A fascinating man with many conflicting attitudes and
personae, Charles Dickens was a major celebrity from 1840 until his death in
1870. His serialized stories were a
sensation, captivating readers in his native England and the Americas, millions
waiting on tender hooks for each installment. He was much in demand for public
readings of his stories, and once released in novel form, most were runaway
hits. Yet the man millions loved was one
with a dark side, haunted by the specter of the poverty he grew up in. Subject to violent mood swings and dealing
with stress due to being stretched thin financially as well as having far too
many professional commitments, the author was far from the happy, warm chap the
public thought him to be.
Bharat Nalluri’s The
Man Who Invented Christmas, looks at one of the more tumultuous times in
Dickens’ life and the work that resulted from it. In October of 1843, the author is attempting
to deal with circumstances he could not possibly have imagined 18 months
earlier. What with three consecutive critical and commercial failures, as well
as publishers of questionable virtue, a case of writer’s block and a fifth
child on the way, the writer finds himself at loose ends, unable to see a way
out of his troubles. Yet, when he least expects it, inspiration comes from out
of the blue in the form of a ghost story set at Christmas about a miserly man
who’s forced to confront the sins of his past.
Dickens isn’t quite sure how the story will end or even the name of all
the characters, but he believes in the idea and decides to write, publish and
distribute the story himself. This is
quite a feat in and of itself but having to get it done in six weeks so the
book might be available for the Christmas season makes it appear impossible.
There’s a whimsical tone to the film that infuses many of
its scenes with a lighthearted mood that makes for grand entertainment. As Dickens finds his inspiration for many of
the book’s seminal scenes and characters while walking about London, you can’t
help but smile to yourself upon realizing just how these seemingly disparate
elements will be integrated into the book we know. This is all great fun.
However, the movie is not without its darker moments as the
script by Susan Coyne, an adaptation of the book by Les Standiford, delves into
the author’s tumultuous childhood as well. Dickens’ father John (Jonathan
Pryce) appears on the scene, a good-natured ne’er-do-well whose inability to properly
balance his family’s finances caused him to be sent to debtor’s prison and in
turn was the impetus for Charles to be sent to work in a boot-blacking factory
at the age of eight. This triggers a great many repressed memories in the
author. In working through his harrowing
past, the author undergoes a transformation of his own, rendered ironic by the
fact that Scrooge is his guide.
As for Scrooge, as rendered by Christopher Plummer, he’s a
character that is, as yet not fully developed.
He and other key figures from A
Christmas Carol wait about Dickens’ office with nothing to do, anxious for
him to complete the story so that their fates might be revealed. It’s an ingenious device that provides a
unique perspective on an author’s creative process and the frustration and
elation that accompanies it.
Some liberties are taken with the truth as far as where
Dickens received all of his inspiration and the film doesn’t reveal the
financial impact the book had on the author and his family. Yet, the movie’s message is much in need
today and its impact need not be dulled.
Why let a few trifling truths get in the way of the telling of a good
tale? I have a feeling Mr. Dickens would agree with this sentiment.
This article appears in Nov 16-22, 2017.
