Michael May's Blog, page 73

Sleigh Bell Cinema | Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)

Merry Christmas! It's Christmas Day, so to celebrate that and complete the first season of Sleigh Bell Cinema, I'm joined by the very funny Jeff Somogyi to talk about the very funny Ernest Saves Christmas. And Christmas Tree buying. But mostly Ernest, Santa, a homeless girl, a polite TV host, and the world's greatest agent.

“I Was a Boy Here!” | Patrick Stewart (1999)

Merry Christmas! We did it! Here's the last adaptation we're looking at this year. Thanks for joining me on this ride again.

Rather than having Scrooge and the Ghost pass through Scrooge's wall, TNT's Christmas Carol has the wall and floors dissolve around them until they're standing in a snowy forest. Scrooge has been trying his best to disbelieve so far, but he's amazed at what he's seeing. He says that he was a boy here, but nothing about being "bred." That could mean that his family's home is somewhere else and that this is just the region where Scrooge went to school, but let's see what else we can learn.

A small road cuts through the forest and Scrooge sees a series of small wagons pulling boys over a bridge and down the path. Scrooge recognizes the boys as old schoolmates and excitedly calls to them. I like how Stewart's Scrooge struggles to remember some of the names and how happy he is to come up with them. It's been decades of course since he's seen or probably even thought about any of them. Stewart is so good an actor that he simultaneously conveys wonder at what he's seeing and dismay that the boys aren't responding to him. The ghost explains that they're shadows who can't see or hear Scrooge, then - returning to his purpose for bringing Scrooge here - adds that the children are going home for the holidays. He doesn't wait for Scrooge to respond, but turns and walks up the road in the direction the boys just came from.

The film cuts to the exterior of an ornate, but crumbling old building that Scrooge recognizes as his former school. Some of the structure is in ruins, but inside it looks neat and kept up. There's nothing rundown about it. Likely it's just an ancient building and the school only occupies certain parts of it. Young Scrooge sits alone at a desk, just moping. He's not reading and this version says nothing about Scrooge's finding comfort in books.

Old Scrooge and the Spirit enter the room by the door and Scrooge walks over to sit and observe his younger self. He doesn't cry during any of these scenes, but he's clearly moved by the vision. The Spirit asks bluntly, "Why didn't you go home for Christmas?"

"I wasn't wanted," Scrooge says. "My father turned against me when my mother died. Sent me away. Didn't want to see me ever." Scrooge is hurt by the memory, but he doesn't want the Ghost's pity. When the Ghost says, "That's hard," Scrooge scowls and declares, "Life is hard!" He seems to look back on this suffering as a period of testing that he endured and triumphed through, emerging stronger on the other side. This is going to be another difficult Scrooge to change.

The Ghost lets it go and suggests that they see another Christmas. They stay in the same room, but their attention is drawn to a window where a young teen Scrooge paces aimlessly before hiding his face against a wall. He doesn't appear to be crying; it's more of a pout. Also indicating the passage of time are cracks that weren't in the schoolroom walls earlier. The place does look rundown now.

Old Scrooge perks up at the sound of footsteps in the hall and he says his sister's name just before his younger self turns to see her enter. She's called Fran in this version and I'm pretty sure one or two of the earlier versions used that name, too, though I wasn't sure and didn't call it out at the time. It's very clear in this one though. I don't know what that change is about.

Fran is younger than Scrooge by just a year or two. That adds a twist to Scrooge's explanation that his father turned against Scrooge when his mother died. Since she couldn't have died giving birth to Scrooge, there must be another reason for it. Perhaps Scrooge's father always had it in for Scrooge, but Scrooge didn't realize how much until Mom was gone and Father was left as the only parent. We can only speculate about why Scrooge's father didn't like Scrooge, because this version doesn't give us any more clues than Dickens did.

When Fran announces that she's come to take Scrooge home though, there's no mention of Scrooge's going to work after the holiday. She says that he's to stay home "forever and ever." So Father has either truly softened towards Scrooge, or he just hasn't filled in Fran on the complete plan yet. Again, there's no way to tell for sure, but I imagine that it's the latter.

The rest of the scene plays out like it does in Dickens, except that it leaves out the unnecessary schoolmaster. Fran leads Scrooge outside to the carriage and it's a nice, big one with two horses and a driver. Scrooge's father must be respectably well off.

As they drive out of the school's large gate, Fran leans her head sweetly on her brother's shoulder, though there's no way that Scrooge can see this, since he's not there. He and the Spirit have moved outside, but they're in the ruined part of the building as the Ghost starts the conversation about Fran and her "children." Once Scrooge confirms that the child is his nephew, he pauses and says, "Fred." He looks distracted and thoughtful. I don't know if he's remembering why he has a grudge against Fred or if he's realizing that he shouldn't. I suspect that it's the second option, since the film offers no solid reason for him to dislike Fred. At least not yet. I forget if we get something at the end, but the earlier scene in Scrooge's office suggested that Scrooge is angry about Fred's financial situation. That seems ridiculous, but could be a clue that Scrooge and Fred have simply made different choices in life - have learned different lessons from their hardships - and this could be what infuriates Scrooge. Seeing Fran as a girl again would of course soften Scrooge and make him reconsider his relationship with her son.

At any rate, this musing is interrupted by something that Scrooge sees ahead of him. The camera quickly pans over and we're in a nighttime city street outside a certain warehouse.

And that's it! Thanks again for reading. I'm already looking forward to next year when we get to visit Fezziwig's party. That's always one of my favorite, most festive scenes in the story.

Merry Christmas!








Is the schoolmaster in the adaptation? If so, how is he handled differently from Dickens' version?
Is there a mention of how Fan died? If so, is this also a version that mentioned Scrooge's mother dying while giving birth to him?

“I Was a Boy Here!” | Michael Caine (1992)

The Muppet Christmas Carol includes a fun transition scene where the Spirit flies Scrooge out of his room and over London. Not wanting to be left behind, Gonzo and Rizzo snag Scrooge's robe with a grappling hook and tag along. As they fly over the city, Scrooge sees a light in the distance. He asks what it is and the Ghost tells him that it's the Past. The light expands and envelopes the group, then they're through some kind of wormhole and flying over snowy forest. A cluster of buildings appears in a valley ahead and that's where the Ghost descends. It's Scrooge's school, but a cool version of it with lots of outbuildings. Instead of a mansion, it looks like it was converted from a farmhouse. That may say something about the kind of education Scrooge's father could afford, but as we'll see, Scrooge's dad doesn't play a part in this version.

Scrooge is happy to see the place and even happier to see the kids running out of the building for their Christmas break. He names a couple of them and points out one as his best friend. There's no crying in this scene. Scrooge thoughtfully takes it all in and he's mostly happy to revisit this time.

Caine's Scrooge is going to be pretty easy to change. He wasn't especially frightened by the Marleys and had almost convinced him that they were a dream. Perhaps he still thinks he's dreaming now. He's been nothing but polite to the Spirit though and is open to whatever she has to show him. It's hard to tell what he's thinking, but as we'll see, he doesn't have all the hurdles that some of the other Scrooges have to overcome.

Inside the building, the music becomes light and pastoral with some kind of flute as the primary instrument. Actually, it reminds me of the Hobbiton theme from Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings score. It evokes fond memories of simpler times, not oppressive loneliness. Scrooge walks around the room remembering sights and smells. These were mostly good times for him. He finishes his little tour by saying that he chose his profession in that room. This introduces the main point of the scene in this adaptation.

The Spirit points out Young Scrooge sitting at a desk. He's not reading though. He's writing on a tablet; working. A couple of other boys run in and one of them tells Young Scrooge that it's time to go, because the last coach is leaving. He's excited about it and trying to be helpful, but the other boy corrects him. "Come on. He never goes home for Christmas."

Young Scrooge yells after them, "Who cares about stupid old Christmas?" and goes back to work. It comes across as a childish response that Young Scrooge doesn't really mean. He probably does actually care about Christmas. And Old Scrooge notes that he was often alone, but he tries to put a positive spin on it. "More time for reading and study. The Christmas holiday was a chance to get some extra work done. Time for solitude." His face shows that it affected him though. This is as close as we get to tears from this Scrooge and there is a slight tremble in his mouth.

There's no mention of Scrooge's family in this version, but even if you weren't familiar with other versions you could deduce that there's some kind of problem at home that lets Scrooge stay in school over Christmastime. Whatever emptiness is there from Scrooge's family, he's replaced it with hard work and dedication to his future career. Which, come to think of it, is pretty much the point of every version of this scene. Fan's love for him notwithstanding, Scrooge comes from a miserable home where he didn't feel valued. He's going to try to form his own happy family with a woman he loves, but he's not going to trust it. He gets his sense of value from succeeding at work and accumulating wealth. The Muppets version makes this especially clear right in this scene, but it's the underlying psychology in the other iterations, too.

The Ghost invites Scrooge to see another Christmas at the school, but Scrooge isn't eager. Still looking heartbroken, he says that they were all very much the same. "Nothing ever changed."

She says that he did, though. And sure enough we see images of a gradually aging Scrooge until we settle on one in his mid teens. Fan doesn't appear nor is she mentioned, but the schoolmaster does in the form of Sam the Eagle. We learn that Scrooge is graduating from the school, so Sam is there to give him some last advice. It's a funny bit and Sam is perfect as the overly serious mentor who encourages Scrooge to "work hard, work long, and be constructive."

He observes that Scrooge has been apprenticed to a fine company in London, which of course we'll see in next year's scene. So there's no Father who's decided to pull Scrooge from school and start him working. This is just the natural progression of things and we can infer that Scrooge obtained the apprenticeship through his own hard work and merit, with perhaps a little assistance from Sam and the school.

Greystoked | Tarzan and the Amazons (1945)

Noel and I are joined by returning guest Melissa Kaercher to discuss teenage Boy, the return of Jane, and a hidden civilization of warrior women in Sol Lesser and Johnny Weissmuller's third collaboration for RKO.

“I Was a Boy Here!” | George C Scott (1984)

Director Clive Donner likes using close ups of the spirits' icons to represent transitions. For Christmas Past, its her snuffing cap, so when she transports Scrooge to the country, Donner shows us the hat with a snowy forest and building projected onto it. This fades into Scrooge and the Ghost standing in some trees on the side of a snowy road.

Scrooge recognizes the place as where he was bred and grew up. Some boys ride by on horseback and Scrooge recognizes them, too. There's no mention that they've come from the school, but the building is in the background and clearly they're childhood friends of Scrooge. He mentions them by name and calls out to them. Daniel, Robert, and David are their first names, but Scrooge also gives them last names that I can't fully make out. I've always wondered if those are real people, though. Maybe friends of the screenwriter?

Scrooge is excited to see his friends, but he's not going to be as deeply affected by any of this as what Dickens described. Scott's Scrooge is a powerful and ruthless businessman. It's going to take a lot more than memories to help him. These are a necessary first step for what the Ghost is trying to do, but we'll get no trembling or crying.

As the boys ride on, the Ghost tells Scrooge that it's time for them to move, too. We cut to the exterior of the school and then inside to a hallway leading into a classroom. The camera shows us Scrooge's point of view as he moves into the room where Boy Scrooge is sitting on a bench, reading. The Ghost tries to nudge Scrooge's emotions with observations like, "It's your school," and "It's Christmas Day." Scrooge acknowledges the truth of these facts, but isn't shook by them. Rather, he sounds like he's enjoying the memories.

He does note that the boy is "neglected," but he doesn't say by whom. The Spirit provides that, saying that he's been "deserted by his friends and his family." I like the word "deserted," because it's as ambiguous as "neglected" in describing intent. Scrooge's friends have physically deserted him and the school for their own families, but that doesn't imply that they're malicious about it. For Scrooge to be deserted by his family, though, especially at Christmastime, is another matter.

Scrooge explains the situation. "His mother is dead. His father holds him a grudge." He goes on to reveal the same situation as in Alastair Sim's version: That Scrooge's mother died giving birth to him.

The Spirit continues trying to push Scrooge into an emotional reaction. "Weep for the boy if the tears will come." But Scrooge isn't having it. He doesn't feel pity for his former self, but pride in how he adapted and overcame his suffering. "He has his friends," Scrooge explains, "even on this day," referring to the book his young self is reading. Old Scrooge calls out some specific examples that Dickens mentioned: Ali Baba and other characters from the Arabian Nights. And then I love what the script does next. Instead of having these characters make some kind of hallucinatory appearance, the film has the Spirit continue goading Scrooge.

"But not a real child to talk to. Not a living person," she says.

Scrooge disagrees. "Robinson Crusoe, not real? And Friday? And the parrot?" Scott delivers the line with such calm conviction and I want to high five him. As an introvert who spent a lot of time in books as a kid, I totally relate. They are real to Scrooge and this simple argument makes the point Dickens was after, but better.

Scrooge goes on being proud of himself. "He made do, this boy." Once again, this is a Scrooge that I deeply relate to.

The Spirit gives up on this one and suggests that they look at another Christmas Day. She looks towards the door and a young woman walks in. Fan.

She looks to be about the same age as Young Man Scrooge, but we know from Scrooge's earlier comments that she has to be older than him. She tells Scrooge that she's come to bring him home and has to repeat it a couple of times. That's how Dickens wrote it:

"I have come to bring you home, dear brother!" said the child, clapping her tiny hands, and bending down to laugh. "To bring you home, home, home!"

But it takes on a different tone in this version. When she says it the first time, Scrooge's face - initially excited to see her - falls as he tries to process what she's said. Her repeating "home" doesn't make it any better though and he looks disappointed as he sinks back down to his bench. As the conversation goes on, I start to realize that he's not just trying to wrap his head around the news. He's actually dreading the thought of going home. His father's grudge must be severe indeed.

Fan tries to set Scrooge at ease by saying that Father is much kinder than he used to be, but of course that's a relative statement. Scrooge clearly doesn't know what to expect, but he puts on a smile for his sister's sake. "You're quite a woman, Little Fan."

"And you are to be a man," she says, "and never come back here." That's straight from Dickens, too, but we'll get some detail to that statement shortly. Because Fan hasn't come alone. She takes Scrooge's hand and says, "We mustn't keep Father waiting." Dun dun DUUUN!

Cut to the exterior of the school and a stern-faced older man is standing by the carriage. He has a severe, black hat and he's holding a cane that he uses to stop Scrooge from running up to embrace him. It seems weird that Scrooge would run up to his dad, but he and Fan have both rushed out of the building holding hands and Fan's excitement has temporarily infected Scrooge.

Father looks over Scrooge judgmentally and declares, "They haven't been overfeeding you, that's certain." Rationally, that's a complaint about the school, but it comes across as critical of Scrooge himself and I suspect represents a lot of interactions between these two. Scrooge tries to make small talk with, "I've grown, I think," but his father's only response is, "Yes, most boys do."

Father explains that Scrooge is indeed not returning to school. He's arranged an apprenticeship with Mr Fezziwig, who expects Scrooge in three days. Fan complains that she wanted more time with Scrooge, but Father insists that "three days is quite long enough for both of us." He adds, "Don't you think, Ebenezer?" To which Scrooge replies that it will be "quite long enough."

During this conversation, Scott's Old Scrooge has moved behind Young Scrooge and is looking over his shoulder at Father. Old Scrooge is hard-faced and disapproving. It's a powerful, fascinating image. Scott's Scrooge is older now than this memory of his father, and likely more wealthy and powerful. (There's no evidence that this is a cheap, rundown school. If anything, Father's comment about the food implies that he expects a certain level of value from it that he may not be getting, but I might be reading too much into that.) Scrooge is likely hating the fact that these are but shadows right now, because he clearly has something to say to this man. He continues glaring as the family gets into the carriage and drives off.

Once the carriage is gone, the spell is broken and Scrooge talks to the Ghost about Fan. He appreciates her generous nature and says that she died too young. "Old enough to bear a child," says the Ghost, not confusing the quantity in this version. The conversation turns to Fred and Scrooge is matter-of-fact about it. He acknowledges Fred's existence, but doesn't seem to have any feelings about his nephew one way or another.

The Ghost tries to change that by pointing out that Fred bears a strong resemblance to Fan. Thinking about it, I don't know how true that is in terms of facial structure or whatever, but Fred's sincerity and earnestness does seem like the product of being raised by someone as kind and gentle as Scrooge's sister. I think that's what the Ghost is trying to point out, anyway. That Fan still lives through her son if only Scrooge will see it.

Scrooge briefly entertains the idea, but then brushes it off by saying that he never noticed. The Spirt expresses surprise and says that she's beginning to think that Scrooge has gone through life with his eyes closed. "Open them," she commands. "Open them wide." And with that I think she gets at the heart of this Scrooge's problem. These memories aren't trying to reboot old emotions, but an attempt to show Scrooge things that he's missed because he was so inwardly focused. As she said when they first met, her light isn't just the light of recollection; it's the light of Truth.

“I Was a Boy Here!” | Albert Finney (1970)

The musical Scrooge has no transition scene between Scrooge's room and the countryside. There's a simple fade from one to the other. Before we even see Scrooge and the Spirit there though, we're treated to a long caravan of wagons filled with sweetly singing children.

The song they're singing is the same as the one that played over the film's opening credits:

Sing a Christmas carol
Sing a Christmas carol
Sing a Christmas carol
Like the children do

But as they sing, they also work in other children's songs like "London Bridge is Falling Down" and "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush." It's a lovely medley and the kids are all dressed in costumes: harlequins, faeries, princesses, knights, and animals. There's even a carrot and a turbaned character that may be a reference to the Arabian Nights stories that Dickens mentions in the book.

Instead of asking if Scrooge remembers the place, the Spirit asks if he remembers the children. He says that he does. "All of them." And he recognizes a very young Fan in one of the wagons. It's when he calls to her that the Spirit informs him that these are but shadows.

Scrooge looks disappointed to see them ride around the next bend, but his wistfulness quickly turns to resentment. "I could never join those Christmas parties," he grouses.

This is going to be one of the toughest Scrooges to change. He never quite bought that Marley's ghost was real and he's continued being grouchy with Christmas Past. He doesn't cry in this scene or at the school; he's just grumpy and bitter. He doesn't grieve over the injustice of his childhood; he's angry about it.

After Scrooge's comment about not going to the parties, the Spirit brings up the school. It sounds like a non sequitur, but it's not. "The school is not quite empty, is it?" The reason Young Scrooge couldn't go to the parties is because he was stuck in school. And then the Spirit says something really interesting: "A solitary boy neglected by his family is left there still." Not neglected by his friends, but by his family.

When we cut to the school and Young Scrooge looking longingly out a window, we can still hear the kids singing in the background. So as Dickens implied, the school is in the same area as Scrooge's family, because Fan is out there with the other children celebrating within earshot of Young Scrooge. His father is just that mean that he's going to keep Scrooge at school over the holidays rather than let him come home, even though the family lives close by. Horrid.

We don't see Young Scrooge interacting with any other children, so we don't know what his relationship is with them, but this version doesn't care about that. It's all about Scrooge's family; particularly his father.

Old Scrooge and the Spirit go into the school and find Young Scrooge reading (though we're not told what and there's no mention of the characters coming to life). The school is sparsely furnished, but it looks kept up well enough. And Fan was dressed well, too, so I don't see evidence that Scrooge's family is poor.

As mean as this Scrooge still is, he does have a soft moment as he looks on his former self. He calls himself a "poor boy" and mentions that he should have given the carolers something the night before. His remembering himself as a victim has created some empathy, but he's still super grouchy about it and impatient when the Spirit asks questions.

She moves on, inviting him to look at another Christmas. An older Fan (maybe 15 now?) comes in and tells an older Scrooge (maybe 17?) that she's come to bring him home. She says that Father is kinder and that Scrooge is to spend the whole Christmas break at home, but there's no mention that Scrooge is going to work afterward and won't return to the school. That doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I've always been uneasy about the declaration that Scrooge's dad is yanking the boy out of school to put him to work. Even if the school is miserable, sending Scrooge into the world seems less like a kindness and more just an acknowledgment that it's time for Scrooge to grow up. Although maybe any kind of acknowledgment of Scrooge by his father is a relatively kind act. If the omission of that detail in this version is intentional and important, it reflects well on the father that he really is just letting Scrooge come home and celebrate the holidays with the family.

Since Fan is younger than Scrooge, their mother can't have died giving birth to the boy. In fact, Mom isn't mentioned at all - just like she's not in Dickens - so we can only imagine what Dad's problem has been with young Ebenezer.

There's no schoolmaster in this version. Fan and Young Scrooge rush out of the room, leaving Old Scrooge and the Spirit behind to discuss Fan and her future son. Scrooge gets especially cranky during that. He doesn't want to talk about Fred. To her reference to children he shouts "One child!" at her. And she sternly concedes, "Your nephew," before pointing out the window at the next Christmas she wants him to revisit.

Sleigh Bell Cinema | Krampus (2015)

I'm joined by Evan Hanson ( Mystery Movie Night ) to talk about this holiday horror flick starring Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and Emjay Anthony. Evan explains how it's a deeper movie than you might think, so listen and hear what it has to say about Christmas and how it relates to Mr Rogers.

“I Was a Boy Here!” | Fredric March (1954)

Last year, we noted that the Spirit of Christmas Past resembles someone specific from Scrooge's past, but we didn't have enough information to know who that was yet. Likely guesses were either Fan or the woman whom Scrooge was once engaged to.

This year, we can deduce that it's his fiancée, because when the Spirit leads Scrooge out of his window and into another room, she skips Scrooge's boyhood and school entirely. I'm guessing we'll get no mention of Fan at all.

“I Was a Boy Here!” | Alastair Sim (1951)

There's a transition scene from Scrooge's bedroom to the countryside, but it's a unique one. Instead of having the Spirit and Scrooge fly out the window and over scenery, a mist forms in Scrooge's room and then dissolves into what looks like some kind of tunnel with an hourglass floating through it to represent the passage through time. This then dissolves into a country scene with a quaint bridge in the foreground, a little village in the distance, and Scrooge's school off to the left in between.

As Scrooge and the Spirit talk about this being where Scrooge grew up, riders on horseback appear from behind a building and cross the bridge. They might be students leaving for the holidays, but neither Scrooge nor the ghost mentions or addresses them. Scrooge is distracted by the sight of his school, which he says looks lonely and deserted. "Not quite deserted," corrects the Ghost.

Sim's Scrooge has already been humbled by Marley and is being very polite to the Ghost. He's enduring an experience that he believes that he needs, even though he's unconvinced that it can actually help him. He never cries in this scene, but when the Ghost talks about the solitary boy left behind by his friends, Scrooge remembers and smiles sadly. "I know," he says. I like that the Ghost refers to Young Scrooge as being "forgotten" by his friends instead of neglected. I think that's an accurate, less confusing way to describe what Dickens was getting at.

The scene cuts to a schoolroom where a shockingly old Scrooge sits alone, writing on a piece of paper. Director Brian Desmond Hurst chose to use one actor for all the Young Scrooge scenes: 26-year-old George Cole. He's good, but way too old to play a schoolboy. Unless that's part of the point. Is this a Scrooge who has been left at school far too long when he should have been sent out into the world already to begin his career? As we'll see, that's a possibility given the feelings of this Scrooge's father about his son.

Young Scrooge hears a carriage outside and goes to the window to look, but he can't see it and doesn't know who's knocking on the schoolroom door. The door opens and a young woman walks in. It's Fan of course, but she looks to be about the same age as Scrooge. The actor who plays her (Carol Marsh) was four years older than Cole though and we'll learn that this Fan is older than her brother. Since we've skipped past Boyhood Scrooge, there are no literary friends to mention, but I'm cool with that.

Fan sees Ebenezer in the room and runs towards him. Old Scrooge cries out a heart-wrenching "Fan!," but she passes right through him to the younger version of himself. Sim is so good and I feel the ache in his soul at seeing this beloved woman again after having lost her so many years ago.

Young Scrooge's conversation with Fan begins faithfully enough, but screenwriter Noel Langley adds dialogue to reveal a lot of extra details about Scrooge's relationship with his father. I don't know if this is the version that came up with these details, but it's the earliest in the versions I'm looking at. It starts after Fan says that Father is so much nicer than he used to be and that home is like heaven. "For you, perhaps, but not for me," Scrooge says. He adds that their father doesn't even know Scrooge or what he looks like. It's implied in other versions, but stated clearly here that Scrooge has never been home since he started school. In fact, he goes on to admit that he hardly recognizes Fan, but I can't imagine that this is the first time they've seen each other since childhood. The actors aren't playing the scene that way. But it may have been several years since they last met.

Talk of Fan's looks leads to talk of their mother, whom Scrooge says Fan resembles. Fan admits that this might be why Dad has softened. Having Fan around may be helping the old man finally move through the grieving process, though I suspect it's had a negative effect on her. Marsh is 30-years-old and even though she's playing younger that's way past Old Maid status at this point in British history and culture. She's possibly given up marriage to stay home and comfort a father who likely doesn't appreciate her. When she says that he's kinder than he used to be, that earlier lack of kindness had to have been directed at her, since Scrooge hasn't even been around. 

She tells Scrooge that he's to come home and "never to be lonely again," a promise that Scrooge grasps onto and repeats. "Never as long as I live," she adds, which is again heart-wrenching since we know that she hasn't survived to the present day. The script unfortunately hangs a lantern on this point by having Scrooge ridiculously declare that Fan must live forever. He emphasizes this twice, which seems excessive as if he really is demanding that she somehow become immortal. I let it go, understanding that it comes from a place of deep loneliness, but it's overly dramatic.

As Fan gently chides him for his foolishness, the schoolmaster makes a cameo through the window as he orders Scrooge's box to be brought down and loaded on Fan's carriage. Watching Scrooge and Fan climb aboard the carriage, the Ghost talks about Fan's large heart and her children. Old Scrooge is staring out the window at his departing sister and he's getting angry at the mention of Fred. "She died giving him life."

"As your mother died giving you life," adds the Ghost. "For which your father never forgave you." And then, so insightfully, "As if you were to blame." Scrooge says nothing, totally getting the point, but too hurt to concede it. Ouch, this scene.

One last observation: It just occurred to me this year that Scrooge's father could carry some indirect blame for Fan's dying in childbirth. Clearly she did eventually get married, but her delay in doing so may have made her old enough to have had age-related complications when giving birth to Fred. If her waiting was due to her father's not being able to get along without her, then maybe Scrooge should have directed some of his anger there. Maybe he did and we just don't see it. Or maybe his feelings about his father are complicated enough that he didn't want to add that to them and it was easier to just follow Dad's example and blame the baby.

“I Was a Boy Here!” | Reginald Owen (1938)

The 1938 Christmas Carol has the Spirit leading Scrooge out of his window and in a flight, first over the city of London, but that fades and becomes a snowy country scene. (I don't know how this section was shot, but I assume the filmmakers created miniatures and they are amazing.) Scrooge is already smiling while still in the air. He's got no fear of falling at this point and seems to be enjoying himself. I don't know if he recognizes the specific places yet, but it may be bringing back childhood memories already.

They hone in on a particular building: a large mansion surrounded by a walled estate. The camera lowers as it slowly zooms in, indicating that Scrooge and Spirit are landing here. There's a clever fade from the miniature to the front gates of a location shot where the camera is still lowering from a high angle to ground level. Through the gate, we see a crowd gathered around a large carriage. There's a lot of pleasant conversation as people direct the loading of their things and make their goodbyes to each other.

Another fade and we're looking at Scrooge and the Spirit standing near the wall. This is where Scrooge exclaims that he recognizes the place, but he doesn't say that he was bred here. He just says that it's his old school. By tweaking the line, the film has already made a statement about Scrooge's experience. In Dickens, the area of the country is a source of joy for Scrooge, while the school is a symbol of loneliness for him. Now, the school is a joyful memory, as Owen clearly indicates through his acting. He's smiling and leads the Spirit through the gate and into the yard for a closer look.

The full carriage pulls away from the school with lots of shouting, waving boys aboard. As it leaves, another pulls up for the next load of kids. Scrooge waves at the first carriage, recognizing several of the students on it. These are his friends and he has good feelings about them. He calls out a bunch of names (Harry, Joe, Tommy, and Percy) before getting to one that I recognize: Dick Wilkins (Scrooge includes the last name as he calls, extra excited by seeing his particular kid). If I'm not misremembering, Dick is Scrooge's fellow apprentice at Fezziwig's, but this version has him and Scrooge also being classmates. I like that. School was generally a happy place for this Scrooge and the place where he formed one of his longest lasting friendships.

Scrooge is deeply affected by being here and the Spirit notices that he's trembling. He blames it on the cold, as he also does later when she notices something on his cheek (which is good, because in Dickens, Scrooge tries to claim that the thing on his cheek is a pimple instead of a tear and that's super lame). I really enjoy their interactions in this version. Scrooge has a huge smile on his face and is enjoying this, only sobering when the Spirit tosses straight-faced zingers at him to make him think. She sets him up ("You remember this way?"), lets him respond enthusiastically ("Remember it? I could walk it blindfold!"), then sweetly nails him ("Strange to have forgotten it for so many years") before leading the way herself. Maybe I'm just in love with Ann Rutherford, but the way she plays Scrooge and his emotions is beautiful to watch. It doesn't appear to bother Scrooge, either. She's so gentle about it that he's smiling even after she's stung him.

Owen's Scrooge is going to be an easy transformation, I think. The early scenes showed him to be a lonely man who seems to be interested in human connection, but doesn't know how to appropriately ask for it. He may even think that he's putting signals out, but his abrasiveness keeps people away. The Ghost is showing him a time when he had that connection and it's rebooting his system. If he can remember how he used to relate to people before he erected some of the barriers he's currently got in place, he can be saved.

The Spirit leads Scrooge to the front door of the school where Scrooge recognizes his younger self saying goodbye to a boy named Jack. Young Scrooge is in his early teens, because this version is combining Dickens' two visions at school into one. That means that we lose the Ali Baba and Robinson Crusoe references, but I don't miss them. This version is making a different point and it sticks to it marvelously well.

Scrooge and Jack are friendly with each and Jack asks if Scrooge's parents are coming for him. Scrooge explains that he's staying at school (and that he always does), but describes it as a mutual decision reached by him and his father. He's not very convincing about it though and Jack criticizes Scrooge's dad. Surprisingly, Scrooge defends the old man and gets a little huffy. Jack apologizes and then has to leave because he's being called to the carriage. Once he's aboard, he and the other departing students wave goodbye to Scrooge and wish him Merry Christmas.

So in this version, Young Scrooge isn't neglected by his friends at all. They seem to like him and his only problem is that his father doesn't seem to want him around, which stings especially hard this time of year. Scrooge gives a sad wave to his classmates, then walks dejectedly back into the building. He wanders into a classroom where he looks out the window and breaks down into tears. The score is lovely in this version and grows especially beautiful and heart-wrenching during this scene.

The classroom looks nice and not at all rundown. This may or may not suggest anything about the finances of Scrooge's dad. The point seems to be just that this is generally a happy place for Scrooge, though no substitute for family. He wants to be home and is heartbroken that he's not welcome there.

He's already composed himself though by the time the schoolmaster appears. This isn't a sad, pathetic character like in Dickens, but a jolly-looking man with a kindly voice who announces that Scrooge's sister has come to see him.

Fan is younger than Scrooge; about nine years old. And the little actor who plays her (Ira Stevens) is wonderfully accurate to Scrooge's description. She's bubbly and joyful about bringing Scrooge home; almost annoyingly so, but Scrooge is so delighted to see her and to hear her message that it's impossible to be irritated. She's young, so she's focused on Scrooge's coming home for Christmas, but she does throw in the line about his going to work after the holiday and not returning to school. That sounds like a kindness in Dickens, but I can't help but think that this Scrooge may not see it that way. He looks understandably confused by Fan's announcement. There's a lot for him to process in there.

I don't know if Scrooge ever got any answers about why his father has changed his plans for Scrooge. The film doesn't suggest any and the point of the scene is that Scrooge more or less had a decent childhood except for the lack of this one, very important relationship with his dad.

As Young Scrooge leaves the room with Fan, Old Scrooge and the Spirit talk about Fan's love for Scrooge and the Spirit brings up her "children."

"One child," Scrooge corrects, absent-mindedly because he's still thinking about his sister.

"Your nephew, Fred," the Spirit pokes. Scrooge looks at her, getting what she's saying and doubtlessly remembering his last interaction with his awesomely jovial relative. Her point made, the Spirit sweetly, almost shyly invites Scrooge to come with her to the next scene.