A Christmas Carol (2020) User Reviews

Nice, if it's your cup of tea

[searchersd · 4/10 · 20 December 2023]

Personally, I forced myself to watch, or should I say, experience this retelling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. None of the actors speak. They just dance. In opera, the story is sung by the players. Here, the players are mute, their roles conveyed through their very expressive movements - via contemporary dance - their "voices" coming from "behind the curtain" when needed, together with that of the narrator who controls this retelling.

Actually, this production would have been better on a stage. It would have made more sense, and would have had a more appreciative audience. As a movie, it soon became boring. One already knows the story so no need to hang on to find out what happens in the end.

I do like contemporary dance. I love the way it can convey emotion. However, those who want to experience this at its best, should look elsewhere. And choose one or more of the other A Christmas Carol movies to soothe that seasonal itch.

Narrated

[michaelsiphone · 6/10 · 16 December 2021]

A Christmas Carol is a 2020 British Christmas drama dance film directed by Jacqui Morris and David Morris and based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol 🎄

Meh, it passed the time.

Just. 😐 👍🏼👎🏼

Pretentious and Boring

[penelopeleanne · 2/10 · 18 December 2020]

So much potential and very different but fell flat. Lovely visuals but a storytelling narrative and tone to send you to sleep and Scrooge's voice wasn't much better - lacked intonation. Weird mixture of storytelling, theatre and dance where characters do not actually speak their words and only 'dance' which consisted simply of them constantly flailing their arms about and spinning around - not creative modern dance at all. How to ruin a Classic! Pretentious and boring.

Ruinous drivel

[carlwilkessob · 2/10 · 19 November 2023]

Charles dickens classic tale is ultimately the greatest Christmas story ever told but this is absolute dross

I give it 2 stars purely on the premise as it's a good idea in principle but it just doesn't work. Characters with no dialogue, a switching between animation and real time actors. There's also a bizarre dance thing happening which I have no explanation of and nothing new in that department. It just ruins the classic tale. For a better version see Albert finney, Patrick Stewart, alistair sim or George c Scott's version. All much better takes and far closer to the story. As for this just avoid at all costs.

Release date for dvd

[deanosborn · 5 May 2021]

How comes this is not on dvd yet not seen it anywhere.

I was bored after the first 15 minutes.

[john-09204 · 3/10 · 29 December 2023]

I was bored after the first 15 minutes. I can see how you turn the typical traditional a Christmas Carol into a modern art form, but your last message completely.

I was bored after year cardboard characters turning to life, yeah ballet or modern dances which was great but didn't say a word the mouths weren't moving.

What's going on with you guys in Hollywood can't you make better movies than this this is for people with dementia Alzheimer's.

You people should be ashamed yourself for putting crap out there in digital format don't waste the memory the ram, whatever the gigabytes save them and shove them up where the sun don't shine.

Is one of the worst adaptations of a Christmas Carol you should be disgraced you're a D minus you losers I could make a better movie than this and if I edit it it wouldn't be as long as it was it be 45 minutes. Get it you're a bunch of idiots out there in Hollywood!

Counterpoint

[Mandrew-2 · 10/10 · 26 November 2022]

Some rough reviews on here, and if you are looking for Jim Carrey's version, this will assuredly not check the boxes for you. This is the most faithful adaptation, dialogue wise, that I've seen, and I've seen most film and tv versions. True to the book almost entirely, it is more demanding in that respect.

Creatively, the dance paired with overlayed dialogue is an extremely compelling way to keep the story fresh. There have been many similar versions over the years, and a few wildly divisive ones (the 2019 FX version, for example), so a reset that stays true to the source material is a nice change of pace.

Lastly, Andy Serkis version of Marley is the creepiest I've seen. The fluid movements of the dancer and his vocal representation really nailed the horrific nature of the role in a way that I imagine Dickens wanted to convey.

Ah few clarifications and the like

[jar8425 · 10/10 · 26 December 2022]

First of all - none of the dancing here could ever be confused as ballet.

There's a moment of break dancing. But the rest is what most folks know as Contemporary. But a lot is known in the dance community as Contact Improv.

It is, from my well trained eye (arts critic back when such things meant anything - think 30+ years ago when folks got published in magazines and the like) some of the most emotionally engaging dance I've seen in a Christmas movie in literally forever.

I am also impressed by the number of folks who found this 'boring' and a waste of time.

We all have opinions and levels of what we find entertaining.

The truth is, a filmed stage production is never going to be as visually overwhelming as an Avengers movie.

But at least Scrooge isn't sexually harassing anyone or the like. He's not been buggered as a child.

There are much darker versions out there - which I enjoyed for what it was trying to do - make Scrooge irrdeemable. Unsalvageable. Because the redemption of Scrooge always has felt like a bridge or six too far.

The version here - which doesn't scrimp on the extreme horror of Dickens' London...

He used his very public platform to remind everyone that things were the in service of the ultra weathy which allowes them to disregard the situation of the other classes.

This is a show about empathy and compassion. About realizing that human society is everyone's responsibility.

That the welfare of all people is the duty of every person.

No wonder so many got bored.

It's not about superheroes or multiverse ending conflicts.

It is about the duty we have to each other.

And by extension our world.

A glorious, sensitive treat

[gsm-85718 · 10/10 · 11 December 2023]

I am a professional dancer, choreographer, and designer. This production is glorious, original, delicate, sensitive, and a total surprise. To hear the book, read by Sian Phillips, as the dance accompaniment, enhanced by an original score, was sublime. This is a beautiful and wonderfully creative telling of the much abused but loved Christmas Carol. It, unlike most every other production, is not bombastic or over produced. To hear Dickens' words, and not someone's idea of what they should be, spoken by the wonderful voice of Sian Phillips, is a rare treat. Granted, it takes a minute to get into it seeing that I is completely choreographed, but trust me, it's a treat!

A beautiful rendition

[johnson-85870 · 9/10 · 15 December 2020]

There are many versions of this story, because there are many ways it can be portrayed. This is the most natural version of scrooge, a real believable person not a characture. The story highlights the horror of the era as Dickens intended, not sweep them under the carpet. The dance carrys you through the story with a mixture of strength and ethereal beauty. It's a true Christmas delight and one that I shall add to my watch list for Christmas's to come.