[1] The film received positive reviews, with praise going to the sets, soundtrack, cinematography, and the performances of the cast, particularly Scott's portrayal of Scrooge.

Scrooge later charges three businessmen extra for corn, due to failing to meet his demands the previous day, much to their chagrin.

As a boy, Scrooge is deserted at boarding school by his father Silas who held a grudge against Ebenezer, as the latter's mother died giving birth to him.

Silas gets Ebenezer an apprenticeship with the benevolent Mr. Fezziwig, after three days to spend with his loving elder sister Fan, Fred's mother, who has since died.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come later arrives and takes Scrooge to an exchange, where the three businessmen discuss the death of a colleague whose funeral they would attend only if lunch is provided.

The next morning, discovering that it is Christmas Day, a gleeful Scrooge anonymously sends the Cratchits a prize-winning turkey for dinner.

Cast notes: Director Clive Donner was the editor of Scrooge, the 1951 adaptation of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim.

Rather than being a simple miser, Scrooge is more of a ruthless businessman who laughs when he mocks Christmas, and even tries to make excuses to defend his actions during his encounters with the Spirits.

The interactions of the two charity benefactors, named as Poole and Hacking in this adaptation, occur at the London Stock Exchange, rather than in the office as in the book.

[6] A Christmas Carol has run in syndication on local American channels since its debut in 1984, and was released on VHS in 1989 (in the UK)[8] and to DVD in 1999.

[9][10][11] John J. O'Connor of the New York Times gave a positive review, praising the cinematography, production sets and the performances (especially Scott).

[13] In 2009, novelist and essayist Louis Bayard, writing for Salon.com, labelled the adaptation "the definitive version of a beloved literary classic", praising its fidelity to Dickens' original story, production sets, the strength of the supporting cast, and especially Scott's performance as Scrooge.

Nevertheless, it’s one of the most comprehensive adaptations of Dickens’ work on offer, and is elevated considerably by Scott’s marvellous performance.”[10] In 2023, Tom Nichols of The Atlantic wrote, "There are some good adaptations of the Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, and many bad ones, but only one truly great version, and it is the 1984 made-for-television movie starring George C.

He also praised the film's "attention to detail and atmosphere", and the "deeply unsettling apparitions", especially Frank Finlay as Marley's ghost and Edward Woodward as Christmas Present.