Scrooge (1970) is the musical version of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, starring the late, great Albert Finney. In the truest sense of “literally”, studios don’t make films like this any longer.
Finney is a colossus in Scrooge, appearing in almost every scene. The songs won’t be familiar to contemporary listeners, but they’re effective in creating the necessary set pieces and advancing the familiar narrative.
As an example, there is the little ditty “I Hate People,” which has been flitting in and out of my consciousness ever since hard seltzer became a national phenomenon.
Scavengers and sycophants and flatterers and fools
Pharisees and parasites and hypocrites and ghouls
Calculating swindlers, prevaricating frauds
Perpetrating evil as they roam the earth in hordes
Feeding on their fellow men
Reaping rich rewards
Contaminating everything they see
Corrupting honest me like me
Humbug! Poppycock! Balderdash! Bah!
I hate people! I hate people!
Scrooge has been my wife’s go-to holiday movie for a long time, and a...
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