Bharat Nalluri, Dan Stevens, and the Producers of “The Man Who Invented Christmas” spring in the holiday season.
Bharat Nalluri’s The Man Who Invented Christmas, tells the story of how historical characters like Tiny Tim and Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ infamous book A Christmas Carol came to be. The film follows Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) as he struggles to get inspiration for his new book.
“It actually started with a non-fiction book called The Man Who Invented Christmas, written by Les Standiford,” says Producer Paula Mazur. “When we read it we thought what if we could take this and make a narrative version of this and bring it the screen.”
With the help of screenplay writer Susan Coyn, that’s what Paula Mazur and Robert Mickelson, among others accomplished. The movie aimed to teach a lesson about generosity and kindness, with a play on the Christmas spirit. “Dickens had such a social-conscious,” says Mickelson. “That’s what leads to the Christmas Carol dealing with child labor….”. Coyn’s script gives Dicken’s backstory of what lead him to be the socially conscious man he was and Coyn depicts Dickens as an orphaned child working in a sweatshop.
Dickens created social change with his book writing about characters being kind to the less fortunate, and holding the poor to the same status as the well-accomplished man.
“He spoke on so many levels to people, I think it was again that entertainment piece of it but also that it was about the human condition and how do we maintain our best selves in the midst of what was the industrial revolution at that time,” added Mickelson.
Director Bharat Bharat Nalluri was excited to share the story. “It’s a really fun film. It’s going to make you laugh, make you cry,” Nalluri shared. “If you put your cynical head away, go in there, and enjoy it for what it is, it’s a joyous experience, which is what Dicken was, he’s a populist.”
The movie gives viewers hope and imagination. Christopher Plummer and Dan Stevens have perfect chemistry on-screen, and audience members were filled with laughter during scenes where Scrooge (Plummer) is seen taunting Dickens (Stevens) about his writer’s block.
“The genius of Dickens is that it’s about being good to people around you. When people who are not as well off as you, you lighten the burden of others. No person is useless especially one who lightens the burden of another,” Stevens said.
In Theaters Nationwide November 22, 2017.
