A Christmas Carol (1938)

  • Review Date: December 7, 2005
  • NR
  • Genre: Classic
  • 1938
 Review

Common Sense Media says

A gentle, less scary version of the classic.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that younger viewers might still be unnerved by the ghosts.


What's the story?

After rejecting his nephew's invitation to Christmas dinner and firing his clerk on Christmas Eve, the incorrigible Scrooge is visited that night by the ghost of his ex-partner, Jacob Marley, who urges him to change his ways. Three more spirits follow, who show him how his past, present and future actions affect not just him, but everyone he had once been close to. Their work complete, Scrooge awakens on Christmas day a changed man. Full of life, he rushes to make amends and to accept an estranged nephew's dinner invitation.


Is it any good?

 

Those well versed in the more faithful adaptations of the Dickens tale will notice that this charming early adaptation does things its own way. It veers away from Scrooge for uncommon stretches, lingering on the Cratchit family, on Scrooge's nephew and his wife-to-be. The living are the stars here, the ghosts rather restrained and unmemorable, which makes it a good one for kids who might otherwise be intimidated by the subject matter.

Other peculiarities include Tiny Tim, who isn't at all tiny, and whose full lips and saintly features make him look more like Joan of Arc than an ailing child. Scrooge, embodied by spindly Reginald Owen, is almost spider-like, with an unsettling hair arrangement that wouldn't look out of place in Oz or Whoville. In contrast to Alastair Sim, who would fill the same shoes 15 years later, this Scrooge's miserliness comes as a result of his cruel nature, not the other way around. He's so twisted up inside that he actually seems to enjoy the taste of cough syrup.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about what Christmas is really about. Families with teens can compare this movie to later versions. The theme that one man's cruelty affects the lives of many is a worthwhile subject for families to discuss. Families may also want to discuss how people survive and deal with unfair circumstances. How do the Cratchits cope?


This review was written by Scott G. Mignola

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This review was written by Scott G. Mignola
Studio:Warner Bros.
Director:Edwin L. Marin
Cast:Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart, Reginald Owen
Genre:Classic
Run time:70 minutes
Theatrical release date:December 16, 1938
DVD release date:October 16, 2001
MPAA rating:NR

This review was written by Scott G. Mignola
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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