Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

ACCORDING TO MY DAD, this is the best movie version ever of A Christmas Carol. Every year, the debate rages on: Muppets, or Magoo?

And, to be fair, I randomly throughout the year find myself singing the chorus of this song:

(But come on, it's not better than the Muppet Christmas Carol....)

This is a fun version, and at only 53 minutes, I find it a great one to watch after Christmas eve services, when I need something to wind down to and knock myself out (omg tomorrow is Christmas omg omg squeeeeee!---yeah, you know what I'm talking about). It's one of the sillier adaptations, more focused on Mr. Magoo's eyesight than the particular lessons that may be found within the tale. And for some reason, the ghosts show up in the wrong order.

For all that, if you haven't seen it, well, it's a CLASSIC! Check it out!

A Muppet Christmas Carol

This is the best movie version ever made of A Christmas Carol.

Okay, so having said that... there are a lot of versions of A Christmas Carol, and I like an awful lot of them. This is the only version that I watch every year, though, and it has my wholehearted endorsement. Although, I suppose if you don't like the Muppets, you won't like this version. (Are... are there people who don't like the Muppets???)

My one quibble here is with the DVD version released in 2005. It features both the complete full screen version, and a widescreen theatrical release with a scene cut. (The scene where, in the past, Scrooge's fiancée bids him farewell for the final time.) The movie makes sense without it, but the scene loses almost all of its impact (yes I'm talking about a Muppet movie) without the farewell song.

So you can watch the movie with that scene in full screen, or without that scene in widescreen. I hope they'll do better and include it on a bluray release in the near future. In the meantime, if you want this and you haven't bought it, it might be worth waiting to see if another release is around the corner. (Or you might not have the same little quibble that I do!)

(Also, I will never get tired of Michael Caine saying, "It's Fozziewig's old Rubber Chicken factory!" with a straight face.)

Marly's Ghost by David Levithan

The title caught my attention. "Marly's Ghost? Sounds like a reference to A Christmas Carol." It surely is. Marly's Ghost, by David Levithan, is A Christmas Carol reimagined for Valentine's Day. Sometimes directly from the original text, and sometimes morphed into modern language patterns, this poignant story tells of a heartbroken teen rediscovering the meaning of love on a special Valentine Eve.

At amazon.com:

I can't say it was the best story adaptation I ever read, but it was a fresh and interesting take on a story that's been done many times around the Christmas holiday. At times the classic writing style and the modernizations seemed to clash. It's worth checking out if you like the original tale or if you love Valentine's Day. Or hate Valentine's Day. Have strong feelings about Valentine's Day, either way.

Robinson Crusoe and the Ethnic Sidekick by Frederick Zackel

Today's recommendation is a little bit different, but it's a piece of writing I found quite impressive. This is an article from Bright Lights Film Journal, available online for free. It's a longer read, but I think you'll find it worthwhile if you're interested in modern mythologies.

I've certainly spent a lot of time thinking about what more recent (as in, can be traced to an author) stories can be considered myths and fairy tales, and I would have to say, Robinson Crusoe qualifies, from the number of intentional remakes to the way it seems to have sunk into our societal psyche, as argued by Mr. Zackel.

With a thorough analysis of the myth's predominance in today's media, as well as details about some of the counter-myths written as a response (A Christmas Carol, Huckleberry Finn), this article is thought-provoking, both in regards to our social conscience and in regards to our mythological studies. It is a little outdated, but only in a way that gives me hope that we're improving. :)

And it's free!

Enjoy!

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/30/crusoe1.php