I actually thought "Marley and Marely" was decently creepy in Muppet Christmas Carol. Yeah they were cracking jokes, but even those were dark. It's one of the movie's best songs. And I can't believe how badly this movie did the ghosts of past and future when the Muppets did them SO WELL.
Have you heard the full version of 'Marley and Marley' on the soundtrack? They cut out a verse in the actual film and listening to the song with that verse put back in makes the whole thing even creepier.
@@overlydramaticpanda That's cool, thanks for letting me know! For convenience: Movie version: th-cam.com/video/VsiKOJOXMJU/w-d-xo.html OST: th-cam.com/video/nW0X7VNARNg/w-d-xo.html The removed verse comes at 2:10 on the OST.
@@overlydramaticpanda That full FILMED version of the song is actually even rarer to find than "When Love is Gone". th-cam.com/video/WnZVY-ZdTHs/w-d-xo.html
So we are all going to review OTHER movies in this review of A Chrismas Carol: The Musical? OK, I didn't think Frozen was as empowering for girls as Brave. There, I said it and I stand by my review. Here, on the review of A Christmas Carol: The Musical. Next, I will be looking at the Transformer franchise on the Sweeny Todd post.
@@Laceykat66 Being snarky for no reason. we're looking at other versions of a story this movie told, which were mentioned directly in the video. It's relevant.
Why is The Ghost of Christmas Past so sexy? I thought the first Ghost was supposed to the most innocent of the three, since they take Scrooge on a journey to the past.
In the book, they looks simultaneously young and old, male and female (I think), and have this bright glow like a candle that Scrooge snuffs out to get rid of them. An androgynous kid who sounds older than they are with a spotlight on them at all times does kinda capture it.
Because apparently the creepily inhuman and quasi-ethereal ghost of Christmas past wasn't as interesting as a generic sexy gal, and the darkly disturbing manifestation of death isn't as creepy as a goth lady whose clothes got bleached.
Who thought that it’d be a good idea to throw away the creepy grim reaper imagery of the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come and replace it with a random lady in toilet paper? I remember seeing a still of it as a kid and thinking “Who the heck is that?”
I thought it was because they'd decided the classic look of the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come was too scary for a family movie (pretty dumb logic, seeing as even the Muppets stuck to the original,) but yeah, it's probably because they wanted to make it as obvious as possible that she was the old beggar woman.
I think they were too afraid of moral guardians coming at them for going too scary for a family movie. I mean there were so many ways they could have gone if they wanted to show the Ghost of Christmas Future was the beggar woman and still kept it creepy.
There's an interesting argument to be made, that just writing the third spirit off as a traditional depiction of the Grim Reaper, kind of misses the most interesting thing about it. Because the thing is, the ghost is not actually described as being particularly humanoid in shape. The black garment it is wearing actually obscures its form completely, to the point of it simply being "a spectral hand, and a great heap of black".
Modern Christmas Carol adaptation where Scrooge thinks he loves Christmas because he sells tinsel and decorations and decorates his house in them...but over the course of the story he realises his understanding has been wholly superficial this whole time.
@@thecinematicmind I will need to respectively disagree. Blackadder's Christmas Carol is at heart an inversion at every turn. You get the very nice doormat Blackadder being conned by the supposedly virtuous poor and his niece (even inverting that trope). He is skint and gives away all the treats and trimmings of Christmas, each time justifying it that whatever he has is enough. He is warned by a ghost (singular) /not/ to change his ways but he does when he sees that being good is kinda crappy and that "bad guys have all the fun" so heel turns into utter bastard mode (much too his immediate regret when he slags off Queen Vic and Albert). At least his ancestors won't be wearing Baldrick's Posing Pouch.
My definitive version is the Disney version with Uncle Scrooged playing his namesake, probably cause it’s the very first version I saw. I have not seen this movie, but I have a soft spot for the musical, again because I saw it at a young age.
9:51 Well, I actually think that kind of fits. Part of Scrooge's character is that he's miserly. He lives in a big house but it's cold, falling apart, and barely lit. He has all this money but he doesn't spend it on creature comforts. The Ghost of Christmas Present is telling him that his denial of any joy in his life, even self joy, does not make him better or smarter than anyone else.
This just makes me want to watch the George C Scott version again. Mirroring his relationship with Fred, Ebenezer’s father resents him for the mother dying at childbirth. That was such a cool layer to the character
I wouldn't say "Marley And Marley" from The Muppet Christmas Carol is exactly comical, especially with lines like this: "Doomed, Scrooge, you're doomed for all time! Your future is a horror story written by your crime Your chains are forged by what you say and do So have your fun, when life is done, a nightmare waits for you!" Also, the 1970 musical Scrooge with Albert Finney could also make for a good contender on this show. I saw a clip of it and found it to be one of the stupidest adaptations EVER.
Glad I'm not the only one who feels like this. Especially near the end with that unnecessary scene in Hell and the end when it looks like he went mad at the end!
Aw. I like Albert Finney's Scrooge. The only part I'm not all that sold on is the Hell scene--which I knew nothing about until my young adult years when I rented the video, since television airings edited it out for time. Marley's fate as written in the book and as portrayed in most versions is a more subtle and more effective vision of Hell--not fire or brimstone, but "incessant torture of remorse", of having your eyes and heart opened to the sorrow and suffering you ignored in life, but no longer able to help as you once could have. (Remember the other ghosts that filled the air as Marley departed--including a banker Scrooge had once known, weeping over his inability to help a homeless mother and baby.) We'd already seen that this was the fate that would have awaited Scrooge--we don't need to see a fire-and-brimstone (or ice, in Scrooge's case) kind of hell.
@@colleen4ever That was the part I saw. I swear the makers were smoking something strange when they came up with that whole Hell scene, because it just feels wrong, somehow.
Patrick Stewart’s Scrooge is so nuanced and special in comparison to Grammar. Grammar’s Scrooge is more “horribly constipated” than “redeemable miser”.
I agree with you when Stewart did his "one-man show," but he did not bring that as much to the TNT version. I was so looking forward to it, having seen his stage production, but was sadly disappointed. It was too commercial, though better than Hallmark.
Laceykat66 I thought he brought a little bit more pathos than we’re used to seeing in Scrooge. His Scrooge was more wounded. He seemed to live a bitter,cold,painful life that he miserably carries with him like marleys chains. He kinda plays it as something the cruel world made than a simple greedy miser. I might be reading too much into it tho. I’ll watch Stewart in literally anything so I’m pretty biased.
This is just my personal gripe with many Christmas Carol movies. They completely screw up the Ghost of Christmas Past. They’re supposed to be an agendered, Eldritch abomination (not so much scary, but a little off-putting) that looks both old and young. Joel Grey in Patrick Stewart’s version did it the best.
Eh, I'm not picky at all with that. There's so many versions that I don't care if they get details like that right in every one. Itd be boring if they were all 100% faithful to the book.I also understand why the make the ghost female in many versions as there aren't that many large roles for women in the story. It also makes sense for it to be a warm comforting presence as many people remember the past through rose colored glasses.
Andrew Ollmann how do you feel about the candle looking ghost of christmas past from the 2009 christmas carol? it doesn't look like a man or a woman despite having a male voice.
Brandon Roberts while i feel they had a strong christmas past, they kinda did christmas future a little dirty particularly when they have him chase scrooge on a carriage through future london.
Ryan Law It’s better...but still not great. The model was twitchy, and the ghost is still supposed to resemble a human being. However, I did like the fact that the ghost kinda molded into everyone from Scrooge’s past. (Well, at least Fezziwig, Marley, and Belle.) I also like the one from the Muppet Christmas Carol...it’s so very ethereal!
Ryan Law Though, the idea of the spirit being Scrooge’s shadow was cool. I also kinda like the idea of Christmas Future in this version. I always saw the white costume as resembling a mummy’s burial bandages.
7:40 - aaaand, this is Scrooge's main personality flaw. No kids, it's not that he's greedy. It's not that he's rich + greedy. It's that he has no love and compassion for his fellow man - in most versions, he's not even greedy at all. More selfish, and the selfishness is a symptom or consequence of the bigger flaw: no love and compassion. I'm often bewildered by misrepresentation of Scrooge's character, so thanks, Christi, for pointing out the necessity of the [proper] backstory in order to establish the real essence of Scrooge's character and his flaws. Love it!
11:10 I agree with you wholeheartedly on this, and this shot in particular was actually ad-libbed singing on Martin's part. You can even see Kelsey Grammer almost cracking a smile. Wonderful stuff.
1:28 I will never get tired of hearing people take shots at Hallmark Channel's "original" movies, especially regarding Christmas films, so for me that alone made this episode worth it.
I adore the book so much. My favorite line which I use often in reference to my own experiences with ghosts. “You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”
You are doing the "knock-off" Phantom of the opera in january?! YES!!! :D I wanted to see you cover that ever since you talked about the Yeston/Kopit version. Merry Christmas Diva!
I've never seen this version...when I think "musical version of A Christmas Carol",I usually think of the versions with Albert Finney,the Muppets or that TV version Rich Little did...in which he played ALL the characters. I agree with you about Christmas Future...considering the purpose of its' visit,you really can't improve on a faceless specter in a black robe.
12:30 I'm so with you there. WHERE THE HECK IS THE FREAKY GHOST THAT SCARED ME INTO BEING GOOD? Does this mean I can go back to being naughty? Because that ghost ain't scary IT'S HILARIOUS.
As someone who saw a great community theater production that compensated for the play's issues with sheer energy (it's obvious that everyone loved doing it and took it seriously), this just feels lazy and tired. Also, I heard from a friend who was in the chorus that one of the prop skeletons was given the stripper name 'Sinnamon' due to being found in a compromising position while stored in a car.
That is a shame. Kelsey Grammer could play a fantastic Scrooge. I don't know if it's the limitations of the live show, or just how he was directed. He spends so much time squinting he may have thought he was playing Mr. Magoo.
The whole "happy ending snowfall" trope has GOT to come from people who don't live in a place where it typically snows a lot, because if you were from somewhere that can get three or more feet of snow in a day you'd know that's not a cue to celebrate
This movie has some potentially interesting ideas and some terrible ones, none of which were executed well. Interesting ideas include: Giving Scrooge a chance to be generous to strangers, dragging Scrooge into a Christmas-cheer-ey dream stage production, manifestations of guilt-spirits outside the famed ghosts. Bad ideas include: Scrooge coming from an impoverished family and getting his warped ideas of money from that somehow, turning the Ghosts of Christmassi Past and Yet to Come into a hot chick and an old lady, extra gaudy baggage on Bob Marley forming more boring symbolism. (If plain ol' chains aren't enough, make them gold or something.)
@@colleen4ever Ugh. I don't know what the POINT of that version was outside of the Peaky Blinders folks saying "Let's pile on more grimdarkness--grimdarkness is in now." No sense of warmth or cheer. No sense that Scrooge is going to reunite with his family (they went out of their way to have Fred say he wouldn't bother with Scrooge again!) or become a second father to Tiny Tim. No real joy. No Fezziwig to show an example of what a good employer can be. Why did they adapt A Christmas Carol if they didn't want to ADAPT A CHRISTMAS CAROL?! (And making Scrooge actively evil undermines a key point as I see it in the book. Scrooge is shocked when he sees Marley's fate...because he never thought anything they did was really evil. To him, it was just the way of the "real" world as he saw it, and of the business world. He probably thought, "It's not as if we KILLED anyone." But one of the main points of the novel is that good isn't just the absence of active evil...good is ACTIVELY trying to help your fellow humans. That's why he's brought up short when he says that "you were always a good man of business, Jacob," and Marley replies "Business! Mankind should have been my business!" Therefore, Scrooge would have been doomed to Marley's fate if he hadn't turned himself around--but he wasn't so far gone that he COULDN'T turn himself around. Making him as actively evil as this version did, uncaring of how his practices actually killed people, goading Mrs. Cratchit into trading her body for her child's life and then saying he only did it to prove anyone was capable of wickedness, puts him beyond the pale and makes any redemption unbelievable.)
@@jenniferschillig3768 I'll tell ya what the point was, to make A Christmas Carol as woke as possible to satisfy the Twitter crowd who no doubt complained the women don;t have bigger parts!!
Yes a new musical hell review! I have to say, I agreed with pretty much everything Diva said about the musical: How Jesse L. Martin was the saving grace, how scrooge's mother had the best song, how ridiculous the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-come looked, etc. I thought these things myself when I watched it. Looking forward to your next video.
I remembered watching this when I was younger, but I remembered it aired on NBC because of the prevalence of so many actors who appeared on NBC shows (Kelsey Grammar--Fraiser, Jesse L. Martin--Law and Order, Jason Alexander--Seinfeld). So, Scrooge's love interest was originally named Belle in the book? I thought she had a different name in every adaption. I remember seeing a stage version where she was called Belle, but here she is called Emily. Heck, I didn't even know this was actually an adaptation--I thought it was originally made for television.
Me: (sees london) My Brain:" I have sailed the world, beheld its' wonders,from the dardenelles to the mountains of Peru but there's no place like London." Me: *oh* *that* *was* ... *nice* *?*
🎶No, there’s no place like London.🎶 🎶There’s a hole in the world, like a great black pit, and the vermin of the world inhabit it, and its morals aren’t worth what a pig could spit and it goes by the name of London.🎶
I love Kelsey Grammer, but it was obvious to me right away that he was totally wrong for Scrooge. For one thing, he's clearly a 49 year old man self-consciously pretending to be in his sixties. It's like a 16 year old frantically growing facial hair and putting on an unconvincing deep voice in an effort to pass for 21.
Actually, if you look closely at the book I don't think Scrooge is supposed to be much older than fifty. (Granted, what we'd call middle age now would be considered closer to elderly then.) He's old enough that his younger sister's son is an adult, but the last Christmas Past scene he visits is of Belle and her family--which also happens to be the same night Jacob Marley died, seven years ago. Belle's youngest is a baby, so she's still in her childbearing years at that point, and if we assume she and Ebenezer are around the same age, then she wouldn't be much more than fifty at the point the story takes place either.
A little-known, but really good version, of this story to me is the 90s one with Tim Curry. He did his thing as always and I think that the songs had nice tunes to them.
Scrooge (1970) isn't too bad. Albert Finney makes an interesting Scrooge (He was 33 at the time the film was being made so he played both old and young Scrooge) and Alec Guinness makes a neat appearance as Marley, but a lot of the songs are pretty forgettable (I can only remember two songs, those being "I Hate People" and "Thank You Very Much") It's not the best version of the story or of the musical variety, but you could do a lot worse.
Huh...makes me wonder what you think of 70s musical Scrooge. That's my parents favorite one. We watch it every year. Also if you haven't seen it yet, check out the Man Who Invented Christmas. It's pretty good. What's really clever about the movie is it tells both the story of how Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol and it's also it's own version of a Christmas Carol. Only Dickens is Scrooge. I bought the book that inspired it and looked up info about Dickens online. And not only was he embarrassed of his poor past, he actually did feel abandoned by his parents when they went to debtors prison (and after they got got out when his mom suggested he continue working, but the movie makes it more about his Dad) my point is that Dickens seemed to be the kind of writer to really write what he knew and the Man Who Invented Christmas really takes us inside his mind.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is definitely different, but I'm always happy to see Geraldine Chaplin performing. Yes, Chaplin. Charlie's 4th child. She's always super method and old-school acting and I can't help but love it.
Having never seen this, I did not expect to see Jesse L. Martin so the "Merry Christmas, bitches" made me giggle. Most of this just seems kinda...lackluster. Which is unfortunate because as you put it, it's a pretty interesting story but it ends up so dumbed down sometimes.
The thing is, I LOVE Kelsey Grammer, but here it feels like a Frasier Christmas special where he's playing the lead role in the Seattle Christmas pageant.
I highly recommend "Nan's Christmas Carol" from the Catherine Tate Show featuring David Tennant as the Ghost of Christmas Present. It's not a musical, but it's a hilarious parody set in modern times.
@@Quackervoltz I can't seem to find the whole Christmas special rn, but here's the bit introducing the Ghost of Christmas Present: th-cam.com/video/CVMu0ydyr8U/w-d-xo.html
“Seasons Greetings,” somewhere in the world a middle aged white woman with a $20 haircut has gone into a screaming meltdown in the middle of Walmart about the war on Christmas.
Huh? Sorry, but I'm a Christian and for me it;'s now and forever Merry Christmas. If you're Jewish and correct me politely I will politely apologize and say Happy Hanukah. But for me Christmas is Christmas.
Well everyone, the whole debate is stupid. No, there is no war on Christmas. People who are up in arms about generic holiday greetings over Merry Christmas because, surprise surprise, there are other religions and other holidays - I'm personally agnostic and celebrating Yule with some roommates of mine who happen to be pagan - are really just entitled in not wanting to change or acknowledge difference. I say that only IF they make a big stink about it, not just generically if they themselves prefer to still say Merry Christmas. If you aren't the people wanting to revolt because the Starbucks cups aren't Christmassy enough, we aren't talking about you. BUT the other side of this debate is stupid too. People in other religions shouldn't feel slighted just because more people say Merry Christmas. Not only are a majority of people still Christian, but a large proportion of secular people celebrate Christmas, and even here in this pagan household where Yule is celebrated people in the coven will still sometimes refer to it as Christmas, and I'd struggle to not see other households of other faiths doing the same. Christmas is just that big - it's really transcended most correlation to religion at all. Christmas has almost become synonymous to the holiday season. Not to say that celebrating your respective holidays aren't important and worth their own level of respect, but saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays shouldn't be that big a slight either. How about this? People return holiday greetings, in whatever form they come in, be it Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah,or a Happy/Merry Yule, with a "Thanks, you too! And a great New Year!" and move on.
@@HexManiacQuinn In practice, that's exactly what's going on. And I don't find "Most people celebrate Christmas" as a reason to ignore all the other holidays people celebrate around the time. Season's greetings is more inclusive, with no real downside. (I mean, aside from pissing of fundamentalist nutbaskets, but I generally consider that a bonus.)
@@timothymclean I never said to ignore other holidays. Being non-Christian, I wouldn't exactly call myself a fundamentalist Christian either, lol. But don't blow your top or force people to change if they prefer to say Merry/Happy Christmas. It's not that hard and pushes less people away.
The Ghost of Christmas past, an innocent looking person who's mission is too bring your inner childhood is now a waifu material? "Interesting" interpetation movie.
Ah, I love a Christmas Carol. It's like what Annie is to musical theatre. Yeah, it's not the most deep or nuanced story, but it has a nice message that everybody can get behind and it's so timeless and classic that it's pretty much told every year. Personally, I like the Muppet's version (and apparently a lot of people do in this comment section as well). And Disney did a pretty good job adapting it. But one that's always a guilty pleasure for me is Jim Carrey's version. I know a lot of people don't like it and the 3D animtion hasn't aged that well, but it's the first one I saw. So it's always the one I think of first. But yea, this musical doesn't seem to be something I'd enjoy.
A year late, but dropping in to say that the animation of the Jim Carrey one is part of the reason I like it. Its uncanny qualities play well into the more horrific elements of the story and emphasise how "A Christmas Carol" is a ghost story first and foremost. I also like the way Carrey plays all of the ghosts as well as Scrooge: it plays up their connection with him and how the things they represent are part of Scrooge and help define him. My two big problems with it are a) it occasionally interjects humour in places that do not serve the plot or tone well, such as the moment with Marley accidentally tying his face up too tightly, and b) the *worst* line-reading of "God bless us, everyone!" I have *ever* heard. Like, good lord, could you not have asked the actor to do a few more takes to find a better one? Seriously???
Muppets has and will always be my very favorite version! It was so so good.. The tone was great, it was musical, Michael Caine was wonderful as scrooge, I might have to watch it after this :D
Still better than the Christmas Carol musical that the old lady who owns my community theater cobbled together. She just took an old stage rendition, smashed in some random broadway songs with the words changed, a few traditional Christmas carols, and boom a Christmas Carol musical. It hurt me, but it was fun to be in
@@henrygvidonas9573 I miss her actually, Bennie. She passed away in 2020 and I can’t help but feel like I took her creativity for granted in some ways. I love her and I miss her
Can’t wait for that Phantom review. I got that version as a Get Well present once and I haven’t seen/thought about it in years. I’m really excited to go back w/ Diva.
1:14 Well that explains my 6th grade field trip. 4:36 Fun fact, this is how my local theater production foretells the Christmas spirits. It's a really good stage version, but not a musical one! 5:18 In which I realize that, yes, I did see this version on stage in the 6th grade. This song SCARRED ME FOR LIFE. In conclusion: Muppet Christmas Carol FTW.
@@ninaavins4887 Oh Hell no. I mean I HAVE Scrooge. Don't get me wrong. I like Albert Finney too!!! But just NOOOOO. Scrooge did NOT age well. (NOt that this is doing much better)
This film looks pretty "eh" as far as A Christmas Carol adaptations go. My favorite is the motion-capture animated one with Jim Carrey, though I did stop and notice Jane Krakowski as the Ghost of Christmas Past in this one. Also, which Phantom of the Opera? It doesn't look like the Yeston and Kopit version, so perhaps Ken Hill? There are too many damn adaptation of Phantom!
David Staller. You can find it for free on youtube but there are a few things you need to know. a) It's bad. b) it's a parody - deliberate or not. c) It's BAAAAAAAAAD.
15:36--Yes! I was hoping Donna's present would show up again. And what a present! I can't wait to see that episode! For me, the "Saving Grace" of that version of "Phantom" is that it has Daroga in it. True, they reduce him to cliche comic relief, but still, any adaptation that has the Persian in it, I'll take it. Daroga needs more love. He's my second favorite character from the book, after Erik, of course.
I’ve never actually seen this one but A Christmas Carol is my FAVORITE Christmas story, and this version actually seems quite decent to me honestly, hmm I guess I’ll just have to see this for myself to see.
No. Marley and Marley is NOT a comedic song. There are comedic elements (It's the muppets, you can't avoid that) But the song as a whole is wholly about them lamenting what god-awful people they were in life, even physically shuddering in reaction to remembering some of their past actions.
This was my high school musical one year. The theater producers liked the performance so much my school got a contract to do it every year for eight years. I never did get a part in any of the musicals, but most of them weren’t that great. My high school drama teacher had weird taste.
Good review, as usual, and if you want a good look at the "Dickens" influence on this story, I highly recommend "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (2017).
Speaking of Scrooge, I kept thinking back to it throughout the review. Mainly the production I was on the backstage crew for, but even the way most of it was set up did a good job with the feels, the jokes, and even the horrors (maybe too well with the Hell sequence).
I could at least see what they were going for with Christmas Future - she doesn't have to be the Reaper, she just needs to be heartless. I can at least say it seemed like a worthy effort, which is better than I can say about other items on the docket.
If we're talking musical adaptions of A Christmas Carol I still think 'Scrooge' is one of the best with an awesome performance by Albert Finney. 'Muppet Christmas Carol' is a close second. Thanks for another great vid!! :)
Even though I still think the Muppets Spirit of Christmas Present is the definitive version for that character, Jessy L. Martin is actually a pretty good choice acting-wise. Too sad the Halmis weren't always as open-minded when it comes to casting POC actors (*cough*Legend of Earthsea *cough*)
This is a very mid ranged adaptation for me but the bit that always gets me is a place called home. The song itself is alright but WHO sings it is what gets me. Its sung by his sister, his girlfriend/fiancee, and his nephew in different points of his life, signaling when he is innocent/happy/redeemed. It really defines his arc and hammers home just how important his relationship with his nephew is, to both of them. I also was a bit bummed to see Link by Link as a sin but I do agree that this "staging" is way goofier than necessary. Same with the Christmas past sequence- especially with lyrics like "Listen to the footsteps of the people who'll be dancing on your grave"
Why does no one remember "Scrooge" I know it's a 70s musical but holy hell the music is good ! Although I will admit Albert Finney as Scrooge is.... interesting
Patrick Stewart aside, there are only THREE contemporary feature length versions that exist in my dojo: The one with George C. Scott, Richard Donner's "Scrooged" w/ Bill Murray, & The Muppets starring My Cocaine and featuring the music of Paul "Phantom of the Paradise" Williams.
I actually thought "Marley and Marely" was decently creepy in Muppet Christmas Carol. Yeah they were cracking jokes, but even those were dark. It's one of the movie's best songs. And I can't believe how badly this movie did the ghosts of past and future when the Muppets did them SO WELL.
Have you heard the full version of 'Marley and Marley' on the soundtrack? They cut out a verse in the actual film and listening to the song with that verse put back in makes the whole thing even creepier.
@@overlydramaticpanda That's cool, thanks for letting me know!
For convenience:
Movie version: th-cam.com/video/VsiKOJOXMJU/w-d-xo.html
OST: th-cam.com/video/nW0X7VNARNg/w-d-xo.html
The removed verse comes at 2:10 on the OST.
@@overlydramaticpanda That full FILMED version of the song is actually even rarer to find than "When Love is Gone". th-cam.com/video/WnZVY-ZdTHs/w-d-xo.html
So we are all going to review OTHER movies in this review of A Chrismas Carol: The Musical?
OK, I didn't think Frozen was as empowering for girls as Brave. There, I said it and I stand by my review.
Here, on the review of A Christmas Carol: The Musical.
Next, I will be looking at the Transformer franchise on the Sweeny Todd post.
@@Laceykat66 Being snarky for no reason. we're looking at other versions of a story this movie told, which were mentioned directly in the video. It's relevant.
Also the Muppet Christmas Carol is the definitive version to me
IKR?
The one with Patrick Stewart is my definitive version. So to that I respectfully OBJECT!
@@taiya001 He's #2 for me. A very CLOSE #2. Because GEORGE C. SCOTT
Mickey's Christmas Carol for me.
Yeh it's pretty amazing
I remember seeing this one as a kid, and my thought still stands: THE MUPPETS DID IT BETTER!!
What classic stories _isn't_ that true for?
And so did *Richard Donner* with Scrooged!
Don't they always?
Rosario BY the Muppets version of A Christmas Carol was great.
Mr. Magoo did it better. (Also a musical BTW)
Why is The Ghost of Christmas Past so sexy? I thought the first Ghost was supposed to the most innocent of the three, since they take Scrooge on a journey to the past.
I've never thought of it that way, maybe that's why in most of the retellings of this, they make Christmas Past a kid, or really innocent
Merchandising. The irony is too thick to ignore.
In the book, they looks simultaneously young and old, male and female (I think), and have this bright glow like a candle that Scrooge snuffs out to get rid of them.
An androgynous kid who sounds older than they are with a spotlight on them at all times does kinda capture it.
Wait, why did they have to have the Ghost Of Christmas Sexy?
And the Ghost of Christmas Reject Haunted House Bride.
Because apparently the creepily inhuman and quasi-ethereal ghost of Christmas past wasn't as interesting as a generic sexy gal, and the darkly disturbing manifestation of death isn't as creepy as a goth lady whose clothes got bleached.
Looks like they wanted a Ghost of Hollywood Musicals Past and got a Mariah Carey clone...
@@monkeymouse Well, Glitter was scary...
The real question is why they made the souls of the damned sexy AF. Oh boy
I read a modern au fanfic of Christmas Carol where Scrooge is poisoned by a hallucinogenic called "Three Spirits". That was weird.
I’m sure that was interesting.
Who thought that it’d be a good idea to throw away the creepy grim reaper imagery of the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come and replace it with a random lady in toilet paper? I remember seeing a still of it as a kid and thinking “Who the heck is that?”
Fred Jones They had to show she was the beggar woman somehow
I thought it was because they'd decided the classic look of the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come was too scary for a family movie (pretty dumb logic, seeing as even the Muppets stuck to the original,) but yeah, it's probably because they wanted to make it as obvious as possible that she was the old beggar woman.
I think they were too afraid of moral guardians coming at them for going too scary for a family movie. I mean there were so many ways they could have gone if they wanted to show the Ghost of Christmas Future was the beggar woman and still kept it creepy.
Legit, she could have stayed in the black dress like she had just gotten out of a funeral.
There's an interesting argument to be made, that just writing the third spirit off as a traditional depiction of the Grim Reaper, kind of misses the most interesting thing about it. Because the thing is, the ghost is not actually described as being particularly humanoid in shape. The black garment it is wearing actually obscures its form completely, to the point of it simply being "a spectral hand, and a great heap of black".
14:29 "And God bless us, everyone!"
*THUNDER ERUPTS FROM HELL BELOW*
That is top notch editing right there.
Oh, I notice it now!
There's only one Christmas Carol that deserves the title of *The* Musical, and that's the Muppets version.
The one with Albert Finney is really great too.
Don't forget _Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol._
Modern Christmas Carol adaptation where Scrooge thinks he loves Christmas because he sells tinsel and decorations and decorates his house in them...but over the course of the story he realises his understanding has been wholly superficial this whole time.
John Vinals Technically that’s Blackadder’s version.
I'd pay money to see that
@@thecinematicmind I will need to respectively disagree.
Blackadder's Christmas Carol is at heart an inversion at every turn.
You get the very nice doormat Blackadder being conned by the supposedly virtuous poor and his niece (even inverting that trope). He is skint and gives away all the treats and trimmings of Christmas, each time justifying it that whatever he has is enough. He is warned by a ghost (singular) /not/ to change his ways but he does when he sees that being good is kinda crappy and that "bad guys have all the fun" so heel turns into utter bastard mode (much too his immediate regret when he slags off Queen Vic and Albert).
At least his ancestors won't be wearing Baldrick's Posing Pouch.
You mean like the VeggieTales version of the story? (Though in that take, they switched Christmas with Easter.)
I did laugh at Ghost of Yet to Come. I kept expecting her to ask for shelter in exchange of a rose
Disney's Beauty and the Beast, anyone?
Or sing for her memory to "turn its face to the moonlight"? 😏
lol well it is an Alan Menken musical
@@MrGabeanator Yep. I tend to notice these things after having done THREE Alan Menken shows in a row (Sister Act, this one, and Beauty and the Beast)
@@cutiepuppy4427 ok
My definitive version is the Disney version with Uncle Scrooged playing his namesake, probably cause it’s the very first version I saw. I have not seen this movie, but I have a soft spot for the musical, again because I saw it at a young age.
I think that was also my first taste of Christmas Carol.
Had it as a book as a child. Loved it.
Nice to see Patrick Stewart’s Scrooge as an illustration of how to do the role well. His is the version my family watches every year.
Sim, Scott, and Stewart make up the triumvirate of the best Scrooges. (The Magoo, Muppet and Albert Finney versions are the best musical ones.)
9:51 Well, I actually think that kind of fits. Part of Scrooge's character is that he's miserly. He lives in a big house but it's cold, falling apart, and barely lit. He has all this money but he doesn't spend it on creature comforts. The Ghost of Christmas Present is telling him that his denial of any joy in his life, even self joy, does not make him better or smarter than anyone else.
This just makes me want to watch the George C Scott version again. Mirroring his relationship with Fred, Ebenezer’s father resents him for the mother dying at childbirth. That was such a cool layer to the character
That was also in the Alestair Sim version.
@@colleen4ever Both of these were a deviation from the book, since book!Fan was younger than Ebenezer, but it works.
I wouldn't say "Marley And Marley" from The Muppet Christmas Carol is exactly comical, especially with lines like this:
"Doomed, Scrooge, you're doomed for all time!
Your future is a horror story written by your crime
Your chains are forged by what you say and do
So have your fun, when life is done, a nightmare waits for you!"
Also, the 1970 musical Scrooge with Albert Finney could also make for a good contender on this show. I saw a clip of it and found it to be one of the stupidest adaptations EVER.
Glad I'm not the only one who feels like this. Especially near the end with that unnecessary scene in Hell and the end when it looks like he went mad at the end!
Maybe it was adult black humor so the adults could tolerate it? That sort of stuff worked for the original Nicktoons, so why not? :P
Also Albert Finney may well be the worst Scrooge we've had. He was so over-the-top it was irritating. Also 'I Hate People' is a real song.
Aw. I like Albert Finney's Scrooge. The only part I'm not all that sold on is the Hell scene--which I knew nothing about until my young adult years when I rented the video, since television airings edited it out for time. Marley's fate as written in the book and as portrayed in most versions is a more subtle and more effective vision of Hell--not fire or brimstone, but "incessant torture of remorse", of having your eyes and heart opened to the sorrow and suffering you ignored in life, but no longer able to help as you once could have. (Remember the other ghosts that filled the air as Marley departed--including a banker Scrooge had once known, weeping over his inability to help a homeless mother and baby.) We'd already seen that this was the fate that would have awaited Scrooge--we don't need to see a fire-and-brimstone (or ice, in Scrooge's case) kind of hell.
@@colleen4ever That was the part I saw. I swear the makers were smoking something strange when they came up with that whole Hell scene, because it just feels wrong, somehow.
Patrick Stewart’s Scrooge is so nuanced and special in comparison to Grammar. Grammar’s Scrooge is more “horribly constipated” than “redeemable miser”.
Stefan Filipovits He kind of makes me think of the Doctor from Star Trek Voyager.
I agree with you when Stewart did his "one-man show," but he did not bring that as much to the TNT version. I was so looking forward to it, having seen his stage production, but was sadly disappointed. It was too commercial, though better than Hallmark.
ztslovebird no, yeah, I can see it now. You’re right lol.
Laceykat66 I thought he brought a little bit more pathos than we’re used to seeing in Scrooge. His Scrooge was more wounded. He seemed to live a bitter,cold,painful life that he miserably carries with him like marleys chains. He kinda plays it as something the cruel world made than a simple greedy miser. I might be reading too much into it tho. I’ll watch Stewart in literally anything so I’m pretty biased.
@@stefanfilipovits21 I totally agree with that. I just thought he did a better job in the one-man show.
This is just my personal gripe with many Christmas Carol movies. They completely screw up the Ghost of Christmas Past. They’re supposed to be an agendered, Eldritch abomination (not so much scary, but a little off-putting) that looks both old and young. Joel Grey in Patrick Stewart’s version did it the best.
Eh, I'm not picky at all with that. There's so many versions that I don't care if they get details like that right in every one. Itd be boring if they were all 100% faithful to the book.I also understand why the make the ghost female in many versions as there aren't that many large roles for women in the story. It also makes sense for it to be a warm comforting presence as many people remember the past through rose colored glasses.
Andrew Ollmann how do you feel about the candle looking ghost of christmas past from the 2009 christmas carol? it doesn't look like a man or a woman despite having a male voice.
Brandon Roberts while i feel they had a strong christmas past, they kinda did christmas future a little dirty particularly when they have him chase scrooge on a carriage through future london.
Ryan Law It’s better...but still not great. The model was twitchy, and the ghost is still supposed to resemble a human being. However, I did like the fact that the ghost kinda molded into everyone from Scrooge’s past. (Well, at least Fezziwig, Marley, and Belle.) I also like the one from the Muppet Christmas Carol...it’s so very ethereal!
Ryan Law Though, the idea of the spirit being Scrooge’s shadow was cool. I also kinda like the idea of Christmas Future in this version. I always saw the white costume as resembling a mummy’s burial bandages.
7:40 - aaaand, this is Scrooge's main personality flaw. No kids, it's not that he's greedy. It's not that he's rich + greedy. It's that he has no love and compassion for his fellow man - in most versions, he's not even greedy at all. More selfish, and the selfishness is a symptom or consequence of the bigger flaw: no love and compassion. I'm often bewildered by misrepresentation of Scrooge's character, so thanks, Christi, for pointing out the necessity of the [proper] backstory in order to establish the real essence of Scrooge's character and his flaws. Love it!
A Muppet Christmas Carol this is not.
6:03 Jason was giving this look like, “Wait, _that’s_ the effect we’re using? I played a gargoyle who had the hots for a goat and that was scarier.”
11:10 I agree with you wholeheartedly on this, and this shot in particular was actually ad-libbed singing on Martin's part. You can even see Kelsey Grammer almost cracking a smile. Wonderful stuff.
1:28 I will never get tired of hearing people take shots at Hallmark Channel's "original" movies, especially regarding Christmas films, so for me that alone made this episode worth it.
I adore the book so much. My favorite line which I use often in reference to my own experiences with ghosts. “You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”
You are doing the "knock-off" Phantom of the opera in january?! YES!!! :D I wanted to see you cover that ever since you talked about the Yeston/Kopit version. Merry Christmas Diva!
Except that within exceptional reason, Yeston/Kopit is GOOD. David Staller is SO bad it's hypnotic!!!!
All rise, the dishonorable Diva presiding.
The pole dancing Ghost of Christmas Past became more squicky for me when I remembered that she was Scrooge’s sister in the better musical Scrooge.
I've never seen this version...when I think "musical version of A Christmas Carol",I usually think of the versions with Albert Finney,the Muppets or that TV version Rich Little did...in which he played ALL the characters.
I agree with you about Christmas Future...considering the purpose of its' visit,you really can't improve on a faceless specter in a black robe.
True. That's one of the few things I liked in the Albert Finney version.
The Albert Finney one is my Mom's favorite!
12:30 I'm so with you there. WHERE THE HECK IS THE FREAKY GHOST THAT SCARED ME INTO BEING GOOD? Does this mean I can go back to being naughty? Because that ghost ain't scary IT'S HILARIOUS.
As someone who saw a great community theater production that compensated for the play's issues with sheer energy (it's obvious that everyone loved doing it and took it seriously), this just feels lazy and tired. Also, I heard from a friend who was in the chorus that one of the prop skeletons was given the stripper name 'Sinnamon' due to being found in a compromising position while stored in a car.
That is a shame. Kelsey Grammer could play a fantastic Scrooge. I don't know if it's the limitations of the live show, or just how he was directed. He spends so much time squinting he may have thought he was playing Mr. Magoo.
It wasn;t a live show.
I think it was the latter, because this was NOT a live show like NBC did with Hairspray.
The whole "happy ending snowfall" trope has GOT to come from people who don't live in a place where it typically snows a lot, because if you were from somewhere that can get three or more feet of snow in a day you'd know that's not a cue to celebrate
This movie has some potentially interesting ideas and some terrible ones, none of which were executed well.
Interesting ideas include: Giving Scrooge a chance to be generous to strangers, dragging Scrooge into a Christmas-cheer-ey dream stage production, manifestations of guilt-spirits outside the famed ghosts.
Bad ideas include: Scrooge coming from an impoverished family and getting his warped ideas of money from that somehow, turning the Ghosts of Christmassi Past and Yet to Come into a hot chick and an old lady, extra gaudy baggage on Bob Marley forming more boring symbolism. (If plain ol' chains aren't enough, make them gold or something.)
If you think THIS one was bad stay AWAY from the recent FX version of it!! Stay FAR away. It. Is. TERRIBLE!!
@@colleen4ever Ugh. I don't know what the POINT of that version was outside of the Peaky Blinders folks saying "Let's pile on more grimdarkness--grimdarkness is in now." No sense of warmth or cheer. No sense that Scrooge is going to reunite with his family (they went out of their way to have Fred say he wouldn't bother with Scrooge again!) or become a second father to Tiny Tim. No real joy. No Fezziwig to show an example of what a good employer can be. Why did they adapt A Christmas Carol if they didn't want to ADAPT A CHRISTMAS CAROL?!
(And making Scrooge actively evil undermines a key point as I see it in the book. Scrooge is shocked when he sees Marley's fate...because he never thought anything they did was really evil. To him, it was just the way of the "real" world as he saw it, and of the business world. He probably thought, "It's not as if we KILLED anyone." But one of the main points of the novel is that good isn't just the absence of active evil...good is ACTIVELY trying to help your fellow humans. That's why he's brought up short when he says that "you were always a good man of business, Jacob," and Marley replies "Business! Mankind should have been my business!" Therefore, Scrooge would have been doomed to Marley's fate if he hadn't turned himself around--but he wasn't so far gone that he COULDN'T turn himself around. Making him as actively evil as this version did, uncaring of how his practices actually killed people, goading Mrs. Cratchit into trading her body for her child's life and then saying he only did it to prove anyone was capable of wickedness, puts him beyond the pale and makes any redemption unbelievable.)
@@jenniferschillig3768 I'll tell ya what the point was, to make A Christmas Carol as woke as possible to satisfy the Twitter crowd who no doubt complained the women don;t have bigger parts!!
It's CHRISMIS. MERRY CRISIS.
merry chrysler
Yes a new musical hell review! I have to say, I agreed with pretty much everything Diva said about the musical: How Jesse L. Martin was the saving grace, how scrooge's mother had the best song, how ridiculous the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-come looked, etc. I thought these things myself when I watched it. Looking forward to your next video.
I remembered watching this when I was younger, but I remembered it aired on NBC because of the prevalence of so many actors who appeared on NBC shows (Kelsey Grammar--Fraiser, Jesse L. Martin--Law and Order, Jason Alexander--Seinfeld).
So, Scrooge's love interest was originally named Belle in the book? I thought she had a different name in every adaption. I remember seeing a stage version where she was called Belle, but here she is called Emily. Heck, I didn't even know this was actually an adaptation--I thought it was originally made for television.
Me: (sees london)
My Brain:" I have sailed the world, beheld its' wonders,from the dardenelles to the mountains of Peru but there's no place like London."
Me: *oh* *that* *was* ... *nice* *?*
🎶No, there’s no place like London.🎶
🎶There’s a hole in the world, like a great black pit, and the vermin of the world inhabit it, and its morals aren’t worth what a pig could spit and it goes by the name of London.🎶
I love Kelsey Grammer, but it was obvious to me right away that he was totally wrong for Scrooge. For one thing, he's clearly a 49 year old man self-consciously pretending to be in his sixties. It's like a 16 year old frantically growing facial hair and putting on an unconvincing deep voice in an effort to pass for 21.
Lady Marmalade oh I thought he was actually in his sixties, so I mean it fooled me...
Actually, if you look closely at the book I don't think Scrooge is supposed to be much older than fifty. (Granted, what we'd call middle age now would be considered closer to elderly then.) He's old enough that his younger sister's son is an adult, but the last Christmas Past scene he visits is of Belle and her family--which also happens to be the same night Jacob Marley died, seven years ago. Belle's youngest is a baby, so she's still in her childbearing years at that point, and if we assume she and Ebenezer are around the same age, then she wouldn't be much more than fifty at the point the story takes place either.
A little-known, but really good version, of this story to me is the 90s one with Tim Curry. He did his thing as always and I think that the songs had nice tunes to them.
The only acceptable musical of a Christmas Carol is the muppets version
Scrooge (1970) isn't too bad. Albert Finney makes an interesting Scrooge (He was 33 at the time the film was being made so he played both old and young Scrooge) and Alec Guinness makes a neat appearance as Marley, but a lot of the songs are pretty forgettable (I can only remember two songs, those being "I Hate People" and "Thank You Very Much")
It's not the best version of the story or of the musical variety, but you could do a lot worse.
What about Mr. Magoo's, with songs by Broadway legend Jule Styne?
Don't forget the 1970 version of Scrooge. That was a pretty good musical version of A Christmas Carol.
Oh hai Jane Krakowski.
She hot af lol i love her
Huh...makes me wonder what you think of 70s musical Scrooge. That's my parents favorite one. We watch it every year.
Also if you haven't seen it yet, check out the Man Who Invented Christmas. It's pretty good. What's really clever about the movie is it tells both the story of how Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol and it's also it's own version of a Christmas Carol. Only Dickens is Scrooge. I bought the book that inspired it and looked up info about Dickens online. And not only was he embarrassed of his poor past, he actually did feel abandoned by his parents when they went to debtors prison (and after they got got out when his mom suggested he continue working, but the movie makes it more about his Dad) my point is that Dickens seemed to be the kind of writer to really write what he knew and the Man Who Invented Christmas really takes us inside his mind.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is definitely different, but I'm always happy to see Geraldine Chaplin performing.
Yes, Chaplin. Charlie's 4th child. She's always super method and old-school acting and I can't help but love it.
Having never seen this, I did not expect to see Jesse L. Martin so the "Merry Christmas, bitches" made me giggle. Most of this just seems kinda...lackluster. Which is unfortunate because as you put it, it's a pretty interesting story but it ends up so dumbed down sometimes.
KyoSohma2211 it always weirds me out to see Flash’s dad in a musical role.
The thing is, I LOVE Kelsey Grammer, but here it feels like a Frasier Christmas special where he's playing the lead role in the Seattle Christmas pageant.
Kind of like Mr. Magoo playing Scrooge on Broadway.
I highly recommend "Nan's Christmas Carol" from the Catherine Tate Show featuring David Tennant as the Ghost of Christmas Present. It's not a musical, but it's a hilarious parody set in modern times.
I love the Catherine Tate Show!
LINK NOW
@@Quackervoltz I can't seem to find the whole Christmas special rn, but here's the bit introducing the Ghost of Christmas Present:
th-cam.com/video/CVMu0ydyr8U/w-d-xo.html
“Seasons Greetings,” somewhere in the world a middle aged white woman with a $20 haircut has gone into a screaming meltdown in the middle of Walmart about the war on Christmas.
Huh? Sorry, but I'm a Christian and for me it;'s now and forever Merry Christmas. If you're Jewish and correct me politely I will politely apologize and say Happy Hanukah. But for me Christmas is Christmas.
Well everyone, the whole debate is stupid.
No, there is no war on Christmas. People who are up in arms about generic holiday greetings over Merry Christmas because, surprise surprise, there are other religions and other holidays - I'm personally agnostic and celebrating Yule with some roommates of mine who happen to be pagan - are really just entitled in not wanting to change or acknowledge difference. I say that only IF they make a big stink about it, not just generically if they themselves prefer to still say Merry Christmas. If you aren't the people wanting to revolt because the Starbucks cups aren't Christmassy enough, we aren't talking about you.
BUT the other side of this debate is stupid too. People in other religions shouldn't feel slighted just because more people say Merry Christmas. Not only are a majority of people still Christian, but a large proportion of secular people celebrate Christmas, and even here in this pagan household where Yule is celebrated people in the coven will still sometimes refer to it as Christmas, and I'd struggle to not see other households of other faiths doing the same. Christmas is just that big - it's really transcended most correlation to religion at all. Christmas has almost become synonymous to the holiday season. Not to say that celebrating your respective holidays aren't important and worth their own level of respect, but saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays shouldn't be that big a slight either.
How about this? People return holiday greetings, in whatever form they come in, be it Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah,or a Happy/Merry Yule, with a "Thanks, you too! And a great New Year!" and move on.
@@HexManiacQuinn In practice, that's exactly what's going on.
And I don't find "Most people celebrate Christmas" as a reason to ignore all the other holidays people celebrate around the time. Season's greetings is more inclusive, with no real downside. (I mean, aside from pissing of fundamentalist nutbaskets, but I generally consider that a bonus.)
@@timothymclean I never said to ignore other holidays. Being non-Christian, I wouldn't exactly call myself a fundamentalist Christian either, lol. But don't blow your top or force people to change if they prefer to say Merry/Happy Christmas. It's not that hard and pushes less people away.
@@colleen4ever Oh You're that white woman lmao!!!!!!!! EEEWWW
Jesse L Martin is always a saving grace.
The Ghost of Christmas past, an innocent looking person who's mission is too bring your inner childhood is now a waifu material? "Interesting" interpetation movie.
I don't know about anyone else, but A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong will always be my Christmas Carol.
Speaking of the holiday season, you should try Eight Crazy Nights, Adam Sandler's animated hanukkah musical.
Yes, PLEASE.
I think even a demon should have limits.
@@MediaLover194 You’re right. It would probably be too much, even for her.
Kelsey, you could be performing the entire score of the H.M.S. Pinafore.
is the ghost of christmas future Mrs. Havisham
I just found this channel and have been binge watching all your reviews. I love them!
Ah, I love a Christmas Carol. It's like what Annie is to musical theatre. Yeah, it's not the most deep or nuanced story, but it has a nice message that everybody can get behind and it's so timeless and classic that it's pretty much told every year. Personally, I like the Muppet's version (and apparently a lot of people do in this comment section as well). And Disney did a pretty good job adapting it. But one that's always a guilty pleasure for me is Jim Carrey's version. I know a lot of people don't like it and the 3D animtion hasn't aged that well, but it's the first one I saw. So it's always the one I think of first.
But yea, this musical doesn't seem to be something I'd enjoy.
A year late, but dropping in to say that the animation of the Jim Carrey one is part of the reason I like it. Its uncanny qualities play well into the more horrific elements of the story and emphasise how "A Christmas Carol" is a ghost story first and foremost. I also like the way Carrey plays all of the ghosts as well as Scrooge: it plays up their connection with him and how the things they represent are part of Scrooge and help define him.
My two big problems with it are a) it occasionally interjects humour in places that do not serve the plot or tone well, such as the moment with Marley accidentally tying his face up too tightly, and b) the *worst* line-reading of "God bless us, everyone!" I have *ever* heard. Like, good lord, could you not have asked the actor to do a few more takes to find a better one? Seriously???
It only takes 2 Magic words to make me wanna see this musical Alan Menken
11:30 "who are you to decide who shall live and who shall die?"
Don't make a Hamilton reference... Don't make a Hamilton reference...
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story..
Muppets has and will always be my very favorite version! It was so so good.. The tone was great, it was musical, Michael Caine was wonderful as scrooge, I might have to watch it after this :D
I didn't know this exist.
TOTALLY watch it. She failed to mention Claire fucking MOORE as Mrs. Fezziwig. I personally ADORE this movie.
Aww, that was a legitimately sweet ending
Aha! THIS was that other version of A Christmas Carol that I remember seeing on TV! Thank you Diva!
Still better than the Christmas Carol musical that the old lady who owns my community theater cobbled together. She just took an old stage rendition, smashed in some random broadway songs with the words changed, a few traditional Christmas carols, and boom a Christmas Carol musical. It hurt me, but it was fun to be in
That's a remarkable amount of effort to be completely lazy.
@@henrygvidonas9573 I miss her actually, Bennie. She passed away in 2020 and I can’t help but feel like I took her creativity for granted in some ways. I love her and I miss her
Can’t wait for that Phantom review. I got that version as a Get Well present once and I haven’t seen/thought about it in years. I’m really excited to go back w/ Diva.
1:14 Well that explains my 6th grade field trip.
4:36 Fun fact, this is how my local theater production foretells the Christmas spirits. It's a really good stage version, but not a musical one!
5:18 In which I realize that, yes, I did see this version on stage in the 6th grade. This song SCARRED ME FOR LIFE.
In conclusion: Muppet Christmas Carol FTW.
Lol love the extra shade for “Christmas Shoes.”
I’m in a production of the stage version of this right now and I could not be more ready for this video
Hey, what do guys think of Mickey's A Christmas Carol, with Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge?
2:30 Oh hai Mr. Bumble.
Oooone boooooy, boooy for saaaaaale!!
Please sir, I want some more good musicals.
How did he become a nice guy?
"Superfluous Smythes" would be a great band name.
None of the music I heard in this sounds like a patch on "Father Christmas", "December the 25th", "I Like Life", or "Thank You Very Much".
@Nectar Vam I know it is. And I'm saying that, from what I've seen, that musical is better than this one.
@@ninaavins4887 Oh Hell no. I mean I HAVE Scrooge. Don't get me wrong. I like Albert Finney too!!! But just NOOOOO. Scrooge did NOT age well. (NOt that this is doing much better)
Actually clicked on this thinking it was the 1970's musical
This film looks pretty "eh" as far as A Christmas Carol adaptations go. My favorite is the motion-capture animated one with Jim Carrey, though I did stop and notice Jane Krakowski as the Ghost of Christmas Past in this one. Also, which Phantom of the Opera? It doesn't look like the Yeston and Kopit version, so perhaps Ken Hill? There are too many damn adaptation of Phantom!
David Staller. You can find it for free on youtube but there are a few things you need to know. a) It's bad. b) it's a parody - deliberate or not. c) It's BAAAAAAAAAD.
@@leadingblind1629 Oh boy, this is going to be... interesting.
The 1991 version
How about the Monkees “Head”, or 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee. Or there’s Kiss VS The Phantom Of The Amusement Park.
15:36--Yes! I was hoping Donna's present would show up again. And what a present! I can't wait to see that episode! For me, the "Saving Grace" of that version of "Phantom" is that it has Daroga in it. True, they reduce him to cliche comic relief, but still, any adaptation that has the Persian in it, I'll take it. Daroga needs more love. He's my second favorite character from the book, after Erik, of course.
The Hallmark Stewart version is my personal favorite, but this...THIS is a very guilty pleasure. I really like the songs.
They should have used the songs from Mr. Magoo's version. That is a great version, and soundtrack :)
I’ve never actually seen this one but A Christmas Carol is my FAVORITE Christmas story, and this version actually seems quite decent to me honestly, hmm I guess I’ll just have to see this for myself to see.
No. Marley and Marley is NOT a comedic song. There are comedic elements (It's the muppets, you can't avoid that) But the song as a whole is wholly about them lamenting what god-awful people they were in life, even physically shuddering in reaction to remembering some of their past actions.
This was my high school musical one year. The theater producers liked the performance so much my school got a contract to do it every year for eight years. I never did get a part in any of the musicals, but most of them weren’t that great. My high school drama teacher had weird taste.
0:54, love a good Goes Wrong Show reference.
2:47 This is victorian London, correct? What's with the bright office lighting? _And that modern Clock?!_
My favorite song from a Marley character is courtesy of Alec Guinness in "Scrooge." It is appropriately dismal and scary. I love it.
Oh wow! Great Timing! It seems there's a LOT of stuff to do with "A Christmas Carol" This Year. ^^
I AM AMPED FOR PHANTOM!!! That being said, I enjoyed this version of A Christmas Carol. Great review as always, Diva!
Good review, as usual, and if you want a good look at the "Dickens" influence on this story, I highly recommend "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (2017).
When I was in either first or second grade we watched A Christmas Carol. But it was an animated musical. And it was the first time I heard the story.
Logan Cascio WAS IT MR MAGOOS VERSION
@@kitteridgesimpson8144 I don't know. All I remember about it was that it was animated and was a musical.
Speaking of Scrooge, I kept thinking back to it throughout the review. Mainly the production I was on the backstage crew for, but even the way most of it was set up did a good job with the feels, the jokes, and even the horrors (maybe too well with the Hell sequence).
The Disney version is really short, but it's still my favorite version of the story.
I could at least see what they were going for with Christmas Future - she doesn't have to be the Reaper, she just needs to be heartless.
I can at least say it seemed like a worthy effort, which is better than I can say about other items on the docket.
If we're talking musical adaptions of A Christmas Carol I still think 'Scrooge' is one of the best with an awesome performance by Albert Finney. 'Muppet Christmas Carol' is a close second. Thanks for another great vid!! :)
When the ghost of Christmas past sings the rural juror
Even though I still think the Muppets Spirit of Christmas Present is the definitive version for that character, Jessy L. Martin is actually a pretty good choice acting-wise.
Too sad the Halmis weren't always as open-minded when it comes to casting POC actors (*cough*Legend of Earthsea *cough*)
This is a very mid ranged adaptation for me but the bit that always gets me is a place called home. The song itself is alright but WHO sings it is what gets me. Its sung by his sister, his girlfriend/fiancee, and his nephew in different points of his life, signaling when he is innocent/happy/redeemed. It really defines his arc and hammers home just how important his relationship with his nephew is, to both of them.
I also was a bit bummed to see Link by Link as a sin but I do agree that this "staging" is way goofier than necessary. Same with the Christmas past sequence- especially with lyrics like "Listen to the footsteps of the people who'll be dancing on your grave"
Why does no one remember "Scrooge" I know it's a 70s musical but holy hell the music is good ! Although I will admit Albert Finney as Scrooge is.... interesting
it's one of my favorite Christmas movies ever. I watch it every year.
It's always a good Monday with Diva.
1:36- I love you, Diva! Not afraid to let those guys on that channel have it!! 6:52:.....was that part of the actual stage show?!
We recently finished preforming this at my school and I hate that I could recite each line and sing each song while watching this.
Patrick Stewart aside, there are only THREE contemporary feature length versions that exist in my dojo: The one with George C. Scott, Richard Donner's "Scrooged" w/ Bill Murray, & The Muppets starring My Cocaine and featuring the music of Paul "Phantom of the Paradise" Williams.
ugh, my ex made me watch this with his family. It truly was Hell.
Tanner Sebastian is that why you broke up?
@@ponytailproductions2503 Nope. He was emotionally manipulative. That'd be a silly reason to break up.