A Christmas Carol (2009)

An old miser receives the visit of three ghosts who will make him see the error of his ways.

I have spent my entire life consuming cultural products and witnessing human discourse and behavior which were influenced by Dickens' tale, and never got around to reading it, or seeing a film adaptation of it. So it's just my luck that this is a faithful adaptation (at least that's what everyone who has read the short story says). The artistry here gets my OK; the imagery conveys a coherent set of ideas. Some things got stuck in my throat, though, and it seems that this is nearly always the case with me and films. So let's get them out of my system. Scrooge's profession is never explicitly dwelled upon, but it is inferred to be that of a moneylender. So, the first question is: why a moneylender? Is this an indictment of moneylending? I will have to answer my own question with a resounding 'no'. The story ends with Scrooge still a moneylender, but he is now deemed a reformed person merely by the changing of some habits. So, he is now a good moneylender, as opposed to the bad moneylender that he was. We are back to the original question: if not an indictment pure and simple, why must the character be a moneylender? I don't think the film can justify this choice of profession without making an admission of self-contradiction and hypocrisy. The subject is simply dodged. But this harms the film, as would be expected. Are we to believe that Scrooge's faults were simply related to not being attached to his family and not being a generous person? And what about his interest rates? Were they too high? And what is considered too high in the nineteenth century? Which leads us to another question: how relevant is all this to twenty-first century capitalism? Moneylenders are still a very profitable profession, except today they are called bankers. Among other things, they finance movies like this one. But I'm certainly straying off the scope of the movie, am I not? After all, how many bankers are moved by 'A Christmas Carol'? I guess not many. And what is the purpose of making a film about avarice to be watched by middle-class and working-class people? Is there a point somewhere to be made in these ramblings? I hope not.

Rating: 60