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| COVER GALLERY |
| Film vitals |
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· Year: 1979
· Director: Eric Till
· Writer: Charles Dickens (book)
· Cast: Henry Winkler
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| Series info |
· Based on A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, from which many adaptations have sprung, including:
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| Purchase |
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Amazon.com
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| Synopsis |
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In 1933 New England, miserly Benedict Slade spends his days bringing sadness to the hearts of Depression-stricken Americans by repossessing the property of those who defaulted on his loans. However, Christmas Eve will see Slade visited by four spirits, three of whom will show him his past, present, and future, in an attempt to get him to change his ways.
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RATING
Out of 100 |
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68
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| COLD ANALYSIS |
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ATMOSPHERE
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GORE
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HUMOR
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SCARES
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TENSION
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An imaginitive rerendering of Dickens's holiday classic that completely changes the details of the story yet, for the most part, keeps its heart intact. Setting the film in Depression-era New England--and intertwining the dark side of the American work ethic into the plot--was a stroke of genius that allows the story room to grow in interesting directions. Henry Winkler shines as Benedict Slade--he's as convincing as a bright young man, hungry for what the future will bring, as he is as a bitter old man, scarred by the effects of an overly ambitious life. If An American Christmas Carol doesn't entirely succeed, it's because it doesn't let its main character change enough. At his youngest, Benedict is seen as an angry, resentful boy, with only a hint that he might once have been different. And as he ages, Benedict is never not obsessed with his work. Dickens knew what he was doing when he presented Ebenezer Scrooge as a lonely boy who grew into a loving man, only at that point beginning to descend into misery and miserdom. Benedict Slade may eventually redeem himself--of course he does--but I'm not convinced that there ever was a good person inside of him in the first place. |
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