DirkH’s review published on Letterboxd:
Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.66
In this faithful adaptation two of my favourite things meet: Dickens' language and Patrick Stewart's voice.
This is an annual rewatch of one of my favourite adaptations of the Christmas story of all Christmas stories. This adaptation manages to capture the bleakness of the first two acts so well, that the final act's warmth and appealing message automatically get the weight they deserve.
Dickens writes language that is best read aloud, which is rather uncommon in proze. His words are almost tactile, best served when rolled off the tongue. Just look at the names he always comes up with. They are phonetic sweets, eager to be uttered and heard.
Match this with one of the most beautiful voices ever created and I'm hooked. Stewart is a phenomenal actor. I've had the rare pleasure of seeing him perform on stage in 2007, in a rendition of Macbeth and it was stunning. Stewart commands so much authority in his performance as Macbeth it left me reeling and wondering why he doesn't get meatier roles in films.
Here he captures Scrooge like no other actor ever has and that alone makes this version a must see for any fan of the story.
Perfect film for this time of the year.