The Man Who Invented Christmas
The journey that led to Charles Dickens’ creation of “A Christmas Carol,” a timeless tale that would redefine the holiday.
Cast
Dan Stevens – Charles Dickens
Christopher Plummer – Ebenezer Scrooge
Jonathan Pryce – John Dickens
Simon Callow – John Leech
Donald Sumpter – Jacob Marley
Miriam Margoyles – Mrs. Fisk
Morfydd Clark – Kate Dickens
The Man Who Inspired Yawning
Good GOD. What THE HELL was that? That dull, dreary, face-achingly boring piece of shit?
Sorry to be so blunt but for the love of Dickens, I can’t remember being this bored during a ‘movie’ since something I saw a few years back where I walked out not even half an hour in. The Man Who Invented Christmas should be the perfect festive treat; heartwarming and a bit dramatic. Its variety of characters played out by memorable actors who boost the Christmassy atmosphere. Scenes that leave you reeling with Christmas spirit and seasonal inspiration. Most of us have seen a movie like this, but my message here is: do not expect the same treat from Parallel Films. This one is so slow that it moves at a pace similar to that of a person trying to run through a pool of treacle..
A lot of the movie is Dickens experiencing hallucinatory moments of inspiration where he creates various characters soon to be written into his story. And although having the likes of Marley, The Ghost of Christmas Past and Bob Cratchit pop up in Dickens’ daily life and encourage him to further his literary adventure, each visit is excruciatingly talky. Stevens makes the most of gracing the screen with a presence so dull he could give Jeremy Corbyn a run for his money. It’s a lot of:
Standing, staring at things with a wide-eyed expressionless face.
Sitting at a desk writing, and then getting up and pacing slowly across the room whilst conversing with a potential character.
Hobbling around rooms and moaning helplessly about how his writing is turning out.
None of this is helped by the fact the scenes which take place use such bleak surroundings that you’d be forgiven for thinking there was a power cut just before filming. The film is dark, and I don’t mean in the emotion sense. Did they film it in someone’s attic?
Seeing The Good
So we have Ebenezer Scrooge being an arse but slowly seeing the good in things, ultimately becoming less of an arse.
Now it’s my turn to see the good in The Man Who Invented Christmas.
Hardcore fans of Charles Dickens and his books will not be disappointed by this movie. In fact, it would be highly appreciated by those who like to disect his works and analyze the meaning behind them. If you’ve studied Dickens you’ll be in your element; the movie also breaks into moments of drama when Charles is involved in family confrontations. These are more serious bits which take the viewer behind the scenes of his life, therefore balancing imaginative story writing and character development with the strife of everyday life.
Not all of this movie is storybook characters popping in and out. Some scenes also take place between Dickens and his agent in local pubs, etc. playing out like something from a period drama. Viewers get a nice glimpse of the writer’s life behind closed doors when at work and when with family. Good balance.
Fans of Charles Dickens – rejoice!
Those who are not bothered – be warned: you will be bored shitless.
The Man Who Invented Christmas is one of the most dull, yawn-inducing movies associated with Christmas I have ever seen. And if I wanted to get into the Christmas spirit this would be far from my list of things to watch. It wouldn’t even cross my mind.
I literally cannot write anymore about this movie. In fact, I refuse to.
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