Once again a retelling of the classic Charles Dickens novella. This time made directly for television, yet starring George C. Scott in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. And over the years it has become one of the most well-known adaptations of the original tale. And for a reason, I say.

The original story is of course wonderful. An old miser gets haunted by his old partner, who in turn warns that he's about to be visited by three ghosts in the course of the night in order to teach him about the perils of his miserly nature. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-to-Come are once again brilliantly represented, managing to drive the point of giving and sharing in, but the real star of the show has to be George C. Scott as Scrooge. The sheer talent and charisma of this man is by itself enough to carry a movie. The scene where he meets his remaining family after he has repented is easily one of the most poignant in the entire film and made possible solely through the talent of Scott.

Not to say that the rest of the film is in any way inferior. Quite the opposite. Despite being made directly for television, it impresses with its technical aspects and with the talents of its actors. Just goes to show that the spirit of Christmas brings out the best in all of us.

Quite worth seeing.

The 1984 TV version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a joyous thing. Fronted by George C. Scott as the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge, Clive Donner's movie pays great respects to the source material and garners a multi stranded piece of brilliance out of Scott. The characters of course remain the same, but headed by Scrooge having a complex and painful background and a persona of confused emotions, there's meaty substance holding the movie up high. Donner and writer Roger Hirson retain the black heart of the source story, with the horror elements suitably effective to bother the children, while the Victorian atmosphere always feels – crucially – authentic.

If you haven't seen this version of the often filmed tale, put it on your list for next yuletide. 9/10

This 1984 TV movie doesn't sound like it's going to be up to much - especially given the wealth of previous adaptions which have achieved classic status - but it turns out to be surprisingly good. It's spooky, as it should be, and with lots of atmosphere, and clever little touches that make it feel more like a '70s movie than an '80s one. The cast is also incredible. George C. Scott gives a typically tough performance as Scrooge, but it's the rest who are so entertaining - genius to cast the likes of Frank Finlay, Angela Pleasence and Edward Woodward as the Christmas spirits, and to have the likes of David Warner showing well in support. A handsomely mounted production that you wouldn't even know to be a TV movie in the first place.