Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2006 > December > 20 > Entry
So many Scrooges, so few Santas
At this time of year, Santa and Scrooge, those polar (rim shot) opposites of the holiday spirit, are everywhere.
Santa, of course, gets around, appearing in every shopping center known to man, and there must be some kind of actor’s Equity law that says “Thou shalt stage ‘A Christmas Carol’ every December. At least eight different productions have played in the area.
There is one respect, however, in which Santa and Scrooge are very different. And no, I don’t mean their temperaments. I mean the fact that there have been a good number of memorable Scrooges, but not so many Santas in the movies.
Among Santas, the best is clearly Edmund Gwenn in the original “Miracle on 34th St.” Gwenn rightly won an Oscar for his perfectly played role. (To be fair, Richard Attenborough is quite good in the pleasant but unnecessary 1994 remake.)
As far as truly memorable Santas go, though, Gwenn is pretty much it. Sure, there are some good anti-Santas, like Billy Bob Thornton’s “Bad Santa,” but as for the genuine article, a truly memorable Santa seems hard to come by.
There have been a few interestingly cast Santas. According to the IMDB, Mel Brooks voiced Santa in “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron.” Tom Hanks did the honors in “The Polar Express,” which I really missed seeing in IMAX this year. Darn those “Happy Feet!”
And none other than Darth Vader himself, James Earl Jones, gave him voice in some episodes of Disney’s “Recess.” Now that’s an intimidating Santa!
Speaking of intimidating, there’s no shortage of Scrooges in movie land. The Web site Jim Hill Media is currently running a nifty little feature that rounds up pretty much every version of “A Christmas Carol” ever made.
My favorite is the popular choice, Alistair Sim, who starred in the 1951 “A Christmas Carol.” His is the Scrooge against which all others must be measured.
Of all the latter day Scrooges, however, the best is one you might not think about: Michael Caine in 1992’s “The Muppet Christmas Carol.” Getting Scrooge right is challenging enough, but to play him against the zaniness of the Muppets is truly a tall order.
Caine more than measured up to the task, however, turning in a performance that was genuinely moving. Caine revealed Scrooge’s softer side better than almost any other actor who has played him, which is a big part of the reason why this is easily the best of the Muppet projects made after Jim Henson’s untimely death. Check it out when you get the chance.
So tell me: What are your favorite movie Santas or Scrooges? Here are lists of Santas and Scrooges to help refresh your memory.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Sir Critic muses
Comments
By Brother Phil
December 20, 2006 6:37 PM | Link to this
While Santa is largely found in cartoons and television media, with few exceptions, he is hardly ever found in movies. After all—he is already a saint and it is hard to write a movie plot around someone who only gets better. Scrooge—on the other hand—has become an iconic figure of redemption. This is the central message of the season and Ebenezer, with some help from the spirits, models the fact that even the most selfish, stingy person can become a saint. There is simply a lot more to work with in writing a script around this character. Thank you, Charles Dickens!