(1938)3Bruce EderThe critical community has generally treated this version of A Christmas Carol from MGM very harshly ever since the 1960's. That was when an overly cerebral generation of film writers came to embrace Brian Desmond Hurst's 1951 version starring Alastair Sim), with its dark psychological complexities, as the standard measure of all interpretations of the story. The MGM rendition is, to be sure, a lot lighter weight and is, in many ways, more MGM than Charles Dickens -- Hugo Butler's screenplay puts a huge amount of focus in the opening section on Bob Crachit (Gene Lockhart) and Fred (Barry Mackay), Scrooge's nephew, as well as embellishing characters and events, and notching up the melodramatic sides of the story by getting Crachit fired on Christmas Eve over a bit of whimsical snowball-throwing with a bunch of boys; and there isn't a lot of depth, psychological or otherwise, to the proceedings, other than the revelation of the basis for Scrooge's hatred of his nephew. And additionally, though Reginald Owen gives an energetic performance, he is somewhat defeated by heavy makeup (which is painfully obvious when this movie is seen in a theater).
But all of that said against it, this version is of the story is the one to see for those who don't think of Christmas as an overly complex event on one's annual calendar (and maybe even for some who do) -- and that might be most of us. Owen's energy does overcome most of the problems with his interpretation, and his portrayal really comes to life when the visits by the three spirits begin. Sidney Wagner's photography is gorgeous, through and through, with the street beautifully dark as Bob Crachit leaves his place of employment, and the interiors beautifully detailed even in the less-than-opulent surroundings of the Crachit home. And Leo G. Carroll turns in a compelling performance as Marley's Ghost, that rich, sonorous voice intoning Dickens' (and Butler's) words and giving them an almost operatic impact, which fits well with the deceptively lively and complex score by Franz Waxman (which this reviewer wouldn't mind hearing in a proper, free-standing orchestral recording someday). Gene Lockhart's Bob Crachit is a charming portrayal of a man whose goodness makes him seem close to befuddlement, but who never loses sight of the love he feels for all of those around him, even in the face of the most terrible tragedies (glimpsed in the Christmas to come sequence). When, after being dismissed by Scrooge on Christmas Eve, he finds reason to laugh with those reveling around him, he is completely convincing and you just want to join in with him wishing all a merry Christmas, and the scenes with the Crachit family have special verisimilitude, as he is playing them with his wife, Kathleen Lockhart, and his daughter June Lockhart. And as a grace note, we get a delightful performance from Barry Mackay as Scrooge's nephew -- he's a charming figure, everything that his uncle is not, with a beautiful voice as well.
Hurst's interpretation may please the scholars and the intelligentsia, but MGM's version -- produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and directed by Edward L. Marin -- has a simple, straightforward charm that should never be entirely overlooked in search of entertainment, and the gorgeous MGM production values, as well as a brace of fine players.
For a generation of radio fans, Lionel Barrymore was the definitive Ebeneezer Scrooge. Alas, Barrymore was crippled by arthritis by the time MGM got around to filming Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol in 1938, so the Scrooge role went to contract player Reginald Owen - who, though hardly in the Barrymore league, does a splendid job. Hugo Butler's screenplay must make some adjustments from the source material. The Ghost of Christmas Past, for example, is played not by a robust middle-aged man but by a beautiful young woman (Ann Rutherford). Impeccably cast, the film includes such reliable character players as Leo G. Carroll (Marley's Ghost), Barry McKay (Scrooge's nephew Fred) and Gene and Kathleen Lockhart (Bob and Mrs. Cratchit). The Lockhart's teenaged daughter June makes her screen debut as one of the Cratchit children, while Terry Kilburn is a fine, non-sentimental Tiny Tim. Commenably short for a major production (69 minutes), MGM's Christmas Carol is one of the best adaptations of the oft-filmed Dickens Yuletide classic, and definitely on equal footing with the more famous 1951 Alastair Sim version.
