A Christmas Carol (1984), with George C. Scott
George C. Scott’s Scrooge, filmed in Shrewsbury for television.
Play it straight, in the streets of a real old English town, and let Scrooge be a hard businessman rather than a cartoon miser.
You want a version on screen that follows the book closely, filmed in the old streets of Shrewsbury.
What it keeps and what it changes
Keeps: the book’s order of events and much of its dialogue. Critics often single it out for how closely it follows the book.
Changes: small things: the charity collectors meet him at the Stock Exchange, and Marley’s hearse passes in the street.
Whose story is it?
Scrooge’s, with David Warner as Bob Cratchit and Edward Woodward as Christmas Present.
How much time does it ask?
A TV film, 1 hour 36 minutes. First shown on CBS in December 1984. Directed by Clive Donner.
George C. Scott, David Warner, Susannah York, Frank Finlay, Edward Woodward. 20th Century Fox.
Where to find it
Other ways to get it: Find where it’s streaming — JustWatch
More Christmas Carols: A Christmas Carol (MGM, 1938) · Scrooge (1951), with Alastair Sim · A Christmas Carol (1999), with Patrick Stewart