Scrooge, or, Marley’s Ghost (1901)

Directed by Walter R. Booth, these precious few minutes are all that survive of the 1901 first known film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. 

Scrooge, or, Marley’s Ghost was apparently based on a popular English stage production and was filmed at R. W. Paul's Animatograph Works in North London. The film was first released in November 1901. 

R. W. Paul was an inventor and film pioneer and (like Georges Melies in Paris) a trick film specialist. Walter R. Booth, the film's director, was (also like Melies) a well-known magician.

Thanks to Jan Libby for the link to this public domain footage that has been preserved by the British Film Institute.