A Christmas Carol 1910

A Christmas Carol (1910) is a short silent drama adapting Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella about the miser Ebenezer Scrooge and his supernatural Christmas Eve transformation. Produced by Edison Studios and directed by J. Searle Dawley, the approximately 10–13 minute film condenses the familiar story into a series of key scenes using silent-era visuals and intertitles.
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On Christmas Eve, Scrooge refuses charity, rebuffs his cheerful nephew Fred, and treats his clerk Bob Cratchit harshly before returning home alone. There he is visited by the ghost of his dead partner Jacob Marley, who warns that Scrooge’s soul is in danger if he does not change. A single “Spirit of Christmas” then guides Scrooge through visions of his happier past, the hardship and warmth of Christmas in the present, and the grim future that awaits if he remains selfish and cruel. Shaken by these visions, Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning overjoyed, embraces generosity, and goes personally to the Cratchit home—along with his nephew—to share food, kindness, and newfound Christmas spirit.