Silent Sunday

The oldest surviving version of A Christmas Carol (ACC) on film is Scrooge, or, Marley’s Ghost from 1901.  This is only the second time I’ve included it in the annual “watch-a-thon.” I have never fully written about this version before, giving it only brief references, instead.  An incomplete copy running only a little over three minutes is all that survives. The British Film Institute has preserved it, thankfully!  It is historically significant as both an early film and as a version of ACC.

This version, as it survives, has become the gentle ease into my personal A Christmas Carol annual viewing mania every first Sunday of Advent.

I’ve never owned a copy; I do not know of any commercially released collection that has included it.  Because it is public domain, it can be viewed from various internet sites, from Internet Archive to YouTube.  This first film version is based on an earlier stage adaptation where Marley stands-in for all 3 spirits!  Read more about it on Wikipedia.