The Top Three Portrayals of Scrooge in Film
Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is perhaps one of the most well-known and enjoyed Christmas stories, and has been adapted to film and television countless times. These adaptations have produced some great portrayals of the storys’ cold-hearted protagonist, including the three examples below.
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Alastair Sim - Scrooge (1951)
Perhaps the most popular adaptation of the tale, the 1951 film Scrooge starred Alastair Sim who captured the character’s malice, coldness and mercilessness perfectly, in a terrifying portrayal that puts the horror of Scrooge on par with the ghosts sent to visit him. Out of all the Ebenezer’s, Sim’s is the one we’d least like to meet!
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Patrick Stewart - A Christmas Carol (1999)
After a warm reception on Broadway, Patrick Stewart’s portrayal of Scrooge was bought to our televisions in the 1999 film, A Christmas Carol. The adaptation delves into Ebenezer’s world in detail, covering his lonely days as a child and heartbreak as a young man and Stewart adapts accordingly. In his excellent performance, he is able to portray the callousness synonymous with Scrooge, but also charmingly depicts the poignancy and sadness associated with the character’s life, making it easy for audiences to sympathise with him. Patrick Stewart’s Scrooge is multidimensional and original, he brings something new to the tale whilst maintaining the familiarity we enjoy.
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Jim Carrey - A Christmas Carol (2009)
The eccentric Jim Carrey may not be an obvious choice to voice Ebenezer Scrooge, but his performance in Disney’s animated feature was outstanding. Ever the jokester, Carrey brought humour into this otherwise serious story, with motion-captured facial expressions and a detailed soundtrack, but still maintained the sincerity the story requires. Carrey’s A Christmas Carol combines the traditional and the modern and is appealing to people of all ages.
Who is your favourite Scrooge?
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