There have been so many versions of this literary masterpiece filmed that it is high praise indeed from me when I say this is easily my favourite version and one of the best. Albert Finney gives a tour-de-force performance as Ebeneezer Scrooge. He is barely middle-age when making the film yet gives one of the best cranky, curmudgeonly old man performances seen in film. Finney gives such life to lines that have become tainted by overuse over the years. All the performers do excellent jobs with some old English stalwarts lending a hand. Dame Edith Evans plays one of the most charming and pithy Ghosts of Christmas Pasts I have seen. Kenneth More, an under-appreciated actor, adds so much life as the Ghost of Christmas Present. And let's not forget Alec Guinness as the Ghost of Jacob Marley. In some moments he is a clown and others a very scary spirit. The scene where Scrooge sees his fate as being a co-worker of Marley's in Hell is one of the most innovative plot additions I have seen to this classic, timeless tale. Guinness hams it up; watch how he walks with those chains all over him. The actors playing Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Nephew Fred, Mr. Fezziwig, and so on are all very believable and give genuine performances. I love the music. I know some people are not musical people, but each song is catchy and some like "I Hate People," "I Like Life," "December the 25th," and the best "Thank You Very Much" will possibly remain in your head days after having seen the film. Because of its status as a tale of redemption and forgiveness and the possibility each of us have in changing our lives, A Christmas Carol(Scrooge) gets little recognition for being one of the greatest ghost stories ever written. I cannot say enough good about this film. What more can you ask for than good, solid acting, mellifluous tunes, authentic Victorian settings, and one heck of a good ghost story with a moral that each of us can relate to. If you don't like musicals, you will be put off by people combusting into song. As for me, Scrooge is the one version that my family and I make a point of seeing every holiday season. It just isn't Christmas here without it!

This lavishly mounted film benefits tremendously from the inspired casting of Albert Finney, who really sinks his teeth with into the juicy lead role of a spot-on miserly and miserable misanthropic curmudgeonly Ebenezer Scrooge.

Director Ronald Neame keeps the always engrossing and heartwarming story moving along at a fitful pace, offers a vivid and flavorsome evocation of the Victorian era setting, stages the song and dance set pieces with considerable brio, and adds a few nice touches of amusing dark humor. The songs are a bit of a mixed bag, with the insanely catchy "Thank You Very Much" standing out as the single most rousing and hummable tune while "Happiness" proves to be quite haunting and poignant.

The spirits are a distinctive and memorable bunch: Edith Evans as an elegant Ghost of Christmas Past, Kenneth More as a hearty and imposing Ghost of Christmas Present, and Paddy Stone as a creepy skeletal Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The rest of the cast are likewise rock-solid: Alec Guinness as a tormented Marley's Ghost, David Collings as a sympathetic Bob Cratchit, Michael Medwin as Scrooge's kindly nephew Fred, Laurence Naismith as the jolly Mr. Fezziwig, Suzanne Neve as the sweet Isabel, and Anton Rodgers as the robust Tom Jenkins. Both Leslie Bricusse's jaunty orchestral score and the sumptuous widescreen cinematography by Oswald Morris further enhance the overall sterling quality of this fine and uplifting film.

Taking its cue from OLIVER!, SCROOGE is an all-star cast adaptation of the classic Dickens story with added-in musical numbers and a lot of pomp and pageantry. Albert Finney isn't my first choice for the role - he's far too young, for a start - but he acquits himself well as the cantankerous old-timer and the supporting ensemble cast are very well chosen for their parts; you can hardly get better ghosts than Kenneth More or Alec Guinness. The film's attention to period detail is splendid, the running time just right, and overall this is one of the most enjoyable adaptations out there.