10 Little Known Facts About Your Favourite Christmas Films
5. "Humbug" Is A Window Into Scrooges Motivation - Any Adaptation Of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is one of the most adapted stories ever. From straight up translations to genre twists, modern updates to Christmas specials of much loved characters, theres a version of the greedy man turns good thanks to the help of three vision giving ghosts tale out there to tickle your fancy (for my money, the Alastair Sim 1951 Scrooge is the best). Although they vary in their intricacies, all adaptations tend to use the same key story elements and the same quotes recur over and over. The biggest crossover has to be Scrooges catchphrase, Bah, Humbug. Everyone knows the word scrooge originates from Dickens novel, few realise the popularity of the book had a big effect on humbug; although its now a general derision of the holiday season, it's original meaning gives the well worn story an added layer. In the 1800s a humbug was something deceptive (it and the sweet of the same name come from an earlier, less serious derivation); when Scrooge calls Christmas a humbug hes passing judgement on all the well doers, suggesting theyre really doing all their nice deeds for their own benefit. Suddenly his grumpiness seems a lot less putrid, making him greedy out of a warped idealism (and importantly ripe for redemption).
