*Christmas is the summer of the soul in December —The Muppet Christmas
Carol (1992)*
Charles Dickens might not have written those splendid words that songwriter
Paul Williams put in his characters’ mouths almost 150 years later. But
Dickens would undoubtedly have appreciated the sentiment in this and the
more than 100 other versions of his holiday classic that have appeared on
film over the years. Let’s take a look at some of the earliest—and
best—holiday movies of all time.
It should be no surprise that my alltime favorite Christmas movie is a
version of *A Christmas Carol, *and *The Muppet Christmas Carol* is the
best of the best. From the genius casting of Jim Henson’s Muppets in the
various roles—Gonzo as Charles Dickens! Statler and Waldorf as the Marley
Bros.! Fozzie Bear as Fezziwig!—to the irreverent humor, to the emotional
soundtrack that evokes Dickens’s sentimentality without ever becoming
sappy… the film is a technical and artistic triumph. And for me, the
holiday season isn’t in full swing without at least one annual screening.
Never has there been a better on-screen Scrooge than Michael Caine. (Or a
better on-screen dressing gown. Which I covet. Ahem.)
But *The Muppet Christmas Carol* was *at least the twentieth time*
Dickens’s tale had made it to the big screen (and that doesn’t include
countless small screen and stage productions). The first version we know of
is 1901’s *“Scrooge, or Marley’s Ghost”* by British filmmaker Walter R.
Booth. Originally running around six minutes long, only three minutes of
the silent film have survived—but they tell the tale so familiar to viewers
then and now. Watch for the masterful special effects, like the appearance
of Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present at the Cratchits’ holiday
feast:
Just like today, Victorian audiences and filmmakers loved seeing—and
putting–Christmas on film. Pioneering French filmmaker Georges Méliès made
his own holiday movie, *The Christmas Dream*, in 1900. And Clement Clark
Moore’s *The Night Before Christmas* made it to film for the first time in
1905, thanks to the Edison Company.
But possibly the very first depiction of the wonder of Christmas on film is
1898’s *Santa Claus* by British filmmaker George Albert Smith, in which two
children are visited by Father Christmas himself. Watch the onscreen magic
unfold:
This and many other classic early British films are available at the *British
Film Institute*.
For my festive Victorian heroine, *Myrtle Hardcastle*, Christmas 1893 (the
setting of *Cold-Blooded Myrtle*) is a bit too early for motion pictures.
But I have a good feeling Myrtle would appreciate the humor, festivity, and
faithful adaptation of its source material of *The Muppet Christmas Carol*.
Hoity-toity, Mr. Godlike Smartypants!
The Muppet Christmas Carol is now streaming on Disney+ by subscription, or
check your local TV listings for upcoming air dates. But if you want my
advice, just pick up a copy to watch all year. Even Scrooge would think
that a worthwhile expense, if it means honoring Christmas and keeping it in
your heart.
The post #MyrtleMondays: Victorian Christmas on Film appeared first on Elizabeth
C. Bunce.