In 1843, the celebrated British novelist, Charles Dickens, 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 and mother come to bunk with him.
Still haunted by painful memories of his father ruining his childhood by his financial irresponsibly, Dickens develops a writer’s block which seems to have no solution. As such, Dickens must face his personal demons epitomized through his characters, especially in his imagined conversations with Ebenezer Scrooge. 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.
The Man Who Invented Christmas is a 2017 biographical drama film directed by Bharat Nalluri and written by Susan Coyne based on the book of the same name by Les Standiford. It stars Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer, and Jonathan Pryce. The plot follows Charles Dickens (Stevens) at the time when he wrote A Christmas Carol, and how Dickens’s fictional character Ebenezer Scrooge (Plummer) was influenced by his real-life father, John Dickens (Pryce). It was released by Bleecker Street in the United States on November 22, 2017 and in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2017.
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
Directed by: Bharat Nalluri
Starring: Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer, Miriam Margolyes, Jonathan Pryce, Simon Callow, Cosimo Fusco, Donald Sumpter, Ian McNeice, Annette Badland, Morfydd Clark, Valeria Bandino
Screenplay by: Susan Coyne
Production Design by: Paki Smith
Cinematography by: Ben Smithard
Film Editing by: Stephen O’Connell, Jamie Pearson
Costume Design by: Leonie Prendergast
Set Decoration by: Julie Ochipinti
Art Direction by: Neill Treacy
Music by: Mychael Danna
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements and some mild language.
Distributed by: Bleecker Street
Release Date: December 22, 2017
