This post is long overdue, and because I've had so much on my mind lately, I almost scrapped it. However, I really want to remember what I watched in December 2020 so I know what to watch or skip in December 2021. So, yes, this post is for myself, but I hope you gain something from it, too.
"A Christmas Carol" Adaptations
"A Christmas Carol" (1938)
"A Christmas Carol" (1999)
"A Christmas Carol" (2019 BBC mini series)
"The Muppet Christmas Carol"
"Disney's A Christmas Carol"
"Scrooged"
"The Man Who Invented Christmas"
I'll start with the latter. "The Man Who Invented Christmas" is not really an adaptation of "A Christmas Carol", but I put it in this category because it's about how the original story came to be. It isn't completely true, but I found it to be an enjoyable film overall. One of the major parts of the story line in the film that isn't true is that Dickens didn't really want Tiny Tim to die in the end. (In the film, he did want him to die in the end.) According to cyberspace, that was never his intention. In my mind, this is a major point that isn't true. In one way it bothers me that this was made up in the film, but on the other hand, it would have been a completely different movie without that added drama. So, I can appreciate the film while understanding that some of it is fiction. (I had a similar experience with "Saving Mr. Banks". You can find that review here.)
I'll save the best for last, so next, I'll tell you about my least favorite adaptations - "Scrooged" and the 2019 BBC mini series version of "A Christmas Carol". "Scrooged" simply didn't hold my interest. I couldn't wait for it to end. This was the only version where I was frequently checking the time on my clock.
By far, however, my least favorite version was the 2019 BBC mini series. I was disappointed because since I enjoyed their version of "Pride and Prejudice" so much, I had high expectations for "A Christmas Carol". The acting was outstanding and I also loved the fact that this was the only version I watched where the character of Tiny Tim was played by an actor, Lenny Rush, who is disabled in real life. This is uncommon in movies and television. It needs to become the norm where disabled actors play the roles of disabled characters. Kudos to the makers of this version for getting that right!
Unfortunately, that was not enough for me to enjoy this version at all. It's much deeper than the original story. I would have been okay with that if it weren't also much darker. It also contains a lot of foul language, which is very far removed from the original story. Additionally, it annoyed me that Mrs. Cratchit went to the extremes that she did. She had no morals and I certainly didn't like the fact that the film portrayed her doing this mostly for the sake of her disabled child. The movie made her seem like a victim. She blamed everything on Scrooge and we were somehow expected to feel bad for her? In my eyes, she was just as guilty as Scrooge was. I had a difficult time warming up to either of them, even in the end when Scrooge came to appreciate the spirit of Christmas. Perhaps if Mrs. Cratchit had owned up to her actions the way Scrooge (sort of) did, I would have felt differently about her. Although I didn't care much for either of them, I ended up liking Scrooge more than Mrs. Cratchit (who actually had a first name in this version - Mary).
And now for the good news! I enjoyed several versions of "A Christmas Carol". I didn't watch "The Muppet Christmas Carol" in 2020. I watched it in 2019, but I remember it so fondly that I wanted to mention it here as one of my favorites. I am not a fan of The Muppets in general, so when it was recommended to me I didn't have high expectations. I'm so glad I gave it a chance because it is one of my favorite versions. It is delightful!
"Disney's A Christmas Carol" has that Disney signature feel to it. It's very well done. It isn't my very favorite because in the case of "A Christmas Carol", I'm not a huge fan of all the theatrics. And this is coming from someone who loves Disney movies in general. However, it's very kid-friendly and entertaining.
That leaves the 1938 and 1999 versions. I loved them both, but my absolute favorite is the 1999 version. I can't really put my finger on why I enjoyed it so much, but I did. I didn't read the novella by Dickens until after I watched all of the above versions and I was happy to find out the 1999 adaptation is also the one that is most like the original story.
A note about the original story - Tiny Tim is a classic example of what we in the disabled community refer to as "inspiration porn". Inspiration porn is when a disabled person is portrayed as being inspirational solely on the basis of their disability. Because of this, "A Christmas Carol" can, understandably so, be offensive to individuals with disabilities. While I condemn inspiration porn, I can still appreciate "A Christmas Carol" because it was relevant to the times in which it was written. I applaud Dickens for including a disabled character in his novella and portraying him in such a way that he deserved to live a good life. This view was uncommon in the 1800s when "A Christmas Carol" was published, so I thank Dickens for going against the grain of his times and portraying a disabled person in a positive light.
Based on "Pride and Prejudice"
"Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe"
"Christmas at Pemberley"
The only reason I watched these two movies was because they are (loosely) tied to "Pride and Prejudice". Except for some names of the location and characters, they don't have anything to do with the original story. They take place in present day. Perhaps the characters are distantly related to the Bennets and Darcys. Other than that, they are your typical "Hallmark" type Christmas movies without the charm of "Pride and Prejudice". If you like Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies with predictable (which can also mean comforting) endings, then you might enjoy these.
Others with No Common Theme (except Christmas)
"A Very Brady Christmas"
"Elf"
"Christmas Ever After"
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
"Miracle on 34th Street"
"The March Sisters Christmas"
I am a fan of "The Brady Bunch" series, so I can appreciate almost any Brady Bunch movie. It isn't at the very top of my Christmas list, but it's fun to watch at Christmastime. All of the main characters, except for Cindy in "A Very Brady Christmas" are played by the original actors. It's groovy to see them all grown up with their own t.v. lives. It's a cheesy movie that you will most likely only appreciate if you're a diehard fan of the t.v. series.
I've watched this movie twice now, the first time being last Christmas. Although I remember the plot, I don't remember how I felt about it. I guess that means I'll have to put it on my list for December 2021! One thing I do remember well is Jovie's (played by Zooey Deschanel) voice. I would probably watch it again just to hear her sing. I also love the sing-a-long at the end of the movie. I can't help singing along with them and I rarely do that when I watch a movie. In addition to this, now that I have watched all of the Marvel movies since Iron Man, I was happy (no pun intended...if you've seen the Marvel movies, you'll know what I mean) to see Jon Favreau.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" will always be a Christmas classic to me. I watch it every year. However, after watching so many different adaptations of "A Christmas Carol" this year, I also now realize how similar, and yet how different, the two are. Whereas in "A Christmas Carol" Scrooge is mostly concerned about money and can't understand why people are so happy when they have so little, in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", Grinch is disgusted with how happy the people of Whoville are with material things (with Cindy Lou Who being the exception). However, the most prominent idea that stands out to me in "Grinch" is the power of kindness. It's Cindy Lou Who's kindness that ultimately and quite literally changes Grinch's heart.
"Miracle on 34th Street" is a Christmas classic, but it isn't one of my favorites. I have seen it a few times and I watched it again this year. I watched it in color. I had planned on watching it also in black and white, but as you can see, my schedule was full. Lol. I may watch it in black and white in December 2021, but the story will obviously still be the same. This, I don't think, is the kind of movie that would do well in the present day. For me, it hasn't really stood the test of time, although I do love a happy and magical ending.
I watched "The March Sisters Christmas" because it is loosely tied to "Little Women". I have not yet seen nor read "Little Women", but it is on my list. "The March Sisters Christmas" is a modern day movie that didn't hold my interest, although it was nice to a couple of my favorite soap stars from the past in it. I can't say I'll be watching this one again, but I am looking forward to the "Little Women" movie and book later this year.
I saved the best in this bunch for last - "Christmas Ever After". In one way, it's your typical Christmas love story with a predictable ending, but in another and significant way, it's very different. This movie features the main character who is a wheelchair user. What I like about the movie is that the story line does not focus on the fact that she uses a wheelchair. It focuses on the fact that she's a writer who is on a mission to finish a book and in the process, she finds love. There are some lines in the movie that refer to her being in a wheelchair. For example, instead of going for a walk, she says, "go for a push". So the movie doesn't ignore the fact that she is a wheelchair user, but it also doesn't make it the primary focus of the movie. It is also worth noting that the actress who plays the main character, Ali Stroker, uses a wheelchair in real life. Kudos to Lifetime for getting this right!
I did not list "It's a Wonderful Life, but I watched that one also in color and in black and white. I gave it its own review. You can find that here.
I also watched all Christmas episodes of "Friends". Maybe I will post reviews of those later this year.
Here are the movies that were on my December list that I didn't have time to watch:
"A Christmas Carol" (1984)
"A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado"
"A Cinderella Christmas"
"A Nashville Christmas Carol"
"Christmas Land"
"Christmas Belle"
"If I Only Had Christmas"
"Just Friends"
"Little Women"
"Miracle on 34th Street" (black and white version)
I guess I had high expectations for myself. Either that or I thought all I would do was sit in front of the television for the entire month of December. Perhaps I will watch at least some of these in December 2021.
No comments:
Post a Comment