Brian Desmond Hurst’s adaptation of Charles Dicken’s classic Christmas story not only makes claim to being the best film version of the much adapted story, but a significant film about mercy bestowed upon a wayward soul. On Christmas Eve, the miserly and miserable Ebenezer Scrooge—played here by the inimitable Alastair Sim—is visited by four spirits: his dead business partner, Jacob Marley, and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. Their effort to get Scrooge to change his selfish ways takes him on a cinematic journey into his own past, present, and future. In what transpires, Scrooge develops a heart of mercy, not only for the poor and downtrodden of the world, but for himself as well.
—Anders Bergstrom