Part fact and part conjecture, The Man Who Created Christmas (from
the book by Les Standiford) is a fascinating,
amusing imagining of the creation of one of the all time literary classics,
A Christmas Carol and features winning performances and
spirit that Charles Dickens would approve.
In
1843 in London, Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens), the world famous author of Oliver Twist, is
at a career crossroads with his family financially strapped. Plagued by writer’s block and constant
interruptions, he is under pressure to deliver a Christmas story that he is
making up based on familiar faces and locales.
When he creates his main character, Scrooge, (wonderfully personified by rascally Christopher Plummer), his
characters comes to life in his mind, and at times it is hard to separate the
fiction from reality! As his past and
present life intersect, Dickens needs a brilliant ending to his story as the Christmas
season arrives.
This
is about Dickens’ creative process which sometimes comes at the expense of his
family and even his own sanity. The
centerpiece of the film centers on Dickens and the battle of wills with his
Scrooge, who becomes an inspiration and tormentor at the same time. The filmmakers (directed by Bharat Nalluri) convincingly recreate
19th century London, and through flashbacks, we see Dickens’ traumatic childhood memories (marked
by his absent father) that also inspired his writings.
Of
course we know how the story turns out, but the fun is how he gets there. Fans of the Christmas mythology and holiday
literary classic no doubt will enjoy this magical journey.
*** of **** stars (add ½* for Yuletide fans)
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