Terra Kaffe - Shop now
See All Buying Options

A Christmas Carol

Fredric March (Actor), Basil Rathbone (Actor) Rated:
NR
Format: DVD
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 890 ratings
IMDb5.9/10.0
Additional DVD options Edition Discs
Price
New from Used from
DVD
October 13, 2009 		—
1
—
— $9.49
Genre Drama
Format NTSC, Multiple Formats, Black & White
Contributor Fredric March, Basil Rathbone
Language English
Runtime 1 hour

From the manufacturer

About Us

For almost 20 years, Shout! Factory has redefined what it means to be an entertainment company for fans, by fans. Through its beginnings lovingly releasing and reviving beloved cult films and classic TV series, Shout! cultivated an uncanny ability to rediscover great content and applied these skills to producing and distributing fan-driven new releases that set the bar for independent entertainment. Shout! Factory's extensive experience in a diverse array of genres has led to the launch of several well-respected properties, including Shout! Studios, Scream Factory, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Shout Kids, Shout Select and the streaming service Shout! Factory TV. Capitalizing on both traditional and emerging digital platforms, Shout! Factory is a media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture.

Product Description

Fredric March, Basil Rathbone. Sure to hit home every time is Charles Dickens' beloved Christmas tale about the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge and this 1954 star-heavy version is no exception. What more can be said about Scrooge's time-traveling journey through Christmases of his past, present and future except God bless US everyone! 1954/b&w/60 min/NR/fullscreen.

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 5820993
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Multiple Formats, Black & White
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ October 13, 2009
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Fredric March, Basil Rathbone
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Shout! Factory / Timeless Media
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002M0HOV4
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 890 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
890 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • GC
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Christmas classic!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I saw this movie on TV as a child and I was scared of Scrooge's partner as a ghost, but as an adult it has been watched every Christmas time. It is my favorite Christmas Carol movie with great actors and acting. Truly a Christmas classic!!!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Lynette Denton
    5.0 out of 5 stars It was okay for when it was done
    Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    It was really old and not up-to-date
    Helpful
     Report
  • James M. Silverthorn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Production, Treasured Memory
    Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    This TV musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol is one of my treasured childhood memories from 1955. For me, Frederic March and Basil Rathbone will always be the definitive Scrooge and Marley (though March's brilliant performance could have done without the all-too-obvious oversize fake nose). The Bernard Herrmann score is delightful and features one absolute gem in Tiny Tim's solo, "And Bless Us Every One."
    I have just one critical comment about this DVD edition. The original "Shower of Stars" intro, commercial break to display the new 1956 Chrysler models, and conclusion--all with William Lundigan--have been edited out. These segments were included in the previous VHS edition of this show and added much to my enjoyment, giving the production an unmistakable 1950's TV feel. (By the way, despite the "in color" announcement at the beginning, this edition is in black & white--the way 99.99% of us saw it in 1955 anyway!)
    I guarantee, however, you won't be disappointed by March's Scrooge and the tuneful score. This show might well become for you, as it is for me, a most beloved Christmas tradition.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mark E. Stenroos
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Hidden Gem
    Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This is really a wonderful production and very well done. It's a serious take on the story - I doubt it could be made today.

    Fredric March inhabits Scrooge. It's a performance unlike any other Scrooge or any other by March. Understated but not boring. I really was surprised by just how well he does. Rathbone is also an understated and pitiful ghost of Marley. His screen time is short, but effective. He doesn't try to make the most of it, if you catch my drift. He plays his part effectively and is gone. Today, any director working with an artist of Rathbone's talent and notoriety would feel obliged to somehow work his presence into additional scenes. That doesn't happen here, and it's refreshing.

    This production is quite daring in what it attempts and achieves. Without giving anything away, I will say that the very end of the show is unprecedented in the demands it puts on March in an extended shot that would never be attempted on TV these days.

    The rest of the cast is also very good. There's not a weak link. No mugging from anybody, either.

    Bernard Hermann's music is just perfect in that it foots the bill without drawing undue attention to itself. It tends to the operatic, or maybe, operetta-ish. In addition to the incidental/background music (most of which has a note of foreboding to it), it's striking to realize that all of the music is original. That includes Tiny Tim's Xmas song (reprised at the end by the chorus), a duet for the young Scrooge (tenor) and his fiance (soprano) (here called Belle, and sung by a young SOPRANO Marilyn Horne), a buffo baritone song for the Ghost of Xmas present (which turns up later in the show with a few catches sung by none other than Fredric March), and a Christmas Carol sung at the beginning of the production by the chorus (the Roger Wagner Chorale).

    The DVD itself is very basic. Contrary to the blurb on the DVD case, there are no interactive menus and there is no intro by William Lundigan included in the video. The disc goes in your player and one option comes up - Play. I watched it through my BluRay player, so I don't know if there are options available if played in a DVD player.

    Finally, I have to believe this show was shot on film and isn't drawn from kinescopes. The quality of the picture is simply too clear and steady to not have been a film production. It was shot by DesiLu, who I believe were using film on "I Love Lucy," so why not for this production as well?

    Definitely a sleeper and worth much more than the $3.98 it cost me from amazon.
    8 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Elle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good and musical adaptation...
    Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    When I was in elementary school in the early 70's, 2 or 3 years in a row our school rented (or maybe they owned it??) this film and brought all of the grades into the gym together and we sat on the cold floor and watched this version and I remember as a child loving his bed because it had curtains all the way around it and has since become my dream bed. Then as an adult I got to thinking about seeing this version again and several years ago had a good friend record all the Scrooge/Christmas Carol type productions she could find on cable at Christmastime and sadly after watching all of them, none of them were this one from school. So imagine my surprise coming across it again here at Amazon. I was so thrilled to see it again and watch it every Christmas now. You'll love it and especially if you like productions in black & white.
    9 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Les T Phillips
    5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Version!
    Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I needed to replace this version as mine was broken. Of course Amazon came to the rescue. It took a couple of weeks for delivery, but I received it. Another successful shopping trip to Amazon!
    Report
  • Daryl Connor
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very pleased
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Fantastic! You made an old man happy! (My grandfather)
    Report
  • SHARON BRADFORD
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
    Reviewed in Canada on January 23, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This version has some added details. One of my favorites.
    Report
  • Hans Standaar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 29, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    good dvd
    Report
  • BJ Arsenault
    5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage story and production.
    Reviewed in Canada on February 25, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Historical in a cultural sense
    Report