As Christmas is nigh, Hollywood has finally decided to offer us a film for us to celebrate this time of year. Through the decades Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" has had a plethora of incarnations dating back as far as the 30's. We've seen different takes on the story in both the drama and comedy genres, but now we are offered "The Man Who Invented Christmas", basically telling us how Dickens came up with the idea of the book.
In London, 1843, the celebrated British novelist Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens), is at a low point in his career with three flops behind him and his family expenses piling up at home. Determined to recover, Dickens decides to write a Christmas story and self publish it in less than two months. As Dickens labors writing on such short notice, his estranged father, John (Jonathan Pryce) and mother come to bunk with him. Still haunted by painful memories of his father ruining his childhood by his financial irresponsibility, Dickens must face his personal demons epitomized through his characters, especially in his imagined conversations with Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer). Now with a looming deadline, Dickens struggles for inspiration against his frustrations and his characters' opinions in a literary challenge creating a classic tale that would define the essential soul of modern Christmas.
Others to round out the cast are Justin Edwards as John Forster, Simon Callow as John Leech, Anna Murphy as Tara/Ghost of Christmas Past, Morfydd Clark as Kate Dickens, Miriam Margolyes as Mrs. Fisk, Donald Sumpter as Jacob Marley, John Henshaw as Mr. Fezziwig and Ely Solan as Young Charles Dickens.
This was methodically directed by Bharat Nalluri ("Downtime" '97, "Killing Time" '98, "Cyclops" (TV movie) '01, "The Hunters" (TV movie) '06, "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" '08, "MI-5" '15, "Mars Project" (TV movie) '16) plus a ton of TV. This filmmaker's ability to dissect each scene and place it in a methodical way sequentially is amazing. His characters jumped off the screen in a delightful way. It was well thought out by writer Susan Coyne ("Christmas Dreams" (TV movie) '09, "Anne of Green Gables" (TV movie) '16) plus a ton of TV, based on a book by Les Standiford which is inspired by Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". Considering this is Coyne's first theatrical screenplay, this was crafted with expertise unlike I've seen by many seasoned screenwriters. The fact that she has a ton of TV to her credit is definitely a feather in her cap. Gnawing one's teeth on another medium is vital in honing a talent that is apparently already rooted. Other than a couple of very small slow places in storyline, this script soared. The originality of showing us what could've happened to Dickens as he was creating this novel was pure genius. Having the different characters appear (in Dickens' imagination) to assist him in his journey of finishing his story was both comedic and dramatic. Kudos to her for her incredible originality. Interestingly, Dickens published his novel on Dec.19, 1843, just days before Christmas.
If you like the usual 'Christmas Carol' films we've seen so many times for decades, this will be a refreshing change we all are clearly ready for. This has it all: good writing, directing, acting--specifically by Stevens and Plummer, and marvelous production values all rolled up in a Christmas film you will soon anot forget.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG 105mins.
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