The Consequences of Emotional Isolation
In this unusually—and perhaps somewhat unexpected—faithful adaptation of the well-known story, Ebenezer Scrooge is presented as just as mean, miserly and greedy as any other, but the film does something quite different than probably any other version. In the opening song—titled “Scrooge”—various characters sing a litany of his flaws. At the same time, however, the song situates Scrooge as being just a much a victim: in addition to being a skinflint and underhanded, he is also describe as lonely and sad. Then comes the kicker:
“He's really a victim of fear and of pride
Look close and there must be a sweet man inside...”
And as for what caused Scrooge to react to fear and pride in the way he did, the very opening of the song explains the psychology of that:
“there's nothing in nature that freezes your heart
Like years of bein' alone”
Regret
Ironically, many home video versions and what is now considered the official theatrical version for theatrical re-releases no longer feature the song which encapsulates another of its central themes. Not only is the decision to remove the song wrong-headed because of it functions as the symbolic centerpiece of how the choices Scrooge made when younger formed and shaped his transformation into a completely different person later in life, but it also directly connects to the song which concludes the film. That the two are obviously intended to be bookended is abundantly clear from the titles of the two songs: “When Love is Gone” followed at the end by “When Love is Found.” The theme hit home much harder when the sequence was included as Belle, Scrooge’s young love he allows to get away, sings:
“Be careful or you may regret
The choice you make someday”
As for why the song was removed in the first place, speculation is that its plaintive, melancholy tone and the visual imagery supporting it simply did not fit in with the rest of the songs in the movie. Big price to pay for losing a scene that actually spells out one of its primal themes.
Anybody Can Change
Interestingly, another song that expresses the overarching theme of the story as written by Dickens was actually recorded and can be found on the original soundtrack, but never made it into the final cut. The song is performed by Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker and is titled—in remaining consistent with the theme of isolation outlined in the opening song—“Room in Your Heart.” The opening lyrics can effectively be used to describe the main theme of every version of A Christmas Carol:
“Anybody can change, Scrooge
And so can you”
That is, after all, the whole point of the narrative, which may explain the reasoning behind cutting this song even before the film was released. Although effective, it pretty much simply restates what everybody already knows. This make it a quite different case than “When Love is Gone” since not all versions of the story include Scrooge’s doomed romance or else change certain details.
