How Michael Caine’s commitment made ‘The Muppet’s Christmas Carol’ one of the greats
Few lovers of literature would stand fast and deny the mammoth cultural impact of Charles Dickens. A pure and potent writer, Dickens wrote books that connected with the intelligence of society and the bountiful sentiment, using his novels to nourish both heart and mind. Within a rich bibliography, perhaps Dickens’ finest creation is A Christmas Carol, and the only way that particular moving story of festive humanity can get any better is when it is performed by the Muppets.
The novella, published in 1843, has undergone many adaptations over the years. Some adaptations attempt to showcase the fragility of wealth and material possessions, while others choose to highlight the strength of societal camaraderie and the pitfalls of diving into a pit of money in the pursuit of happiness. The truth is, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge has never been more perfectly told than when a group of fuzzy puppets took on eth story in 1992, delivering a fitting lesson in the sanctity of charity.
December is a time for a mammoth range of Christmas movies to flood your inner monologue, reminding you of the spirit of the season. You might have a penchant for the classics or stick strictly to the latest release, but we’d wager that whenever you put on The Muppet’s Christmas Carol, and no matter who you are watching it with, everybody in the room will rejoice as Michael Caine takes on the role of Scrooge and comes face to face with Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit.
Naturally, for a musically-leaning retelling of the novella, there is a hefty dose of humour involved. After all, the Muppets are a comedy troupe. And, just as naturally, the role of Miss Piggy as Cratchit’s wife Emily is only marginally upstaged by the scene-stealing role of Statler and Waldorf as Scrooge’s deceased and decried business partner Marley and Marley… “whoo!”
But the reason the humour and heartwarming story really comes to fruition is that Michael Caine, one of the finer actors the world has ever seen, decided that his depiction of Scrooge would be as earnest, cultured and carefully constructed as anything seen on stage or screen before.
When speaking ahead of the now cherished production, Caine noted: “I’m going to play this movie like I’m working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I will never wink, I will never do anything Muppety. I am going to play Scrooge as if it is an utterly dramatic role, and there are no puppets around me.”
Where other Muppet adaptations quickly lose momentum or don’t stick to their assignment, here, they remain faithful to Dickens’ novel, playing out a definitive version of the story that doesn’t shy away from the grief of the story nor Scrooge’s rotten cynicism. Because of this dedication, the determination that emanated from Michael Caine, this film remains one of the greatest Christmas films ever made.
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