An undigested bit of beef

Scrooge

(1951)

OK, I'm gonna start this in the afternoon, because when this ends tonight and my throat is raw from tears, I'm not gonna want to share. This is the last of the calendar-specific of my annual watches, though tomorrow's is the second-to-last (I'll try to remember to explain that then). This one has to be Christmas Eve; if I have visitors, they either watch with me or fall asleep in from of the TV while I watch. In recent years I've been preceding it with How the Grinch Stole Christmas (if you really have to ask "which version," you can click on the link, but come on!), which is essentially the same story, of course. Have I talked about how many of my annuals are tales of redemption?

Also, accept no substitutes: no doubt the performances of Reginald Owen, Albert Finney, and George C. Scott all have something to recommend them, but for my money, if it ain't Alastair Sim, it might as well be Mickey Mouse or Mr. Magoo (the latter of which, in fact, if the first I recall ever seeing). Oh, and I don't care what the DVD or VHS box says: the title is what appears on the screen at that first burst of creepy music; it is not A Christmas Carol. Get over it.

OK, I'm in an appropriately Scroogey frame of mind now; I'll be back later if I have anything to add. . . .

Oh, how many perfect pieces of art are there? How better a place would the world be if everyone watched this once a year?