A Christmas Carol [DVD] [2020]

This version of A Christmas Carol wasn't quite what I was expecting ... but that was my own fault because I didn't do my research properly. However, once I'd got used to the danced/narrated format, I was thoroughly absorbed by it.The first 10 minutes or so almost put me off, but I was ultimately glad that I stuck with it. The best way I can describe it is that it's like an illustrated talking book. The A-List narrative voices not only do a superb job of handling Dickens' famous words but also of bringing out the underlying of those words and their continued relevance in the modern world.I'm not really 'into' interpretive/contemporary dance, but it was fascinating to see the different styles melding together.I was thinking about it all long after I'd finished watching it.

Good musical film

This is a review of the “A Christmas Carol” blu-ray with Simon Russell Beale, Martin Freeman, Carey Mulligan, Daniel Kaluuya and Andy Serkis. The dance performances are led by former Royal Ballet soloist and BalletBoyz founder Michael Nunn as Scrooge with Jakub Franasowicz, Russell Maliphant, Karl Fagerlund Brekke, Mikey Boats, Grace Jabbari and Dana Fouras.This has to be stated because far too many reviews of the title “A Christmas Carol” rightfully belonging to versions other than that to which they have been applied. There is one version that has not one review attached which is intended for it! This is most unfair if the reviews are negative. Amazon persist in doing this, across all the products they sell, despite my protests. Anyway on with the motley!It took me a few minutes to get into this. I missed the “product description” for this blu-ray, which is placed a little lower than usual, and the dance/narration format came as a total surprise. Perhaps this was not a bad thing.Others seem to have objected to this, complaining that it is an unnecessary imposition upon the original. Possibly they were also taken unawares.Ballet, however, is a perfectly legitimate form of artistic expression. Cinema is itself an interpretive variation of the original. One cannot “copy” a book in another medium.Anyway, I found this to be hypnotic, haunting, thought provoking; beautiful.My only objection is that it seems to me a little too short, that some scenes could have been extended, or others included. In fact, it is shorter than the average by only a couple of minutes. Surely a sign of success.A worthy addition to the canon.

I bought this dvd to add to my dvd collection of A Christmas Carol, which I love and have several DVDs/ blue rays in many different versions, one particular favourite is Muppet Christmas Carol, so I am open to variations in interpretation. It was one I hadn’t seen before and as I noted stars like Cary Mulligan involved , I thought it sounded good. But it isn’t a traditional version by any long stretch, but through the medium of dance. Weird modern dance at that. We tried to watch it but could only stand 10 minutes and we had to turn it off. So unless you love weird, modern dance, don’t waste your money on this.

Very good service and very good value

Not quite what I was expecting. Not to my taste.

Well, we all know the story.This is no different, just more modern.I enjoy seeing the different ones available to seeNever seen this version till I bought thisHighly recommendFun for all the family

This is a filmed version of a ballet interpretation of the Christmas classic. The concept is that two Victorian children, and their grandmother, are telling a Christmas Eve tale to their family using a paper theatre to act out/illustrate the story. The paper theatre is brought to life by the dancers and dialogue from the story, being narrated by the grandmother, is voiced by the famous actors listed in the credits. Some reviews mention that they found it distracting that the dancers did not speak/move their mouths in time to the dialogue; however, I think this represents a misunderstanding of the concept - the dancers are merely illustrations.Having taught A Christmas Carol to GCSE students for years, I know the story pretty well and have watched a huge number of adaptations. While I probably wouldn't show this version to my classes (the artistic choices would likely confuse a number of my students), I enjoyed this interpretation. I think that the fact that, despite currently teaching the text to three different classes and the teaching of it taking up nearly a third of my timetable over the last month of term, I sat down to watch this, in my own time, as escapism, speaks well for the interpretation.