Advent Calendar 2017! - Day 24
Version: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, dir. Brian Henson)
And so, we reach the end of our analysis of 24 different Scrooge/urchin dialogue scenes from screen adaptations of A Christmas Carol. I've saved a classic for last: The Muppets version. In many ways, we're right back where we started when we looked at the 1984 Clive Donner version. We've seen many twists and variations but the core formula has remained intact: Scrooge talking to the urchin in the snow from a second floor window, first to ask him the date and then to buy the prized turkey from him. The Muppets version recreates the classic formula beautifully.
There are lots of little touches to like here, like the snow actively falling during the conversation which as far as I can remember doesn't happen in any of the previous versions. The window might be a little too low but the urchin in this one is particularly short, so it's hard to judge exactly. The only area in which this version outright fails is in the lack of a satisfying urchin cap, or indeed any urchin cap at all. Despite this, both the urchin and Scrooge are given good costumes and the scene has a lovely atmosphere to it. This is a solid version of the scene.
| Framing | 8 out of 10. |
| Scrooge's Reaction To The Date | 7 out of 10. |
| Urchin Accent | 6 out of 10. |
| Window Height | 7 out of 10. |
| Scrooge Nightgown Quality | 8 out of 10. |
| Urchin Cap Quality | 0 out of 10. |
| Final Score | 6 out of 10. An alright note to end on. |