John Farr at the Huffington Post believes that the Christmas spirit can be found in more Dickens works than just his Christmas stories. So Farr suggests having "your very own Dickens film series leading up to the holidays." His picks include David Copperfield (1935), A Tale of Two Cities (1935), Great Expectations (1946), Oliver Twist (1948), Scrooge (1951), and the musical Oliver! (1970).
Author Peter E. Dans agrees that the 1935 film version of Tale of Two Cities makes a great Christmas movie, in this (spoilerish) article by Michael Sragow. There are those who feel the church scene he mentions detracts from the story, but Dans seems to believe it adds something. (As I haven't seen it in a while and don't remember the scene very well, I can't venture an opinion.)
By the way, Sragow suggests that Robert Downey, Jr., would make a good Sydney Carton. Now there's a very interesting addition to our list of possibilities!
Finally, a Turner Classic Movies alert: The cable channel will be airing the 1938 Christmas Carol with Reginald Owen tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. It will repeat on December 12 at noon and Christmas Day at 9 a.m.
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