QWhat are some differences between this film and other film versions of a Christmas Carol?
AThere have been several filmed versions of a Christmas Carol, and all of them have their share of similarities and differences alike. This version is noteworthy for featuring a number of difference/additions/etc. from the source material, though fans and critics actually end to enjoy them. These are a few examples (list is not all-inclusive.)-Scrooge berates Bob Crachit for burning coal in some versions of the story, claiming that garments like a jacket are indefinite and defeat the purpose of having to burn and waste coal - no equivalent of this scene exists in this version of the story. Yet strangely, the quote at the end from Scrooge telling Crachit to run out and buy a new coal scuttle remains intact here.-Early in the film, some men approach Scrooge to have him donate money to help buy food for the poor, and he quickly dismisses them. Many versions of the story have him finding these men after his transformation, agreeing to pay a large sum to help them. There is no such "restitution" scene in this version.-In the original source material and most adaptations, Scrooge's old love is named Belle. In this version she is named Alice, though the character is more or less the same as in other adaptations despite the difference in name.-The versions of the story differ in Scrooge's old love and her post-Scrooge future. In this adaptation she is shown working with the poor.-Scrooge's sister dies in childbirth. The cause of her death in the original source material is never explained.-The Mr. Jorkin character is not in the original story, though his role in the story better explains Scrooge's transformation over time, as well as the birth of the Scrooge and Marley company.-The "Similes" game played at Fred's party in most versions of the story is not present in any shape or form in this film.-This film version has been described by one critic as "heavy on the Freudian sauce". The setup, approach and appearance of Marley's ghost is the stuff of nightmares. No other version comes so close to terrifying the viewer.
QWhat happened to Fred's father?
AFred's mother, Scrooge's sister Fan (Carol Marsh), died giving birth to him. Fred's father can be seen standing at the foot of her bed as she whispers her last words to her brother. It's assumed that Fred was raised by his father.
QIs it possible to read Dickens' story online?
AYes. The text to A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas can be found here. Dickens himself took the story from an original idea he first used in his novel The Pickwick Papers when he told how a gravedigger Gabriel Grub had his outlook changed by goblins who showed him the error of his ways.
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