Ein Weihnachtslied in Prosa oder Eine Geistergeschichte zum Christfest (1960)

The film’s plot follows the literary source: On Christmas Eve, the old, wealthy, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited first by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, and then by three other spirits. They show him Christmases past, present, and future. He realizes that his money has not made him happy, that nobody likes him, and that no one will mourn him after his death. The next morning, he wakes up and resolves to become a better and more generous person. At the beginning and end of the film, and between some scenes, the author Charles Dickens himself appears as the narrator. For example, the episode in which Scrooge’s fiancée returns his ring is not shown as a scene, but only narrated. The Christmas celebration at the home of Scrooge’s former employer, Mr. Fezziwig, is depicted as a dance scene, choreographed by Erika Nein.