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There have been countless adaptations of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" over the last century. One of my annual Christmas traditions is to watch several of them. This is one of my very favorites...Version: 1984 (CBS)Scrooge: George C. Scott

Cast:
David Warner (Bob Cratchit), Frank Finlay (Marley's Ghost), Angela Pleasence (The Ghost of Christmas Past), Edward Woodward (The Ghost of Christmas Present), Michael Carter (The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come), Susannah York (Mrs. Cratchit), Anthony Walters (Tiny Tim), Roger Rees (Fred Holywell / Narrator), Caroline Langrishe (Janet Holywell), Lucy Gutteridge (Belle), Nigel Davenport (Silas Scrooge), Mark Strickson (Young Scrooge), Joanne Whalley (Fan)

The star:
George C. Scott was an icon; legendary American stage and film actor, director, and producer, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of General George S. Patton Jr. in the film Patton. He was, quite simply, one of the finest actors of his (or any other) generation. An actor who often played gruff and harsh roles, Scott was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for his portrayal in A Christmas Carol.

Scott's interpretation of Scrooge is spot-on. His Scrooge is a complex human being and as the story unfolds the viewer sees WHY he became so bitter and cynical in his old age, and for (perhaps) the first time an actor playing Scrooge successfully portrays the REGRETS the character has. His Scrooge feels REAL. He takes familiar dialogue and makes it seem spontaneous and fresh. He face, his movements, his words, all convey the emotion the man feels - and he does feel. His ultimate transformation seems believable: This is a man who has closed his heart to love to feeling, and finally realizes what he's lost. Scott is brilliant as Scrooge.Ebenezer Scrooge: [Sitting under the bridge after the Ghost of Christmas Present leaves] "What have I done... to be abandoned like this? What?"

The Cast and Characters:
The entire cast is wonderful. No role is miscast. In addition, many of the actors are British, so the mannerisms and accents and use of language seem natural. The acting is believable, making characters in an all-too familiar story seem REAL and full of life.

David Warner's Bob plays just the right balance of timid clerk and loving husband/father. Susanna York (who will always be "Lara" to me), is pitch-perfect as Mrs. Cratchit. There's a nice scene where Bob Cratchit and his wife kiss under the mistletoe and hug lovingly. This version shows

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