I watched a fabulous movie, The Man Who Invented Christmas, the story of Charles Dickens and how he wrote A Christmas Carol. It was free to air on a local TV Channel.
I haven't read much Dickens in my years, beyond a few books when I took some English papers at University. It is fair to say I didn't know much at all about his story, A Christmas Carol, until a few years back when I happened upon the DVD. I had purchased a boxed set of five movies which also included The Sound of Music and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The one I own stars George C. Scott as Scrooge but I've also watched the one with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge and Richard E. Grant as Bob Cratchet.
Subsequently, I read the book and when I saw this movie was going to be on TV, I made sure to watch it.
I loved so much about it. His imaginary characters and the way he would interact with them. The maid who read the draft and tells her that Tiny Tim just can't die and that anyone can be redeemed. Even a miser like old Scrooge. The movie (which as far as I can gather is based on some fact) also follows him self publishing the book: he'd face some failures before hand and had to write the story in six weeks, and have it printed, including illustrations.
It was of course a success, and according to a footnote in the movie, donations to charities sky rocketed once people read the book which pointed out so clearly the plight of the poor in Victorian England.
All in all, this was an engrossing movie, just right for the season and a nice way to spend a couple of hours.
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