Summary: A Christmas Carol. Directed by J. Searle Dawley (?). Adapted from the story by Charles Dickens. Cast: Marc MacDermott (Scrooge). © 23 December 1910; Released 23 December 1910. American producers were already making Christmas films in the late nineteenth century. As the motion picture industry gained in size and stability, many companies made their release an annual ritual. The Edison Manufacturing Company offered The Night Before Christmas in December 1905, The Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus in December 19071, A Street Waif’s Christmas (released 18 December 1908), A Gift from Santa Claus (released 17 December 1909), and A Christmas Carol (released 23 December 1910). ). In fact, the Essanay Motion Picture Company had already turned Dickens’ story into a film back in 1908. This Edison picture was the second film adaptation of the Christmas classic (though the earliest version to be extant). Back in 1910, critics already held strong and divergent opinions about many of these films. A regular reviewer for Moving Picture World praised this adaptation of Dickens’ story as “so cleverly reproduced that the characters actually live before one. There is Scrooge at his office, lacking the spirit of Christmas, abusing those around him and refusing to contribute for the benefit of those who are in need.” It is one of the best releases of this company for a long time,” he concluded. “The actors have caught the spirit of the selection and have interpreted the characters with rare fidelity. … In truth, it would be difficult to suggest any improvement for this excellent film.” (MPW, 7 January 1911, 32.) Two weeks earlier, however, Moving Picture World columnist Thomas Bedding had expressed his disappointment with the Edison film, feeling that its sentimental themes were “dealt with sufficiently in the magazines and in everyday life without presenting them as entertainment.” For this reason he urged the Edison company “to adopt different themes, more of the merry-making order.” (“Christmas on the Screen,” Moving Picture World, 24 December 1910, 1459.) In truth, critics and moviegoers generally offered unflattering comments on Edison productions made from mid-1908 through 1910, though the company made an impressive rebound during 1911.
