The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford

The film’s title perhaps oversells what Dickens achieved with “A Christmas Carol.” He is shown as an early adopter of the German tradition of decorating indoor trees (although Queen Victoria did it first). Jonathan Pryce is quite good in the role of a wastrel whose legal troubles forced a young Charlie to toil in a workhouse. The skinflint materializes now and then to advise Dickens on storytelling and life choices, especially those involving the scribe’s shiftless though charming father.

That leads to the idea of a visitation by three ghosts representing Christmas past, present and future.Īs the man who would inspire the character of Scrooge - first spied at night in a cemetery attending a threadbare burial for his business partner, while uttering, “Bah, humbug!” - Christopher Plummer is well chosen. As the story gets underway, the father of four learns from his indulgent wife (Morfydd Clark) that a fifth little Dickens is on the way, even as he is growing deeper in debt from an ongoing home renovation project.ĭesperate for an ember of an idea, he listens as his Irish housemaid (Anna Murphy) relates a folk tale about the awakening of spirits at Christmas - complete with eerie, keening sounds. Introduced during a visit to New York City as “the Shakespeare of the novel,” Dickens saw his next three volumes declared failures. Inspired by historian Les Standiford’s 2008 book “The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits,” screenwriter Susan Coyne depicts the popular, 31-year-old author as mired in a creative crisis. Magoo, Yosemite Sam and the Muppets.ĭirected by Indian-born Bharat Nalluri, this highly theatrical “Christmas Carol” has a clever twist: It reveals the whirlwind writing process that Charles Dickens went through, over the course of six weeks, to produce his 1843 novella in time for the holiday. Although Sim’s 1951 effort remains the gold standard, there are also watchable versions featuring Mr. Scott, in the role of miser Ebenezer Scrooge. You might beg off upon learning that this is little more than a glorified retelling of “A Christmas Carol,” the cinematic evergreen that, ever since the silent era, has attracted talents ranging from Alistair Sim to George C.

When a crass money-grab sequel like “A Bad Moms Christmas” is what passes for yuletide cheer these days, a slightly old-fashioned yet sprightly bough of holly like “The Man Who Invented Christmas” can’t help but warm the cockles of a moviegoer’s heart. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu

The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford