FX's A Christmas Carol

[*michaelsean*]

Not sure if anyone even knows this exists, but it played on 12/19. It's three TV hours long with short breaks so it's pretty long, and in my opinion, pretty bad. So far. I haven't even finished it yet.

We have a fatalistic, philosophical, sociologist in Scrooge. He have background stories including an absurd one with Marley. In the two hours I've watched so far, they may have used five sentences from the book because apparently someone out there fancies himself better with words than Dickens. I wonder if this brave new writer ever read the book because you marvel at his use of words, and the phrasing his characters use in conversation. In the book Bell's dialogue when she's ending things with Scrooge always leaves me wishing we all spoke like that, but I don't think many of us could come up with those words on the spot. Or when Scrooge tells Marley he doesn't believe in him. Marley could have said, "Well you see me don't you?" Instead he says, ""What evidence would you have of my reality beyond that of your senses?" You can hear and see me. If those don't count what do you use to verify someone's existence?

That's the writing that this write felt he could improve on. I've got an idea. If you are so damned creative, instead of piggybacking on someone else's story, write one of your own and we will see how it's doing 170 years from now.

Yes I'm a bit of a purist. I've read the book many times. Since I got Kindle I read it in an ongoing manner. A chapter here, a chapter there and start over when I'm finished. But I will watch and prefer the colorized version of the Alistair Sim one so I'm not too inflexible.

I will say the scenery and the depiction of London was very nice.

[XenoMorph]

(12-23-2019, 05:46 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Not sure if anyone even knows this exists, but it played on 12/19.  It's three TV hours long with short breaks so it's pretty long, and in my opinion, pretty bad.  So far.  I haven't even finished it yet.

We have a fatalistic, philosophical, sociologist in Scrooge.  He have background stories including an absurd one with Marley.  In the two hours I've watched so far, they may have used five sentences from the book because apparently someone out there fancies himself better with words than Dickens.  I wonder if this brave new writer ever read the book because you marvel at his use of words, and the phrasing his characters use in conversation. In the book Bell's dialogue when she's ending things with Scrooge always leaves me wishing we all spoke like that, but I don't think many of us could come up with those words on the spot.  Or when Scrooge tells Marley he doesn't believe in him.  Marley could have said, "Well you see me don't you?"  Instead he says, ""What evidence would you have of my reality beyond that of your senses?"  You can hear and see me.  If those don't count what do you use to verify someone's existence?

That's the writing that this write felt he could improve on.  I've got an idea.  If you are so damned creative, instead of piggybacking on someone else's story, write one of your own and we will see how it's doing 170 years from now.  

Yes I'm a bit of a purist.  I've read the book many times.  Since I got Kindle I read it in an ongoing manner.  A chapter here, a chapter there and start over when I'm finished.  But I will watch and prefer the colorized version of the Alistair Sim one so I'm not too inflexible.

I will say the scenery and the depiction of London was very nice.

Which is your favorite version of this?  (movies based off this story)  

Scrooged? A Muppets Christmas Carol? the one with Captain Picard? Other - Please Specify?

[*michaelsean*]

(12-23-2019, 07:14 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: Which is your favorite version of this?  (movies based off this story)  

Scrooged? A Muppets Christmas Carol? the one with Captain Picard? Other - Please Specify?

In order: Alastair Sim (1951? actually called Scrooge) and I do like the colorized version. George C Scott (1984?) and Patrick Stewart. I enjoy the Muppet one as well. If you see the one with Basil Rathbone as Marley run away. There’s also a musical one with I think Albert Finney that is a nightmare.

[fredtoast]

(12-23-2019, 07:14 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: Which is your favorite version of this?  (movies based off this story)  

[BrownAssClown]

(12-23-2019, 05:46 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Not sure if anyone even knows this exists, but it played on 12/19.  It's three TV hours long with short breaks so it's pretty long, and in my opinion, pretty bad.  So far.  I haven't even finished it yet.

We have a fatalistic, philosophical, sociologist in Scrooge.  He have background stories including an absurd one with Marley.  In the two hours I've watched so far, they may have used five sentences from the book because apparently someone out there fancies himself better with words than Dickens.  I wonder if this brave new writer ever read the book because you marvel at his use of words, and the phrasing his characters use in conversation. In the book Bell's dialogue when she's ending things with Scrooge always leaves me wishing we all spoke like that, but I don't think many of us could come up with those words on the spot.  Or when Scrooge tells Marley he doesn't believe in him.  Marley could have said, "Well you see me don't you?"  Instead he says, ""What evidence would you have of my reality beyond that of your senses?"  You can hear and see me.  If those don't count what do you use to verify someone's existence?

That's the writing that this write felt he could improve on.  I've got an idea.  If you are so damned creative, instead of piggybacking on someone else's story, write one of your own and we will see how it's doing 170 years from now.  

Yes I'm a bit of a purist.  I've read the book many times.  Since I got Kindle I read it in an ongoing manner.  A chapter here, a chapter there and start over when I'm finished.  But I will watch and prefer the colorized version of the Alistair Sim one so I'm not too inflexible.

I will say the scenery and the depiction of London was very nice.

Yea, I didn't care for this either. I also saw a "Making Of" about this on FX. They said this is the way Dickens "probably" wanted to write the story in the first place, but due to the times he was living in, toned it down. I'm not buying that. BTW, I like George C. Scott as my favorite 'Scrooge", but the Patrick Stewart version is a little closer to Dickens book. I also like the 1951 version too.

[*michaelsean*]

(12-24-2019, 09:57 PM)BrownAssClown Wrote: Yea, I didn't care for this either. I also saw a "Making Of" about this on FX. They said this is the way Dickens "probably" wanted to write the story in the first place, but due to the times he was living in, toned it down. I'm not buying that. BTW, I like George C. Scott as my favorite 'Scrooge", but the Patrick Stewart version is a little closer to Dickens book. I also like the 1951 version too.

Those three each have something related to the book that the there don’t. The Sim one leaves out the “perhaps in the eyes of heaven you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man’s child” speech which I’ve always liked. I think the Christmas Present spirit in the Scott version does that best. I do think the Sim post-transformation Scrooge is the best of the three. And I also like their version of the three meeting up at Joe’s to pawn Scrooges stuff the best.

And yeah I’d like to see their reasoning behind thinking a Dickens wanted to write it that way. Did they think he also wanted to include the absurd scene with Marley being awoken in his coffin by dripping piss?

[BengalHawk62]

I hated it. Terrible. I had such high hopes for it too, but The whole scene with Tiny Tim’s mother made me cringe. Just too much for me.
I liked the George C Scott’s version and the Disney version of you must know.