|  | Actors: Alastair Sim, Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns, Hermione Baddeley
Studio: VCI Entertainment
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $9.75
as of 11/23/2009 22:35 CST details
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New (27) Used (5) Collectible (1) from $9.75
Seller: digitaleyes_dvdplanet
Rating:  169 reviews
Sales Rank: 117
Format: Black & White, Color, Digital Sound, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 86 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5
Dimensions (in): 5 x 4 x 1
MPN: 8500
UPC: 089859850028
EAN: 0089859850028
ASIN: B000SR0DDE
Theatrical Release Date: 1951
Release Date: October 23, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Five Star Seller!!! New, factory sealed US Region 1 DVD. Item is 100% guaranteed not to be a bootleg or import. Item is shipped directly from our warehouse. Easy exchange if item defective or damaged in shipped.
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Showing reviews 136-140 of 169
 "AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT" October 8, 2007
Gail Cooke (TX, USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Although there have been a number of movie and television adaptations of A Christmas Carol this version is unsurpassed in excellence, sure to outshine all others presented and those yet to come.
The star is, of course, Ebenezer Scrooge played by Alastair Sim. And what a star Sim is - the quintessential Scrooge! An acclaimed actor, the Scotland born Sim died in 1976, leaving a remarkable film legacy. His Scrooge is undoubtedly the meanest and most miserly, yet his portrayal is so thoughtful that we not only see but feel first his derision of the poor and then his astonishment and fear when the ghosts appear. His eyes are wide with fright, his every limb trembles. Later, there is profound dance-inducing joy when he awakens on Christmas morning and finds he is still alive. He cavorts in his billowing nightshirt and jigs about with sheer happiness as we smile at his reformation.
Another plus for this version is is that we're introduced to Scrooge as a young man and trace his early years as gold takes the place of love in his heart. This is an eventual change, building to his total greediness. Thus, we're not surprised by his response when asked for money to help the destitute at Christmas, "Why? Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses? "
The supporting cast is without a doubt the finest. It would be difficult to single out any one but Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Dilbert, Scrooge's housekeeper, is a sketch.
Two discs are offered in this edition, the first in the original black and white, the other in color. Our preference is for the black and white as it seems to reflect London at the time and be a perfect backdrop for this story.
If ever a retelling remained faithful to the original, this is it. It is as if all of A Christmas Carol had sprung from the pages of Dickens's iconic tale as heartwarming today as when first imagined in 1843.
Gail Cooke
"AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT" October 8, 2007
Gail Cooke (TX, USA)
Although there have been a number of movie and television adaptations of A Christmas Carol this version is unsurpassed in excellence, sure to outshine all others presented and those yet to come.
The star is, of course, Ebenezer Scrooge played by Alastair Sim. And what a star Sim is - the quintessential Scrooge! An acclaimed actor, the Scotland born Sim died in 1976, leaving a remarkable film legacy. His Scrooge is undoubtedly the meanest and most miserly, yet his portrayal is so thoughtful that we not only see but feel first his derision of the poor and then his astonishment and fear when the ghosts appear. His eyes are wide with fright, his every limb trembles. Later, there is profound dance-inducing joy when he awakens on Christmas morning and finds he is still alive. He cavorts in his billowing nightshirt and jigs about with sheer happiness as we smile at his reformation.
Another plus for this version is is that we're introduced to Scrooge as a young man and trace his early years as gold takes the place of love in his heart. This is an eventual change, building to his total greediness. Thus, we're not surprised by his response when asked for money to help the destitute at Christmas, "Why? Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses? "
The supporting cast is without a doubt the finest. It would be difficult to single out any one but Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Dilbert, Scrooge's housekeeper, is a sketch.
Two discs are offered in this edition, the first in the original black and white, the other in color. Our preference is for the black and white as it seems to reflect London at the time and be a perfect backdrop for this story.
If ever a retelling remained faithful to the original, this is it. It is as if all of A Christmas Carol had sprung from the pages of Dickens's iconic tale as heartwarming today as when first imagined in 1843.
- Gail Cooke
Meticulous restoration of a holiday classic October 7, 2007
Penumbra (Atlanta, GA USA)
39 out of 41 found this review helpful
Although this 1951 classic film takes some liberties with the Dicken's novel, it remains the film most faithful to the original story. Some of the sets and costumes were directly inspired by the memorable illustrations in the first edition of the book. Alastair Sim is very convincing as the miserly Scrooge who, after a terrifying night of ghostly visits, is transformed into a man who knows how to keep Christmas in his heart.
There have been many DVD editions of this holiday favorite in recent years, several of them from VCI Entertainment. In this package, VCI has included some things featured on previous releases (commentary, Dickens biography, etc.), but the real star of this set is the beautifully restored version of the black and white film. According to a short feature on the restoration of the film, VCI has finally been able to obtain film elements from the original master. Apparently they didn't have access to a complete master, so they used several of the best prints they could gather and digitally read them to determine which frames were the best available. The rest was cleaned up by hand. It sounds like a labor of love, and the result is visible on the screen. The restored print is available in 4x3 and 16x9 in 1:37:1 format. (According to the Amazon product description page, the aspect ratio is given as 1:87 and elsewhere as 1:33, the DVD box says 1:37.) There are a few seconds of less than pristine audio, but overall this is a gorgeous effort.
A nice touch I've never seen on a DVD before is an optional audio track for the blind, in which a narrator describes the action on the screen pausing for dialog from the actors. A wandering commentary track with Marcus Heard and George Cole (young Scrooge) is included. Much of the commentary is reprised in a feature interview by Heard in which Cole reminisces about Alastair Sim, "Spirit of Christmas Past." The audio is in English only. Subtitles are in English or Spanish.
The second disc offers the original 1935 Seymour Hicks' film version of the story. A colorized version of the 1951 film is also included on Disc 2; the brief introduction by Patrick McNee (young Marley) has been seen before on previous releases of the colorized version. There are also theatrical trailers from the UK release ("Scrooge") and the US release ("A Christmas Carol").
VCI has given us a beautiful package here. They've done a great job with the restoration of a film treasure. Many viewers will never have seen such a good print of this holiday favorite before. The bonus features are a nice inclusion, but the restoration is the real reason to get this edition. Highly recommended!
 Curses, Scrooged Again October 6, 2007
takingadayoff (Las Vegas, Nevada)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
If the Alistair Sim version of A Christmas Carol is your favorite, then this DVD set is for you. They've cleaned up the version you've seen a million times and it looks fresh and sparkly. You'll see details you never noticed before. You'll hear dialogue you missed before. They even have a short feature demonstrating and explaining the clean-up process.
In addition, there's a colorized version of the same film that looks fabulous. Colorizing has come a long way in the past few years. There's also an earlier British production of A Christmas Carol (or Scrooge, as it is titled in Britain) which runs less than an hour in its entirety. It's interesting as a curiosity only - the short length means they left out a lot of the story and if you didn't already know the story, you would be rather lost.
There are lots of other extra commentaries and an interview with George Cole, who plays the young Ebenezer Scrooge to Alistair Sim's older Scrooge. You may remember George Cole as Henry Root, or as the banker in the Royal Command Performance of Good Neighbors. And Patrick Macnee does an uninspired introduction to the movie. He played a small role as young Jacob Marley in the film.
So, if you love this version of A Christmas Carol, you will really appreciate this remastered edition. Personally, I prefer the later version with George C. Scott as Scrooge.
A Must Have Holiday Treat October 5, 2007
Scooter McGavin (Ohio)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Certainly we have all seen A Christmas Carol before is some form or another, whether it be a faithful version of the Charles Dickens classic or a more modern telling of the story by the Muppets or like Bill Murray in Scrooged. So reviewing the film is kind of silly, you know what you are getting in that respect. What is important to know about this DVD set is what you will be getting with the greatest Christmas fable and how you are getting it.
In this 1951 Alastair Sim version, you get three different versions of the film on the two disk Ultimate Collector's Edition; there is the remastered black and white version (which has an accompanying audio commentary by Marcus Hearn and George Cole) in both full screen and widescreen as well as the colorized version in the widescreen format. It is wise to stick with the black and white (which is digitally restored as seen in a special feature) because the color looks like your basic looks like they painted each frame type of colorized version of the film. Then as an added bonus, they also threw in the 1935 version of Scrooge.
Also included on the DVD's are interviews with George Cole about Alastair Sim as well as one with Richard Gordon about George Minter and Renown Pictures, both lasting over ten minutes. There is also a short on Charles Dickens himself as well as Cast Bios, Photo and Press Book Gallery as well as trailers for both the 1935 film and the 1951 version. In the end, the film is a timeless classic that any family can watch together during the holiday season.
Showing reviews 136-140 of 169
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