andyhumm

I'm a fan of Matthew Modine, but this film--which I stumbled upon on cable--is absolutely witless. I see that the screenwriter and director were one and the same, so there was no one around to check her worst instincts. There are no surprises, no original lines, and no original characters. The goldfish was basically the most sympathetic character. What a waste of all this acting talent. Given how expensive it is to film in New York these days, I have to wonder how this got made in the first place. And if you're wondering why I watched it at all, it came on after a film that I like on cable and I left it on while I worked at the computer. It's not a very demanding picture!

There are a number of good versions of this story from "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" to "Scrooged," but none captures the spirit of Dickens like the 1951 Alistair Sim classic. I'm an atheist and have no real use for Christmas, but find this a moving tale of redemption in the sense that even very bad people can reform and live life fully and joyfully. It is a story of hope for everyone.

In addition to Sim's eccentric performance as Scrooge there are memorable turns by the supporting players from his maid to Tiny Tim. When Scrooge goes to the home of his nephew at the end and begs forgiveness for being such a mean fool, there is not a dry eye in the house.

Yes, there is plenty of tear-jerking sentimentality in this film. But there is also as much social commentary as has ever come out of a major Hollywood picture. Donald Crisp's sons are labor activists in the mine--and their activism splits the family apart. Barry Fitzgerald leads the local church's persecution of a woman accused of adultery--and pastor Walter Pidgeon speaks out against intolerance. Little Roddy McDowell is the country kid ridiculed by his more sophisticated (and cruel) classmates and teacher. (The teacher is subjected to some vigilante justice when Roddy's townsmen invade his classroom.) Women in the film take leading, assertive roles--and not just in the family. So while "How Green Was My Valley" endures as a rich, family drama--enhanced by the Welsh songs and settings--it is a deeply political film as well, embodying the kinds of values of tolerance, fairness, and justice that we went to war to defend in 1941.