We chose "The Man Who Invented Christmas" a 2017 movie about Charles Dickens and his inspiration in creating "A Christmas Carol."
This charming film weaves the story of Charles Dickens and his busy life in and out with the creative writing process, and the characters from his famous Christmas tale. It was particularly enjoyable to watch if one had just recently read or watched a movie version of the story as the names of characters seemed to just pop out at you when they appeared.
Charles Dickens is well known for many works of literature, but in 1843 he is a writer that well known, but not producing works that make money. He has debts, and maneuvers loans to keep up, but decides to write a short story to sell for Christmas. He uses his own awareness of the problems in the world, the experiences he has seen and the things he values to write his now famous "A Christmas Carol."
The story ends up being a huge success and alters the way that much of Western society celebrates Christmas. When we hear about the commercialization of Christmas, and needing to focus on what is important, fundamental to the way we frame these things can likely be traced to the tale of Mr. Scrooge and the ghosts that scare him to realize his greed is killing him.
The storytelling in film is full of subtlety and humor. Many people that Dickens encounters in his daily life end up being in his story, personified in the characters. The actors end up filling the role in his 'story' as it develops, even as they are friends, family, or strangers. The movie is beautiful, colorful, well done, and fully entertaining.
