'A Christmas Carol Has Worked Its Magic Again!'

It is common knowledge that I consider, Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' to be the greatest story ever written bar none and I often try to watch the Alastair Sim version of the movie once as Christmas Day draws near. There have been numerous screen versions of the story and most are worth watching but for me, Alastair Sim's 'Scrooge' is the one that I can relate to more than any other. Not only does Sim play 'Scrooge' with conviction the characters gradual repentance is believable thanks to his numerous complaints that he is 'too old to change his ways' etc. In a lot of the films I've seen the transformation from the bitter and cold man Scrooge has become thanks to the harshness of the world and the loss of his beloved sister, Fan comes too easily and thus even the elation of the 'happy to be alive' Ebenezer falls a bit flat. I ALWAYS end up with a kind smile upon my face when I see Sim's Scrooge jumping about and doing silly things like a madman after the visit of the three ghosts...

'Bob The Bauble' mimics the re-born, Scrooge!

The supporting cast are all excellent as well! George Cole plays the young Scrooge (He and Alastair Sim were very close in real life as well) and a VERY young, Nicholas Parsons appears as 'Tiny Tim'.  Well, according to IMDB, Glyn Dearman plays 'Tiny Tim' but you take a look at the film and then tell me that it isn't, Nicholas Parsons!  Patrick McNee (Young Jacob Marley) and Hattie Jacques (Mrs Fezziwig) are also in it and the elder/ghost, Jacob Marley is brilliantly played by, Michael Hordern.

The film was released in 1951 and I have seen it about 7 or 8 times during my lifetime, which is easily a record for me as I'm not generally one for repetition of any kind.

The great thing about watching, A Christmas Carol though is that it helps you to 'take stock' of your life and shows you the enormous value of the people you know to your general happiness. Money is always a difficulty at this time of year and so many people get caught up in the commercialised side of it but at the end of the day it really is 'the thought that counts'. Its such a shame that nearly all of the wonderful people who made this film are now dead but their influence lives on and shall live on for future generations via this film. Alastair Sim also features in my favourite film of all time, 'School For Scoundrels' with Terry-Thomas and Ian Carmichael so in a lot of ways he is one of my favourite Actors.

I fear I may have 'forged a chain of many heavy links' like, Jacob Marley in this world not so much through greed for money or being 'tight' but for being a bit 'closed hearted' to much of the suffering in the world. Mankind should be all of our business but I feel close only to a small percentage of it. Hopefully, I do a fair job of showing how I feel to that small percentage and try to look after people I love the best way that I can but I just don't feel able to 'throw my arms around the whole world'. Whatever fate awaits me though I wish there were more time to try and help me to experience some of the numerous things I have missed out on in this world.

Photo courtesy of allposters.co.uk

Scrooge is right in one respect that it is VERY hard to tread a new path once you have spent a LIFETIME walking down a familiar one. I would love to get married one day but just think I have 'missed the boat' on that front now and with so many possessions that remind me of cherished moments in my past I can't really see how I could 'start a new life' with someone as part of an 'us'. So sad really because I do have a lot of love to give...

Oh well, maybe just one person who reads this 'revealing and honest' blog post this Christmas will manage to change their life and become  like the 'new born' Scrooge. We all feel we are 'alone with thinking this or that' at some time or other in our lives and never more so than at Christmas time so my hope is, if not for me, that these words will help one of you in your time of dilemma...

Merry Christmas xx

P.S. If you think 'Bob the Bauble' is cute I got him in the Town Hall at the Grassington Christmas Fair.