Christmas Carol: 60th Anniversary Diamond Edition (Blu-ray + DVD)

This is the definitive movie of A Christmas Carol! There a lots of movie versions of the story and we've seen most of them. But this is THE movie to see. Alastair Sim is a great actor and is superb as Scrooge. Don't miss the chance to get this movie.

A lot of people praise this edition of "A Christmas Carrol" as the definitive one against which all others should be measured. I personally don't think so. I like a couple of others better. That said, the DVD itself was fine. The picture quality was very good. The audio was very good. No complaints there at all. As others have said, the black and white format did add a bit of antiquity to it. This is now the 5th version of Dickens' famous story we own, and we'll certainly be watching it again. It's well done and it has a few touches (like the Victorian toys in a store window) not found in any other edition we have. Whether you think it is the best or not, it's still a good presentation of Dickens' timeless story.

I received my copy of the 60th Anniversary set today via Amazon (and kudos to Amazon, which refunded me a total of $7 from the pre-order price I had paid back on Oct 2, charging me a mere $10.99 for this 2-disc set, ie: at their Nov 2 price). I haven't watched the entire movie, but spot checks of the film on the BluRay disc reveal the best-ever VCI transfer. It's even better than the BluRay version that was released in 2009. Also, it seems to me like the picture contains more along the edges than it has before. I'm wondering if VCI has been clipping the left & right sides of the film image all these years due to deterioration, but were somehow able to restore those edges with the new computer software they said they used on the film this time around. I did notice that a restoration credit is given to a firm called "Blair & Associates" that isn't VCI, with a copyright date of 2011. Perhaps they finally decided to send the thing out of house and get it done right. I can't imagine why VCI isn't hawking this version more aggressively, because it does seem to fulfill - finally - the promises VCI has made over the years about just how painstaking their restoration efforts have been. Those promises have always led to a bit of disappointment in the past. Not this time. Also, the soundtrack is absolutely quiet, at least when played in the original mono. I haven't tried the 5.1 surround sound yet, and I don't know that I will. I'm something of a purist in this matter. I watched the Leonard Maltin intro, and it was very good and professional, supplying info I didn't know (such as the fact that Glynis Johns is the daughter of Mervyn Johns, who plays Bob Cratchet). I have only ONE very small complaint, and it seems almost ridiculous to point out, but the subtitles come up a second or so before the lines are actually delivered on the screen. They're not synced precisely to the beginning of each new phrase in the dialogue. That's really not a problem as I never watch the entire film with subtitles. At least these subtitles are in white, rather than the hard-to-read red of the Ultimate DVD Edition. And, the point size of the subtitles is a bit smaller than it was on the 2009 BluRay version. The set also includes a hardcopy "Abridged American Pressbook" that I assume represents what was sent out to American film houses when the film was released in 1951. It's a very nice touch, and something that I haven't seen in earlier releases. The little booklet is a 3-page gate fold that unfolds into a two-sided promo kit that pictures the posters and lobby posters that were available to promote the film. I especially love the tie-in promotion to the Classics Illustrated "Volume 53," "A Christmas Carol." Fascinating stuff! I did not know that the film was retitled from "Scrooge" to "A Christmas Carol" for its initial US release. Hey, I'm learning all the time! I watched a couple of the bonus features on Saturday, and they are well done and supply interesting information. Edited 12/7/11: I watched this BD in its entirety last night, and it is just amazing how clean and, well, wonderful it all is. The picture is rock steady, except when there are fades moving from one scene to another, ie: movement that appeared from Day One on this film and was usual for films made in this period. What you won't see is the picture nervously moving off its axis. It is as solid as if it were done digitally. The detail and depth to the picture is the best I have ever seen on this film. And, yes, that reaction shot from Fred's wife that was missing from the UCE has been restored. Less than a second and a half of film, but oh so meaningful. The sound is also remarkable. What's nice is that almost all of the old-movie static has been effectively removed, so the voices and the film score register beautifully. I first watched with the original mono track playing, and it is very fulsome and vivid. I later went back and watched the entire movie in surround sound. Funny, but the surround process seems to be less-clean than the mono track! The movie sounds its age more in surround than in mono. That said, the orchestral score registers more effectively in surround, and that's important, as the musical score for this film is one of its glories. And, yes, I noticed that total sound drop out in the scene where Scrooge visits Fred for Xmas dinner in the surround track. The drop out lasts about 4 seconds. Very unfortunate. Still, definitely worth getting.

This is our favorite version of The Christmas Carol. It stays very close to the tale as told in the original book. It does not suffer from an effort on Hollywood's part to pump and puff the story up with glitz and distraction or irrelevantly realistic graphics. We love it.

Gave this to a friend for the holidays and made a great movie for the Christmas season movie night. Good clean family movie.

In my opinion this is the best movie of A Christmas Carol. Alastair Sim is a great Scrooge and is surrounded by a very good supporting cast. I remember this movie as a kid growing up and could not wait to see it every year. You should not pass this one up!

Christmas classic. Always watch this version. It seems like the original,authentic one.

This is the best adaptation of the book a Christmas Carol, the acting is superb, the script is almost verbatim from the book! The movie doesn’t last long, but the message is felt for a lifetime after it has once been viewed. Phenomenal!

Excellent film and picture quality, menu is in German but when you navigate around it you can turn off the subtitles.

Film che cercavo da un sacco di tempo, consegna nei tempi prevvisti(contando che è partito dalla Germania), arrivato senza graffi, in lingua originale(inglese), peccato non sia stato a colore ma vista l'edizione di diamante va bene sia così in bianco e nero

Enjoyed watching it

si, ha cumplido mis espectativas, una gran pelicula

Only Allister Sim can play Scrooge. Great movie!