I've just finished watching Patrick Stewart's "Carol", and am mightily disappointed. A more joyless production I've never seen; "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" was a masterpiece compared to this (actually it is far superior to most "Carol's" and a favorite of mine), and Mr. Magoo a far better actor. I've got lots of bones to pick with him for his adaptation, but here are just a few. I know he's been playing Scrooge on stage and it's a hit, but something was very wrong with this TV version.
In both the 1951 Alister Sim version and the 1984 George C. Scott version, the Ghost of Christmas Present was a strong, jovial presence who roundly told Scrooge what was what. I just watched the 1984 version this morning, and Edward Woodward's portrayal of this ghost was bold, forceful and unforgettable. He didn't mince words and Scrooge got the point. Stewart's chosen actor looked like he'd raided Eva Gabor's closet to get dressed for his part, and he acted like a henpecked husband who was afraid he'd get decked if he spoke above a whisper. I could barely hear his lines, and he had no personality. In fact, none of the actors in this thing had any personality.
Richard E. Grant was charmless and so was Tiny Tim; the Ghost of Christmas yet to come looked like a 7-foot-tall Jawa; and worst of all, I didn't care a fig about Stewart's Scrooge and whether he was redeemed or not. There was nothing he did during those two hours to make me care; no spark of emotion, no regret in his eyes, nothing. I've always liked Patrick Stewart, but I don't think this is a role suited to him. He doesn't have that inate warmth that a Scrooge needs, to force you to care about him, and he doesn't have a mobile enough face. It seemed frozen in a perpetual glare, even when he was supposedly happy. The only warmth I got from the entire production was at the very end, when Cratchit's family was on Scrooge's doorstep. A great waste of 2 hours time, except that some of the special effects were quite good.
In both the 1951 Alister Sim version and the 1984 George C. Scott version, the Ghost of Christmas Present was a strong, jovial presence who roundly told Scrooge what was what. I just watched the 1984 version this morning, and Edward Woodward's portrayal of this ghost was bold, forceful and unforgettable. He didn't mince words and Scrooge got the point. Stewart's chosen actor looked like he'd raided Eva Gabor's closet to get dressed for his part, and he acted like a henpecked husband who was afraid he'd get decked if he spoke above a whisper. I could barely hear his lines, and he had no personality. In fact, none of the actors in this thing had any personality.
Richard E. Grant was charmless and so was Tiny Tim; the Ghost of Christmas yet to come looked like a 7-foot-tall Jawa; and worst of all, I didn't care a fig about Stewart's Scrooge and whether he was redeemed or not. There was nothing he did during those two hours to make me care; no spark of emotion, no regret in his eyes, nothing. I've always liked Patrick Stewart, but I don't think this is a role suited to him. He doesn't have that inate warmth that a Scrooge needs, to force you to care about him, and he doesn't have a mobile enough face. It seemed frozen in a perpetual glare, even when he was supposedly happy. The only warmth I got from the entire production was at the very end, when Cratchit's family was on Scrooge's doorstep. A great waste of 2 hours time, except that some of the special effects were quite good.