A Christmas Carol, Lost in Adaptation ~ The Dom

With too many different films to choose from The Dom attempts a different approach to this episode of Lost in Adaptation.
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[@kaycings9844]

I’ve watched this so many times and I’m still upset Michael Caine wasn’t nominated for Best Scrooge. I know the patrons did the nominations but I’m still sad.

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

Off topic, but that is a lovely photo on your avi. 👍

[@TheGerkuman]

The issue is the same with George C. Scott's: Michael Cane's Scrooge's cruel sense of humour is good for the adaptation, but isn't book accurate

[@localabsurdist6661]

He also forgot Barbie 😢

[@Jesse-yo7uw]

@@TheGerkuman I can see that for the 84 version, but I don’t recall Michael Caines Scrooge having a sense of humor at all?

[@TheGerkuman]

@@Jesse-yo7uw Scrooge: "have you sent out the eviction notices?" Cratchett: "Tomorrow's Christmas, sir." Scrooge: "Very well. You may gift wrap them"

[@moviemaestro800]

This format would be perfect for covering Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, and the classical faerie tales as well.

[@artgirlasmr1980]

Also The Hunchback of Notre Dame

[@depressedspiderboi6956]

And phantom of the opera

[@Cyberleader672]

Oliver Twist

[@SiRenfield]

Maybe not the last because “pffft there’s millions of them” ,but the rest: definitely agree with

[@14ekeer]

and a little princess

[@CJCroen1393]

Fun fact: Yet To Come in the 2009 version isn't just _a_ shadow, it's _Scrooge's_ shadow! The idea, according to the film's art book, is that like Past and Present, Yet To Come is a part of Scrooge, a facet of his life/personality.

[@shelbyherring92]

That's the one thing I liked about the 2009 version... Sure, it may have diverted from original story with embellishments in some parts, but I loved the idea that the Ghosts were like parts of his mind or conscience struggling within him to return him to being a decent man.

[@collinmurr3207]

To be fair, the 1951 was originally black-and-white and colorized later, so the purple robe isn't really the movie's fault.

[@matteusconnollius1203]

Yes

[@thepip3599]

Oh! That makes sense.

[@whtyc]

Thank you for adding this! I was like stop showing the horrible colorized version!

[@patrickginther8527]

The Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come is much, much more effective in the original black and white as well.

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

Not necessarily. Colorizing is not done willy-nelly, you actually compare the shades of grey and black to their closest "colour" equivalents, and then apply the colours as they turn up. So it's fair to assume that the robe really was red/ purple when they shot it, and said that since the film is black and white, nobody will see the difference and care.

[@OptimusPhillip]

I remember when I played Scrooge in my school's production, our Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come had to drop out pretty last minute, and we had a hard time finding a replacement, so we just ran rehearsal without it for a while. I believe this was meant to just be a rehearsal thing, but I guess I just blew the director away with how well I was able to carry the scene without an actor on set, so we decided to just run the actual show that way, and everyone else seemed to enjoy it as well. As much as my self-indulgent side would like to pin that on my unholy acting talent, my more analytical side is inclined to guess that it's just that what you can't see is scarier than what you can see, fear of the unknown and what not, which especially works for a Ghost of the Future, since that's exactly what makes the future so scary in some regards.

[@bondfall0072]

That's actually really cool. The idea of scrooge on his knees pleading with yet-to-come but we see nothing, just a man looking between his grave and a point in the sky really sends home the fact that scrooge has no future if he refuses to change his way.

[@NightEyeStudio1995]

I now only realized why the ghosts look the way they do. The past is like memory, as our memory isn't picture perfect and a lot of our memories are more like smudged together puctures with very little clarity. Present has a clear form because we know just what the present looks like as we're in it, but at the same time we still know very little of it, which might explain the scary kids. The there is future... and the future is scary, not only because of how uncertain it is but also it's where our death awaits.

[@ezelfrancisco1349]

With your comment, i suddenly realize the symbolism behind Scrooge killing the GoCP.

[@shelbyherring92]

@@ezelfrancisco1349 All the joy and pain from his youth he's been trying to suppress for years.

[@margaretschaufele6502]

That's the way I saw Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, as being an adaptation of the Grim Reaper.

[@miguelbranquinho7235]

@@ezelfrancisco1349 He's snuffing his past, yeah.

[@BloodylocksBathory]

The Muppets version of the Ghost of Christmas Future is probably one of my favorite versions, that special combination of absurd and creepy with its unnatural body proportions.

[@mattlewis9261]

Weirdly enough it has the best costuming historically speaking.

[@SingingSealRiana]

in a way, it is also the most true to the original with the "adition" of a narrator called charles dickens that is pretty much reciting lines from the books

[@TheHarlequinHatter]

3:38 Actually, this is a fair way to look at it. Disney, and many other animation studios, utilizes a concept called Characters as Actors. Essentially, within the Canon created by Disney, Mickey and all of his friends, including Scrooge, are ACTORS playing parts in various shorts and films (Think Roger Rabbit). That's why there seems to be little to no continuity between Mickey Shorts. This was actually a huge development in animation history, so I'm glad you're touching on it

[@QuikVidGuy]

Don't they actually acknowledge that concept in some movies? I think the 3 Musketeers one had a bit of self-awareness in it.

[@TheHarlequinHatter]

QuikVidGuy Sometimes, yes. It was the central theme of House of Mouse.

[@Freaky0Nina]

wait. Is he actually called Scrooge in English? Not very subtle is it.

[@Kairos_Akuma]

He is called that in German too if I remember correctly.. it has been a long time since I watched it.

[@OptimusPhillip]

Another great example of this IMO is VeggieTales.

[@johnburnscrystaljack]

I must join the chorus of people in declaring Muppet Christmas Carol superior and, even if some parts of it clearly shouldn't have won in terms of adaptation, Michael Caine has been absolutely robbed.

[@stelanora7827]

I've always wondered if Ebenezer scrooge's dad had also been visited by ghosts, and that was why he let Ebenezer come home 🤔

[@LordSvzklx]

whoop, heard you mention the "coca cola created red santa" myth. true coke may have made the idea of santa as a jolly fat man really popular, but they weren't responsible for dressing him in red. father christmas or sinterklaas (yes, they're actually two different entities that have just been amalgamated in modern times) have been portrayed in red just as often as they were in green. case in point: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, published decades before the coke ad and yet featuring father christmas in his classic red

[@Pikaman20008]

+LordSvzklx Eeh, it was probably more of a joke than anything else. And even if that IS what he thought, it still comes across as more of a joke than anything.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

+LordSvzklx And also, wasn't the Sim movie in black and white, and then later colorized?

[@PositionLight]

+Jeff Jacobson Yes.

[@imasinnerimasaint]

Not that I'm disagreeing with what you've said in general, but given that the first Coca Cola ad with red Santa was in 1931, and TLTWatW was published in 1950, that's not actually a good example for your argument.

[@LordSvzklx]

@@imasinnerimasaint Oh were they using santa in paper adverts at that point? Everyone tends to think of the tv one, which TLtWatW would predate. There's other examples if you want to go looking, I just picked one Dom would have heard of!

[@SchmitzCinemaStudies]

Why wasn't the Ghost of Christmas Future from the Muppet Christmas Carol nominated? I'm not saying he had to win but I've always loved how tall and foreboding he is.

[@haltopen12]

He arrived on a big pile of christmas food because he was based on the pre-santa claus image of father christmas, an english centric deity or symbol of food, alcohol and parties. He was kind of a mascot for pro-holiday anti-puritans in the 1700's who wanted to celebrate the holiday of christmas. He brings food and alcohol because of puritans who held disdain for communal feasts and drinking of spirits (no pun intended). He became a popular character in folk theater which is how he ended up in a christmas carol as the ghost of christmas present, because he was the common symbol of the christmas holiday at the time the book was written. Also he was occasionally depicted in a red robe before the introduction of santa claus.

[@portiada]

Definitely should have included Muppets' Christmas Carol Michael Caine (Scrooge) and Ghost of Christmas Future. That scared the ever-loving crap out of me as a child.

[@elphaba4674]

A Muppet Christmas Carol will always be the definitive version!

[@SingingSealRiana]

true that, best scrooge, best costumes, best at picturing the descrepancy between scrooge and people around him and in a way most accurate for the "addition" of the narrator

[@NitroIndigo]

Plot twist: The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a dementor.

[@jamescornell5297]

Funny story actually: My first time seeing the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in a book, he was not just a black robed figure. He had multi-colored Christmas tree lights tangled loosely around him like Marly’s chains as a way to remind you that it’s a ghost of Christmas, not the grim reaper. It’s less intimidating, but a lot more eerie seeing these lights we always associate with joy and celebration perverted in a way that makes us look at them and think of the reaper himself.

[@vallraffs]

Ooh, that's a novel way to tackle this story. Good on you, Dom! I hope next you'll make an episode about the Hannibal Lecter series. Any of the films would be great fun!

[@count_bodies_like_sheep9296]

+Valter Östberg You know there are two versions of Red Dragon

[@vallraffs]

Michael Lamere Yeah, but that's not that weird though. I'd say it has the most straightforward plot.

[@TackyRackyComixNEO]

+Valter Östberg A *novel* way to tackle this story? :D

[@TristanJHorta]

Haha. "Novel"

[@count_bodies_like_sheep9296]

OMG GUYS ITS JUST A FUCKING WORD

[@sexybunnyxox]

how could you not nominate Michael Caine from the Muppet Christmas carol?!

[@jmurray1110]

He didn’t nominate anything it was the patrons

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

@@jmurray1110 then his patrons are wrong.

[@SingingSealRiana]

michael caine rained supreme

[@MondoTheAlien]

You should do a lost adaptation of the giver

[@bookwermofthefandoms]

Ha! Stuck on 66 likes

[@DogoHalibar]

I love the bit where Scrooge wanted to stay a few extra seconds to hear his sister's favorite song.

[@ethanwinstead6280]

I think the reason that 1951's a Christmas Carols ghost of Christmas present is red is because the copy you were showing was colorized, as every other print of that film I've seen is in monochrome.

[@tredub111213]

If the next episode does not call the contestants "The Dom-inees" I am going to be very disappointed.

[@livinghistory9701]

Muppets Christmas Carol is my favorite adaptation by far

[@hexreviews]

Seeing The Muppets in this video makes me hope that some day their will be a DomOscars for Treasure Island

[@harrietamidala1691]

Will you do this again for other books with multiple adaptations like Shakespeare or Jane Austin? I would love to see Hunchback of Notre Dame get this oscar treatment because there are so many adaptations of it.

[@nacmegfeegle2310]

My favorite all time is Muppets and Michael Caine. It leaves me the happiest, and the acting is the best, the ghosts are the best, and there is great music. in my opinion (sorry Captain Picard!) Maybe we need that one all by itself.

[@johnmilius3031]

Scrooge 1970. Starring Albert Finney.

[@TheCursereaper]

I'm still sad that the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come from Muppets didn't get nominated. That one's scarier than any of the others. Lol

[@ShaM3fullyCha0tic]

Albert Finney's portrayal in Scrooge (1970) was remarkable. He was made up as the elderly version and as his own young self and did spot on with the character of Scrooge (and it was a musical!).

[@rosiemontgomery1]

The fact that the Disney Scrooge McDuck adaptation was included makes me so happy. It was the first version of the story I ever saw as a child, and I loved it.

[@Stormkrow280]

My headcannon is that “yet to come” is actually death himself

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

I always thought so too.

[@MatthewSchooley94]

Nice to see a new LiA of one of my favorite stories! Happy Festivus, Dom!

[@jenniferschillig3768]

I'd love to see you tackle A Christmas Story and the Jean Shepherd stories that went into it. (It's a stir-fry of several different ones, most of which appeared in the collection In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.)

[@Roboshi2007]

I would say the muppet version of christmas future does it for me for one simple reason; Rizo and Gonzo leave the film. I love those two in the film, BUT to have the comic relief characters admit they're leaving because this was the serious part, really gives weight to the moments in a way even kids can understand, the training wheels come off and the film just lets the creeepiest puppet of the whole film do it's work.

[@MilkmanConspiracy]

Dude, have you ever seen the 1971 animated version that got an Oscar? It's so good. Plus, it probably had the best GOCP possible.

[@Left4Coragem]

Golly, the best duologue award will be amazing!!! :P

[@Treeslawood]

The Ghost of Christmas Past from the Muppets used to scare the fuck out of me, even more than The Ghost of Christmas Future.

[@NintendoHighSchool]

Thanks to the muppet version for the longest time I didn't know that there weren't two Marleys in the original

[@whovianhistorybuff]

13:00 I really liked one of the quirks that the muppets gave Christmas present ghost of making him forgetful and repeating something seconds after just saying it, this is a spirit of the present, not the past and in his own words his mind is full of the here and now so it makes sense that he would be a bit absent minded.

[@snowflakedice]

My favorite will always be Alistair's version. I watch this version every year.

[@Starlightthedark]

i love a Muppet Christmas Carol.

[@jb888888888]

My favorite version is the Reginald Owen one from 1938. For nostalgia reasons: growing up this was the one they ran on TV the most.

[@alexisgrey3633]

Personally Patrick Stewart is my favourite Scrooge (and Richard E Grant my favourite Cratchet) mainly cos its the version I grew up with, it used to be on every year on Christmas eve and my family and I used to watch it a lot (and for the record I found Christmas future terrifying in that version had to keep reminding myself it was just a dude in a costume, not to mention Scrooge coming face to face with his own corpse. I think I would lie to see the Jim Carrey version tbh it strikes me as a bit to silly

[@lisaheisey6168]

For me, the 1951 film starring Alastair Sim, is by far the best. My 2nd favorite is the musical Scrooge, starring Albert Finney, from 1970.

[@CaminoAir]

Merry Christmas to you, The Dom. Thank you for all the excellent, entertaining and informative videos in 2015 and best wishes for 2016.

[@goawaydonttalktome7780]

The ghost of Christmas past is a symbol for memories and the metal cap means you can always suppress memories.

[@microfg4]

*A Flintstone's Christmas Carol* was the first Adaptation/Parody I EVER saw... So that for me is the definitive one!

[@cromulentwords]

The 1984 version with George C. Scott is my dad's favorite, and the one I've seen the most. Got a weird, pointless tinge of pride when it won Best Fake Award for Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come on a stranger's youtube channel. Brightened my day. I''ll take it.

[@OnlyRoke]

If I recall correctly, the metallic screeching noise of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come is supposed to be the ghost's voice, while also mimicking the screeching of a metallic door / gate that you'd find at a graveyard. I think it's awesome and it's easily my favorite creepy portrayal of the ghost.

[@DeadlyRivfader]

Awesome choice of music, one of my favorite Savatage songs

[@vigilantsycamore8750]

I really liked the modern day reimagining where Scrooge was a loan shark, but I don't remember the title. I really liked the twist with Marley's death, the Ghost of Christmas Past being Scrooge's dad, and the twist with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. A twist which in hindsight is really terrifying. Also, Scrooge getting a happy ending after his redemption is a nice addition.

[@Minchowski]

I'm pretty sure the 1984 adaptation is the only version I've ever seen, and I definitely remember being super freaked out by the ghosts of Christmas present and Christmas yet to come as a small child. I enjoyed Christmas present and his coming back at Scrooge with his own words, but, my god, was that man scary when I was six!

[@shamblingabby]

Really gotta give props to the Ghost of Christmas future in the Mickey one, that thing scared me so bad as a kid.

[@flapjackfae]

The description of Ghost of Christmas Past makes sense if you think of it as memory- bits constantly pop in and out of our consciousness, seeming either or simultaneously "only yesterday" or long long ago, and changeable. The past may be gone, but in our memories, it is constantly shifting, and coming into and out of focus.

[@BoyNamedSue4]

No love for Michael Caine?

[@BardicLiving]

+BoyNamedSue4 That's a crime, Michael Caine cleans up here.

[@jaytheartman610]

Probubly he Likes not being obveuse

[@asherkahtan3914]

Moi name is Moichael Caine and I’m in a kid’s fiwm with a scweaming door, a dying baby frog and Death himself taking me into Hell. What have Oi done?

[@MrImastinker]

Or Albert Finney.

[@peter42466]

One of the things I love about this story is how the first two ghosts are so nice to Scrooge until the very end of the present but then the future is the stuff of nightmares

[@elenmelon18]

HEY!!!! What about The Muppet's Christmas Carol? What about their Scrooge? He was well done and it was Micheal Caine!!!! How can you say no to him?

[@crystalbeard6376]

Personally I believe the 2009 was the best one, it tried to be a bit silly but just kept all the right tones of darkness. The scene with Christmas Present reminds me somewhat of The Mysterious Stranger.

[@taylorwollerton6970]

A brilliant video as always. It's true that there are many different adaptations of a christmas carrel and loads of these are brilliant. Scrooged is fabulous but my fave is the Muppits Christmas carrel. Like omg that is amazing. That should have a video of its own man, it's just so good.

[@kathrincutie1995]

This video is great! I really like this format as a way of addressing texts with multiple adaptations

[@MrKoryMisun]

Michael Caine played a lovely Scrooge as well with the Muppets. Even Tim Curry was Scrooge in an animated musical!

[@cameronmonaghan6883]

Surprisingly i found the Muppet ghost of yet to come to be creepiest. It just has a void for a face

[@tsc6454]

It's Merry Christmas a day of rebirth and a chance for people even non.believers like you that Christ was the greatest gift the world has ever known. This book celebrates this gift

[@mirthfulArtist]

11:32 To be fair, the 1951 movie was recoloured from Black and White after the fact. Maybe the robe was green originally! 😅

[@eponymouselias]

Honestly the Jim Carrey one was the one I watched when I was little and I just love how creepy it is, so along with the nostalgia it’s my favorite one

[@theyakkoman]

I hope you'll do this with Treasure Island one day. So many adaptations. None that get it 100 % right. I'll nominate the one with Charlton Heston as Long John Silver and Christian Bale as Jim Hawkins for best adaptation, but my favourite Silver is Tim Curry from the Muppet version.

[@swanpride]

+theyakkoman The best Silver is for me Orson Wells...no one of the others comes even close.

[@robertmusacchio9409]

how could you not review the Scrooge of Reginald Owen in the very atmospheric classic Hollywood 1938 version

[@JrMantisBrigade]

Five words: Alec Guinness as Jacob Marley

[@billyweed835]

I pictured Past as shapeshifting, fitting with how the past is often distorted by the fogs of memory. One of the good bits of the Jim Carey movie was how it used its medium to its advantage, to depict the ghosts symbolically, as Dickens described them. Past an ever-present light, bruning into the future, constantly shifting as one views it. Present a vibrant, colorful being who fades quickly, and Future nothing more then a shadow, a looming presence of which we all are constantly aware, but cannot truly know until it is already upon us. Plus, having Carrey voice the ghosts made the whole "repeating Scrooge's words back at him" thing work better, particular for Present, since he's essentially meant as what Scrooge could have been if he hadn't been consumed by greed and pride, and does that trick the most.

[@0311Mushroom]

One that should have been considered, the 1970 film with Albert Finney. A true all star cast, and one of the best tellings.

[@jeniferjoseph9200]

You see, while I do think the 2009 version of the Ghost of Christmas Past was probably the most accurate in terms of creativity, it got the tone wrong. While I'd have pegged the GoCP as kind of a melancholic, albeit eerie comfort, the 2009 version was simply too creepy to be emotionally resonant.

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

The Ghost of Christmas-Yet-To-Come in the Epic Rap Battle should have won by default: "HA! You're gonna DIE! With no one to love you, & no one to cry!" Genuinely *creepy* the first time I saw it - I know it's not an ideal adaption, but damn!

[@BohepansTheThird]

I'm always gonna be a Muppet Christmas Carol man, myself. Michael Caine wins all for me

[@Ramblinman26]

The Muppets always had my favorite Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come.

[@laddarecess]

Michael Caine was the best Scrooge ;)

[@thomasbridges6026]

McCartneyLennon HarrisonStarkey agreed

[@alexturlais8558]

i love this format! Do this again for other popular books!

[@troyschulz2318]

None the less, Merry Christmas Dom.

[@theDCification]

Great new format. Love the compare and contrast

[@chettyspaghetti226]

Muppet Christmas for the win! Always!!!

[@Matt-cz6ti]

As I recall the Ghost of Christmas Present from the Patrick Stewart film is pretty damn book accurate. Weird that it wasn’t nominated in that category because it *would* have won

[@ymsing2347]

Another entertaining episode :D I really like the idea of the DomOscars :D Happy New Year to you too :D

[@adrianpetyt9167]

The ghost of Christmas Present actually lives for the whole traditional twelve days of Christmas in the book. He's seen to age and die on Twelfth Night

[@jarethsqueen7671]

With the holidays approaching, this would be a great format for the Nutcracker.

[@elchubacabra2840]

The Muppet's version of the future ghost (I'm not typing the full name) was my favorite.

[@Endonia-ym3sl]

I don't know, I think the muppets ghost of Christmas yet to come was the best because that thing was terrifying!

[@alexisgrey3633]

The ghost of Christmas yet to come scared the fuck out of me as a kid (and still kind of does tbh, except I can chuckle at the fact that their name can be made an innuendo easily lol)

[@gregsalcedo4857]

Caine is the best Scrooge for me.

[@victoryangel29]

one thing you could have added to the Ghost of Christmas yet to come, is that some of the versions such as the Disney Christmas Carol, and the 2009 Christmas Carol. It's implied or heavily foreshadowed that Scrooge would die that very night lest he change his views on Christmas and life in general. Which is why the Ghost of Christmas yet to come is often depicted as Grim Reaper-esk.

[@jellybeansbud3610]

“If you think this is weird and mental. Also shut up”. Dom I love you 😂😂😂

[@RachelG1979]

Albert Finney's Christmas Carol Ghost of Christmas Present should have been on the ballot.

[@genevievebertagnolli1615]

That one used to terrify me as a child!

[@SuperSongbird21]

7:54 Technically Scrooge jams the snuffer on the Spirit's head but fails to put out the light completely, then Scrooge wakes up and the scene isn't really concluded. I always took this to mean that Scrooge's attempts to 'bonnet' the Spirit were pointless because the light is Memory and Scrooge's memories are a part of him, so he can't just pretend his childhood experiences never happened and thus have nothing to teach him.

[@reymagea1]

And a Very Merry Holiday Season to You!!!Just happened to be watchin on 1/2/2020

[@goilat28paces]

I was disappointed that the 1999 Ghost of Christmas Present wasn't included at first, so I'm glad he was given an honorable mention!

[@bi_cycle]

I'm always routing for muppets. Fred being ridiculously attractive may or may not have something to do with that....

[@MrU4theChillWind]

Michael Caine in A Muppet Christmas Carol was fantastic, too.

[@Gojirabromm]

tso for the win!!! when it came to 184's ghost of Christmas yet to come, what I likes about it was you were never shown the ghost directly, it was always his silhouette against an eerie light, or his shadow. you never got a clear look, and that made him all the more horrifying

[@choryllis6646]

The Dom: **comparing the different adaptations of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come** Me: **headbanging to TSO Carol of the Bells**

[@Nick_C1997]

Something I quite like about the Muppet Ghosts of Past, Present and Future is that they aren’t played by any of the real muppets, I think it would have been distracting if they had used them. However, my favourite interpretations of the ghosts come from the Kelsey Grammar musical, where they take the forms of 3 people that Scrooge encountered earlier in the day

[@solarflare157]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH THANK YOU VERY MUCH THAT'S THE NICEST THING THAT ANYONE EVER DONE FOR MEE who watched the version of The Christmas Carol with this song?