and big laughs of his were evidence of a man who knew he had been spared a final tragic chapter in his and others’ lives.
CinemaSerf2024-12-18
★ 8/10
Alastair Sim is in his element here as the curmudgeonly miser who routinely spends his Christmas alone counting his fortune. Luckily for him, "Scrooge" receives a visit from his late but not so lamented partner "Marley" (Michael Hordern) who warns him that he is to receive three visitors this cold and snowy Christmas morning. These ghosts are to show him was has happened, is happening and might well happen if he doesn't mend his venal and selfish ways. Meantime, in a hovel nearby his clerk "Bob" (Mervyn Johns) is celebrating with his wife and five children - including the enthusiastic but poorly "Tim" (Glen Dearman). As the dawn approaches, perhaps "Scrooge" can find salvation from the home truths being presented to him? This version tells us more of the establishment of the character, aided by a joyous contribution from Jack Warner as his mentor "Jorkin" and also allows the supporters more of a role. Kathleen Harrison and Miles Malleson provide some light relief as "Scrooge" really does come to realise the contempt and disdain in which he's held by just about everyone - rich or poor. It's Sim, though, who has the character almost perfectly set here. He positively exudes the humbuggery of the role, his facial expressions convey menace, horror, joy and mischief enjoyably and by the conclusion you really do sense that he enjoyed the part as much as I did. The production captures both the emotional and physical frostiness and brutality of the scenario and it really is a reminder of no man being an island - or at least being happy as one. I wouldn't say Sim was better at the role than Sir Seymour Hicks, but he's certainly just as good.