Year: 2017
Director: Bharat Nalluri
Starring: Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer, Jonathan Pryce, Anna Murphy, and Justin Edwards
Tagline: How Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol and created a tradition
Synopsis: After three flops, Charles Dickens decides to write a Christmas story, which leads him on a personal journey as well.
Tagline: How Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol and created a tradition
Synopsis: After three flops, Charles Dickens decides to write a Christmas story, which leads him on a personal journey as well.
Review
The title of the film is a bit misleading. The story is more about how Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol than it is about how doing so reshaped the traditions of Christmas in Victorian England. Some sense of the latter comes across. But that may be because I've read about Dickens' influence and could read between some of the lines. Title aside, The Man Who Invented Christmas is an enjoyable holiday film.
I don't know how many liberties the film takes with the truth. Dickens did write A Christmas Carol in a pinch. His last three works hadn't sold well, and by the time he had the idea to write a Christmas story, it was about six weeks until Christmas. It's likely unknown how much inspiration Dickens drew specifically from the world around him or from encounters he had. But even if fiction strays from the facts, the gist is there. And it helps bring A Christmas Carol to life in a new way.
The more familiar you are with A Christmas Carol, the more you will enjoy The Man Who Invented Christmas. I've read the story many a time. I loved seeing all the details that would show up in the story (like the brass door knocker and the chain-clad safe) and hearing words that would eventually come from Scrooge's mouth.
The story centers on Charles Dickens himself, and Dan Stevens brings the author to life with energetic zeal. Dickens is almost manic-depressive as he feverishly tries to write the story only to be interrupted left and right. The chief distraction is his own father: a kind and generous man who is also an incorrigible spendthrift. Dickens characters also take on lives of their own in his imagination. Ebenezer Scrooge -- brilliantly portrayed by Christopher Plummer -- follows Dickens around as both inspiration and critic.
The heart of the film is the climax of A Christmas Carol. It's almost frustrating to watch Dickens wrestle with the ending of his tale, which for us is a foregone conclusion. Can a "covetous old sinner" like Scrooge really change? Yes. He can. He must. But Dickens isn't so sure. And in order to write that redemptive ending, Dickens must first come to terms with his own ghosts of the past and the shadows he can't let go of. Thus Dickens and Scrooge find their redemption together.
It doesn't entirely work, but it works well enough to be satisfactory in the film.
The film is rated PG for thematic reasons. I don't remember any swearing. There are a few dark/scary moments. Any child who can handle A Christmas Carol can manage this take on it.
Unfortunately, the film didn't get a lot of press. Nor did it get a very wide release. You may have to hunt a little in order to see it.
The Man Who Invented Christmas doesn't quite live up to that title. Nor does the "making of" capture all that makes A Christmas Carol the timeless literary masterpiece it is. But as a fresh take on a familiar tale, it is an enjoyable film. It will get you in the holiday spirit, even if it doesn't fully explain how Dickens' work revived that spirit. I enjoyed it and will likely watch it again next Christmas. But now I need to go watch Muppet Christmas Carol again.
*** Spoiler Section ***
Dickens gets A Christmas Carol published in time and it becomes a huge success that helps rekindle the spirit of Christmas in Victorian England. OK, that's not really a spoiler.
I don't know how many liberties the film takes with the truth. Dickens did write A Christmas Carol in a pinch. His last three works hadn't sold well, and by the time he had the idea to write a Christmas story, it was about six weeks until Christmas. It's likely unknown how much inspiration Dickens drew specifically from the world around him or from encounters he had. But even if fiction strays from the facts, the gist is there. And it helps bring A Christmas Carol to life in a new way.
The more familiar you are with A Christmas Carol, the more you will enjoy The Man Who Invented Christmas. I've read the story many a time. I loved seeing all the details that would show up in the story (like the brass door knocker and the chain-clad safe) and hearing words that would eventually come from Scrooge's mouth.
The story centers on Charles Dickens himself, and Dan Stevens brings the author to life with energetic zeal. Dickens is almost manic-depressive as he feverishly tries to write the story only to be interrupted left and right. The chief distraction is his own father: a kind and generous man who is also an incorrigible spendthrift. Dickens characters also take on lives of their own in his imagination. Ebenezer Scrooge -- brilliantly portrayed by Christopher Plummer -- follows Dickens around as both inspiration and critic.
The heart of the film is the climax of A Christmas Carol. It's almost frustrating to watch Dickens wrestle with the ending of his tale, which for us is a foregone conclusion. Can a "covetous old sinner" like Scrooge really change? Yes. He can. He must. But Dickens isn't so sure. And in order to write that redemptive ending, Dickens must first come to terms with his own ghosts of the past and the shadows he can't let go of. Thus Dickens and Scrooge find their redemption together.
It doesn't entirely work, but it works well enough to be satisfactory in the film.
The film is rated PG for thematic reasons. I don't remember any swearing. There are a few dark/scary moments. Any child who can handle A Christmas Carol can manage this take on it.
Unfortunately, the film didn't get a lot of press. Nor did it get a very wide release. You may have to hunt a little in order to see it.
The Man Who Invented Christmas doesn't quite live up to that title. Nor does the "making of" capture all that makes A Christmas Carol the timeless literary masterpiece it is. But as a fresh take on a familiar tale, it is an enjoyable film. It will get you in the holiday spirit, even if it doesn't fully explain how Dickens' work revived that spirit. I enjoyed it and will likely watch it again next Christmas. But now I need to go watch Muppet Christmas Carol again.
*** Spoiler Section ***
Dickens gets A Christmas Carol published in time and it becomes a huge success that helps rekindle the spirit of Christmas in Victorian England. OK, that's not really a spoiler.
Quotable Quotes
- "I'm the author!" "Allegedly." -- Charles Dickens and Scrooge
- "People will believe anything if you are properly dressed." -- Charles Dickens and John Dickens
- "No life is useless that lifts the burden of another." -- Charles Dickens
- "No! You can't kill Tiny Tim." -- Tara
- "I knew you and I would make something great together." -- Charles Dickens to Scrooge
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