Ghost Of Christmas Past

This sample paper on Ghost Of Christmas Past offers a framework of relevant facts based on recent research in the field. Read the introductory part, body, and conclusion of the paper below.

Media Coursework Jess Gascoigne 10s For this media piece of work, we have been asked to compare two versions of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’;  The 1951 version, Alistair Sim film ‘Scrooge’, which is more on the Christian theme of Christmas. The Ross Kemp, ITV version, which is multicultural, more modern to this day.

The theme of the 1951 version was all around an abstract image of ‘want and ignorance’, a metaphorical image. The theme of the 1951 was also around the Christian side towards Christmas, remembering the birth of Christ.

Going to church and based around faith, hope and charity. As the film follows the book accurately, there are hardly any differences, so the message from this film was expressed exactly the same as Dickens would have wanted it to, to remember what Christmas is about, and that you can’t make an excuse not to celebrate Christmas even if you are poor, lonely or isolated.

This is ‘in keeping’ with the book. The theme of the 2000 edition of a ‘Christmas Carol’, is somewhat different from the 1951 version. This version is multicultural, which is more relevant to today’s lifestyle.

There are direct images of the poor and homeless, which are ‘want and ignorance’, working together and helping. Unlike the 1951 version there is less religion/Christianity involved although there is a message, that no matter what religion, its all about spending time with the people you love, helping and no greed.

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Although the modern version is multicultural, it is still set in London, with a modern, common life scenes a working class London high rise council estate, a deprived area. This is not in keeping with the book as they are both very different.

Also, the 1951 version was set in London. In the 1951 version, the characters mostly are ‘in keeping’ with the book. Scrooge, a middle class man, who went to boarding school, apprenticed as an accountant and financer. Educated with biblical stories, few people went to school. An all white class. The nephew has servants he is a well to do upper middle class. The ‘Cratchits’ are not that different, however. Tiny Tim is healthier and fuller than expected to be as a boy in his serious condition as his. Bob Cratchits role was too happy and he wasn’t wimpy enough towards Scrooge.

Where Does The Ghost Of Christmas Past Take Scrooge

He is not as sad as you would expect if his son was ill, although he does have other children to think about, so he would probably be in high spirits for his other children. Alice, Scrooges’ ex-fianci? e was called Bella in the book. Martha, Scrooges older sister looked a little older than first imagined. The purpose from the characterisation from the film, ‘Scrooge’, was the recreation of the book, as closely as possible. They did achieve it. In the 2000 version, they have more direct images, they have invented, changed names and people. A homeless pair, brother and sister, are made relevant to modern day (the homeless side).

The audience wasn’t presented with a twenty-year-old drug addict. This would lose sympathy. But, with a brother and sister who are young and not charitable, they are innocent which adds to the sympathy. The homeless brother and sister stand in for ‘want and ignorance’; this is because these terms are not used any more. ‘Want’ is in need and ‘ignorance’ is a lack of education. The name has changed from Ebenezer to Eddie, the name Ebenezer is not a widely used name in today’s population so to change it to Eddie was more appropriate. Eddie has changed from a respectable accountant to a loan shark.

I feel like he has changed from being an accountant because, in our society now accountants are seen to be a boring characters, which is the opposite of Eddie Scrooge. In the 1951 version, Scrooge was a law obiding accountant, although the modern Scrooge breaks the law, being a loan shark. An invention of character, Mrs Marley, the mother of Jacob Marley. Jacob Marley, like the book, is dead, but under different circumstances, a local man shot Jacob Marley to the council estate, another invention of character, Ricky Stiles, the person who shot Jacob Marley.

Eddie Scrooges’ nephew is now a policeman, which is a middle-classed job, not like the nephew of the 1951 version, which had servants. The ‘Cratchits’ are now working off a debt. Tiny Tim is no longer known as ‘Tiny’ because this epithet is out of date. Tim is no longer a cripple, no crutches for broken legs. Tim has a disease called Cystic Fibrosis. This means that many of the scenes take place in a hospital, which is a popular setting for modern television dramas. The mother of the ‘Cratchits’ is a regular working mum. Scrooge’s ex-fianci? e, Alice in the 1951 version, is now called Bella, the same name in the book.

Bella works in a hospital, which ties in with Tim’s illness in hospital. Bella doesn’t like him being a loan shark, she doesn’t marry him, and she refuses the ring. Bella believes that all Scrooge cares about is money, which at the time is true, because after Bella refuses the ring, Scrooge mentions the price of the ring. Also, a new character was added, Bellas friend, as described, she is a classic ‘busy-body’, Julie. She hates Scrooge. The spirits have changed in the modern version; the ‘Ghost of Christmas Past’ is Eddie’s Father. A Father of sin and regret.

After this journey, we feel sympathy towards Scrooge because we see that his relationship between himself and his father, in his childhood, has scared him for life. This is why Eddie is like he is today. The ‘Ghost of Christmas Present’ is Jacob Marley, they use this as a humorous joke, ‘Its Christmas, we’ve had to improvise, double booking’. Jacob Marley has changed in character, he is as young as Scrooge and he didn’t die of sickness and ill health or old age, as he did in the other film, Marley was shot. As the film proceeded, the audience gradually found out why Jacob was shot.

We found that Scrooge had informed a known criminal, Ricky Stiles, that Marley was taking all of his families’ needs whilst he was in prison. Scrooge explained to Marley that the only reason why he had told Stiles was because Marley was getting greedy, but isn’t Scrooge greedy himself or could this be that Scrooge asked for Marley to be shot because of jealousy? The final spirit, the ‘Ghost of Christmas Future’ was a child. I felt that this spirit was weird because he never said anything. These characters, in my opinion, are very well made, especially because it is a really hard task to make a popular film into a modern day Christmas drama.

Ross Kemp has been picked as Eddie. I feel like this character, and who played him was especially good because Ross Kemp is a familiar family viewed figure. He has played parts in many other popular British soaps and dramas. Eddies’s dad is also a well-known family viewed actor. The 1951 spirits are again, ‘Past’, ‘Present’ and ‘Future’. They are all in my opinion, semi-biblical, in a religious way. The ghosts/spirits show flash backs of the character and, the audience are shown how nasty Scrooge was. In the following of this, we do not share Scrooges’ emotions; we are enjoying his torture.