 |
| A Christmas Carol (2019) |
Although there were, as of 2016, at least four hundred audiovisual adaptations of A Christmas Carol, people continue to produce new adaptations of that novel every year. Netflix intends to release an adaptation titled Humbug!, starring Ice Cube. Apple intends to release an adaptation, starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. Disney intends to produce yet another musical adaptation, to be directed by Bill Condon, with music by Stephen Schwartz, for its new Disney+ service. The BBC is releasing a mini-series, starring Guy Pearce as Ebenezer Scrooge.
Additionally, I was delighted to discover this new adaptation, which I had not heard about, while perusing my Amazon Prime app, more than a week ago.
I immediately watched it from beginning to end.
It was scheduled for release on Cyber Monday, December 2, 2019, but was available at least a week before that, on Amazon Prime. It was produced by Armando Gutierrez, and directed by Steven Salgado. Kate Katzman stars as Ellen Scrooge.
Overall, I liked it, but it doesn't strike me as one I'm going to watch again and again, Christmas season after Christmas season, like Mr. Magoo's (1962), the Muppets' (1992), Rich Little's (1978), Blackadder's (1988), or Maxine's (2000).
It's not that old Ebenezer has already been replaced by modern Scrooges, such as Bill Murray in Scrooged (1988), or even attractive, young women, such as Susan Lucci in Ebbie (1995), Tori Spelling in A Carol Christmas (2003), Emmanuelle Vaugier in It's Christmas, Carol! (2012), Cicely Tyson in Ms. Scrooge (1997), and Vanessa Williams in A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000)...
Maybe it's the odd mix of Spanglish, although I read, write, speak, and love Spanish and music which is puro tejano todo mezclado! Seriously, the Marley in this adaptation is a handsome, young man (Rafael Gerardo Rey) whose first name is Marley, and the company is named Scrooge and Hernandez. Then there's the elderly Bob Cratchit, a grandfather named Roberto (Reinaldo Gonzales) who seems to live alone with his grandson, a football-loving version of Tiny Tim named Tim (Josh Riesenberg). This grandfather goes around mumbling in Spanish throughout the movie. Suggestion: Subtitles in Spanish, with English translations!
But it's not all Spanish. Fred is replaced by a younger sister named Jennifer (Eliana Ghen). Who's married to a man named Carlos (Chris Watson)... And Belle is replaced by a handsome, young man named Jack (Jordan Morello).
The thing I dislike the most about this adaptation are the physical assaults on Ellen Scrooge. Marley's ghost grabs her by the throat, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come looks like a cat burglar terrorist in black tights and goggles who also grabs her by the throat. Perhaps these scenes are why Amazon recommends it to people who are at least thirteen years old.
The thing I like the most about this adaptation is the introduction of the smart phone into the Victorian tale, which Ellen DOES set down, but always seems to keep close by, as does her brother-in-law, who uses it to take pictures of her reunion with his wife.
I imagine a lot of Christmas Carol collectors like me will keep this adaptation, like their smart phones, close by.
No comments:
Post a Comment