Scrooge, or Marley’s Ghost
by J.C. Buckstone, directed by Walter R. Booth
The surviving footage of this first silent film of A Christmas Carol—nearly
three and a half minutes at the British Film Institute—has no dialogue cards, but does
include intertitles at the start of each scene, including one that makes it clear that
Scrooge sees only visions of the past with no interactions (and thus, no actual time
travel. The few seconds of the Christmas “that might be” is not enough to tell
whether it’s also a mere vision. I enjoyed the special effects, possibly made with
double exposures (note the convenient black curtain).
— Michael Main
Scene II
Marley’s Ghost
shows Scrooge Visions of himself in
christmasses past
Marley’s Ghost
shows Scrooge Visions of himself in
christmasses past
Scrooge, or Marley’s Ghost by J.C. Buckstone,
directed by Walter R. Booth (unknown release details,
November 1901).