A Christmas Carol (1999)

58% of users liked it
(62,018 ratings)

Patrick Stewart stars as Ebeneezer Scrooge in this made-for-TV adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic holiday fable. Scrooge is a skinflint businessman who loathes the Christmas season and begrudges having to give time off to his best employee, Bob Cratchit (Richard E. Grant). On Christmas Eve,… More Patrick Stewart stars as Ebeneezer Scrooge in this made-for-TV adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic holiday fable. Scrooge is a skinflint businessman who loathes the Christmas season and begrudges having to give time off to his best employee, Bob Cratchit (Richard E. Grant). On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his late friend and partner, Jacob Marley (Bernard Lloyd), who in the afterlife has come to see the error of his ways. Marley arranges for Scrooge to be visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past (Joel Grey), Christmas Present (Desmond Barrit), and Christmas Yet to Come (Tim Potter) in hopes of teaching Scrooge of the importance of embracing the joy of the holiday season. A Christmas Carol was produced for the TNT cable television network. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr.
Directed By: David Hugh Jones
Written By: Peter Barnes
Genres: Drama, Television, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1999 Wide
On DVD: Oct 31, 2000

No Critic Reviews Found…

Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Adequate retelling but the George C. Scott version is still the best.
Tim S

Decent version of the story.
Luke B

After my first viewing of this I was very disappointed. A second viewing helped make it more worthwhile. The problem is that this is a made for TV movie and there are sections where it is really noticeable. The main problem for me is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. It has two… More
After my first viewing of this I was very disappointed. A second viewing helped make it more worthwhile. The problem is that this is a made for TV movie and there are sections where it is really noticeable. The main problem for me is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. It has two LED's for eyes, and human hands. It looks like a bad Halloween outfit. I am also not very taken with Stewart's Scrooge. He seems far too aggressive and hate filled. Scrooge is supposed to be cruel, but not lose his humanity. Otherwise, the redemption just seems awkward. Still, one must respect how close it stays to the novel and it mixes the horror and charm well for the most part.
Cameron J

Stewart may not look the part, but his sounding of it (man, I love that voice) and masterful ability to embody it more than makes up for this. Of course, that's only the beginning, as the film features total honesty to the original tale and is of a very fine production. Still,… More
Stewart may not look the part, but his sounding of it (man, I love that voice) and masterful ability to embody it more than makes up for this. Of course, that's only the beginning, as the film features total honesty to the original tale and is of a very fine production. Still, there is the aformentioned strange choice of casting and the occasional slow part. In spite of this, the film is a high quality TV film to give you that real cenimatic feeling, or at least until that Christmasy feeling comes along.
Mark K

I'm an admirer of Patrick Stewarts enormous body of work for stage, TV and film, and this version of A Christmas Carol is no exception. This 1999 production spun from his very successful one man show of A Christmas Carol, and they simply added a fine supporting cast to make this… More
I'm an admirer of Patrick Stewarts enormous body of work for stage, TV and film, and this version of A Christmas Carol is no exception. This 1999 production spun from his very successful one man show of A Christmas Carol, and they simply added a fine supporting cast to make this version complete. It hones very close to the book, and portrays the various ghosts as Dickens described: Joel Gray is interesting as the wispy Ghost of Christmas Past, and other familiar stage and screen British actors round out the cast. The movie was originally made for television, and the smaller budgets for a TV film certainly show up. However, this is balanced by Patrick Stewart, who growls and grumbles his way in fine Shakespearian style through the character of Scrooge. Of all the Scrooges portrayed, Stewart is probably the most cranial of the actors that have done the role. He's got all the tones of light, dark, and gray that a classically trained actor ought to use with a character like Scrooge. His face is wonderfully expressive - one of his real strengths as an actor. The Cratchits (Richard E Grant) and the various supporting characters all support his fine performance with equal gusto. Best of all, the story doesn't descend into overdone holiday sentiment, so for those looking for a slightly darker tone to the film, this might be the right one to see. The special effects for the supernatural sequences are pretty good for a TV movie, (Turner Broadcasting) with one or two minor exceptions. Scrooge's journeys with the spirits are a nice blend of reminiscences and guilt. Likewise, his eventual redemption seems real enough, and is embodied in the church sequence. The Dickensian atmosphere is strong here, and hasn't been dumbed down for purposes of understanding. The lines are largely lifted right from the pages, and luckily, the actors are all up to the task of speaking in "Victorian". A good one. Not as iconic as Alistair Sim, or as coldly practical as George C. Scott, but one of my top 3, for certain.
Yinalí R

Classic scrooge movie.
Sarah P

I thought Patrick Stewart was an odd choice for this role. It was kind of weird!
Marion R

A really neat version, but not my favorite. I liked the attention to detail in this film.
Jim W

This version is occasionally creepy and darker which isn't a bad touch. However it's also a little dull. While Patrick Stewart isn't bad in the role of Scrooge he's the only Scrooge to ever be completely bald. He looks like he just wandered off the set of a Star… More
This version is occasionally creepy and darker which isn't a bad touch. However it's also a little dull. While Patrick Stewart isn't bad in the role of Scrooge he's the only Scrooge to ever be completely bald. He looks like he just wandered off the set of a Star Trek film. If they ever make another, the under-rated John Lithgow would make an awesome Scrooge.