NEM CLOUDS 127 - James Clarke selection

FEATURED WORKS BY: David Woodward, David Scott Leibowitz, Jack Schim, Jale Yuce, Sendai Ganime Turan, Michael James Picard, Jim Gable and Peter Koczera.

What is he always smiling about...

I know that pose from somewhere...

Scratch Acid - Owner's Lament

it’s like a deranged video game

Callan, s4e9 The Carrier

i am just like this sometimes @foreignobjecticus wrote your name in advance despite the art part is me lol

The Three Faces of Eve (1957) Nunnally Johnson

July 2nd 2023

Edward Woodward guest stars as Jack Liskard, Prime Minister of an unspecified African country and the target of multiple assassination attempts, in The Saint: The Persistent Patriots (5.15, ITC, 1967)

NEM CLOUDS 123 - James Clarke selection

FEATURED WORKS BY: Philip Del Carmen, Jane Kane, Iris Maybloom, Pati John, Donna Donato, Jim Gable, David Woodward and Dorothy Green Alcorn.

Tea Time

Callan - Heir Apparent

"What are we going to do stuck in a German ditch for 18 hours."

A Christmas Carol (1984)

There are many adaptations of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol to choose from for your Holiday Christmas marathon. Many consider this 1984 version by Clive Donner the one to go with. If you ask me, no Christmas season is complete without viewing either Alastair Sim or George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Ebenezer Scrooge (Scott) is a bitter miser who considers the ideals and spirit of Christmas pure humbug. He hesitates to give his underpaid assistant Bob Cratchit (David Warner) the day off and scoffs at his nephew Fred (Roger Rees) when he suggests a holiday dinner. One cold Christmas Eve, the ghost of Scrooge's former partner Jacob Marley (Frank Finlay) appears to him with a warning "You will soon be visited by three spirits, heed their counsel and change your ways or risk an eternity of suffering."

Though originally made for television, this is a top-notch production. The locations/sets transport you to 1843 London like a Ghost of Christmas Past and the costumes all look authentic. The stage is set and George C. Scott is perfect for his role. One look at the actor and you can practically see every time he's rolled his eyes at the concept of charity. He delivers the over-the-top dialogue like it was written for him but Scott also grounds the story in reality. It makes the drama that follows that much more powerful. Scrooge is a miserable, horrible person… but he’s still a person. His journey through the many Christmases the ghosts take him through rouses intense emotions.

So much of what makes this story endure is the message. Christmas is a joyous time, but it can be scary under certain lights. That uniformly white blanket over everything, the bare branches swaying in the frigid wind, the shortening days, the cold… the idea of ghosts emerging from the darkness just fits. These fears are juxtaposed by this renewed hope of salvation, the explosion of generosity and the potential for miracles. A Christmas Carol taps into all of those sentiments. There are talks of gifts but no commercialism. It’s about the importance of relationships with loved ones and what you must do to keep them close to you. That's not to say any adaptation is a hit; the cast and the production's dedication make this a special rendition of the timeless story.

There’s only one flaw with the film: the portrayal of the Spirit of Christmas Past by Angela Pleasence. It isn’t her performance; it’s that unless you know what the movie is trying to do, she'll leave you scratching your head. She’s supposed to be candle-like: a light that could easily be put out (which is why we see Scrooge extinguish her with his cap). You can't tell unless you already know. Otherwise, everything you want to see in this story is there. The comedy of a miser so cheap he won’t even spend money to keep himself comfortable, the drama over lost love and seeing a heart grow cold, the warmth of redemption and the horror of the ghosts. As a child, I distinctly remember seeing the Ghost of Christmas Present (Edward Woodward) showing off Scrooge’s “children” to him and finding it terrifying.

It’s easy to become bitter around Christmas. Even if you don’t feel like the true meaning of the holiday has eroded, there’s so much pressure and so many high expectations that are rarely met. 1984's A Christmas Carol is the perfect remedy for any bitter sentiments. Whether you see yourself as Ebenezer Scrooge and need to be shown the error of your ways or you’re his nephew and need your faith in others renewed, this is the movie for you. Its final scene always brings tears to my eyes. (December 14, 2020)