A Christmas Carolis the quintessential storey of Christmas . Charles Dickens ' immortal tale of charity and redemption made Christmas what it is today , serve as a blockbuster hit for Victorian readers and contemporary readers alike . It has grown to be one of the most pop stories ever drop a line .

Since its publishing and with the Second Advent of filmmaking , directors have been bringing Dickens ' work to life story for worldwide audiences , create films and television special adapting the novel . And perhaps the most crucial part of these adaptations is the molding of the lead miser , Ebenezer Scrooge .

Albert Finney

The passing of Albert Finney was a blow for any devotee of character player . The British born performer made a name for himself as a overlooking presence , with a vox unlike any other . woefully , his performance as Scrooge does n’t meet the mark compare to his many other warning roles .

Finney ’s option to make Scrooge a jabber , slack - call on the carpet giant is certainly an remaining one . His gumming and slobbering make Scrooge out to be more like an English Bulldog than the iconic centime scraper . In moment his extreme animalism works , specially seeing as the whole production ofScroogewas so theatrical , but for the most part , it just gets to be too much .

Reginald Owen

Reginald Owen is likely known by most audiences as the bombastic Admiral Boom fromMary Poppins . But , this British actor played many theatrical role , especially a good heap of classic   graphic symbol such as Scrooge . Owen look in the 1938 adaption ofA Christmas Carol .

Owen is fine in the part , but once again this variant of the character has a unknown animalism to him . Owen seems to be bouncing about , huffing and puff his way of life through the character . What sure does n’t assist is the makeup , which poorly ages the actor into a facsimile of an onetime human being .

Tim Curry

Who does n’t loveTim Curry ? His roles have cross genre , mediums , and generations to become one of the most beloved actors of all time . If you ’re a fan of invigoration , you ’ll recognize his voice forthwith . And who could discount his springy - action role in motion-picture show likeThe Rocky Horror Picture Show ?

Curry played Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1997 straight person to home video release ofA Christmas Carol . Visually it is a solid interpretation of the grapheme , with the classical sharp features described in the novel . Curry ’s villainous rendering works great as well , but does n’t fully fit the excited turn near the end of the film .

Jim Carrey

Jim Carreyseems to have a thing for playing holiday grump . The comic is known for his horrific performance fashion also brought the Grinch to life in Ron Howard’sHow The Grinch Stole Christmas . This time , Carrey played the original Christmas churl in Robert Zemeckis’A Christmas Carol .

Carrey is still a heightened performer in this art object , but apart from a few too many yells and screams , he yield a really great and solemn functioning . The plan as well is maybe the best version of Ebenezer . Sadly , the CGI rendering is a snatch too uncanny for many viewers , feeling far faker than Zemeckis probably trust .

Christopher Plummer

Christopher Plummer ’s edition of the character came in a far different film than most . The Isle of Man Who Invented Christmastells the story of Charles Dickens compose the original tale , with the character reference appearing before him through his imagination .

Seeing Plummer as Scrooge palpate like less of a live character , and more like a living shape of the fears , anxiousness , and harm of Dickens himself . It is a great performance in an undervalued film , but you ca n’t help but wish well you had seen Plummer take the function in an actual adaptation ofA Christmas Carolinstead of a biopic about its source .

Patrick Stewart

Sir Patrick Stewartis beloved the cosmos over for his iconic talents as an actor and varied contribution to the genre . Many experience him as both Professor Charles Xavier in theX - Menfranchise , while others know him as Captain Jean - Luc Picard inStar Trek . Still then , many others know him as a classically trained actor , known for his Shakespearean and theatrical roles .

His take on Scrooge is very sovereign of the standard take . Stewart embraces a far more blunt , bitter , and straight forward version of the miser . He can describe insecurities and prod at them without sense outright maniac . His eventual turn at the end of the photographic film is also entrancing , display an awkwardness that feel far more natural than many takes .

Michael Caine

A Christmas Caroloften drop off something when it is adapt for untried audiences . ordinarily , the scarier themes are far more toned down , and a tidy sum of the tragic nicety of Scrooge and others are replace with imitation . Not here though .

Michael CaineinThe Muppet Christmas Carolgives a full performance in this adaptation . While it is still lighthearted and silly , it impart all of the indispensable parts of this history . Caine makes Scrooge a far more good-hearted character , and his turn come far earlier in this version . Not to mention , it is one of the rarified quality musical version of Scrooge and this taradiddle .

Seymour Hicks

Seymour Hicks ' performance in the 1935 versionScroogeis a whole different take on the character . The negativeness and hatred for Christmas are there , but you may feel a deeper anxiety throughout his performance . This is someone who knows what he ’s doing is wrong , but is too afraid to admit it .

The ignorance that this version of Scrooge walk through life with is his real villainy , and the minute it breaks , this Scrooge break down into a sorry lilliputian man . His fundamental interaction with the ghost of Marley is fantastic , with Hicks perform the scene alone with no other performer . An additional scene afterward on , feature a Christmas tree diagram in Scrooge ’s nephew ’s place , is one of the most poignant moments you may discover in one of these adaptations .

George C. Scott

It ’s surd to pose as knock-down of an actor as George C. Scott . This reading of Scrooge is not a tawdry bombastic monster , but an apathetic realist who despises sentiment . Through the pain and loss that he has feel in his life , any form of sentiment is seen as adverse to a decent life .

Unlike many of these versions of the character , Scott rarely flies off the handle at the sight of a spook or spirit . But , when he does fall apart , it is far more believable . His disposition to try and intellect with these preternatural beings and the desperateness in his representative is far more credible than someone game with concern .

Alastair Sim

Alastair Sim is the quintessential Scrooge . His age alone feels more appropriate than most of the selections on this leaning . He is someone who has lived a long living , but also someone who has fourth dimension to fix it . Sim ’s choices as an actor though really make this the best version of the character .

With such an expressive face , his reactions in the film are brilliant . Both his terror of the heart along with his resist surprise at others ' charity is equally compelling . His operation is full of humor , dullness , disaster , sympathy , and everything that ready Scrooge the character he is . The performance is so iconic , Sim play the function multiple meter outside his 1951 performance .

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Scrooge

Albert Finney in Scrooge holding the Christmas goose by a neck

Scrooge and Marley

Tim Curry Cropped

Jim Carrey Cropped

Christopher Plummer Cropped

Sir Patrick Stewart Cropped

Michael Caine Cropped

Seymour Hicks Cropped

George C. Scott Cropped

Alastair Simm Cropped

Movies

A Christmas Carol