December 13, 2017 The Skanner Portland Page 7
FILM REVIEW: ‘The Man Who Invented
Christmas’ Credits a Compassionate
Charles Dickens for the Way We Celebrate
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
C
harles
Dickens
(1812-1870) is con-
sidered the preemi-
nent novelist of the
Victorian Era because of
his touching and time-
less tales that shed light
on the plight of the poor.
He probably began devel-
oping an empathy for the
less fortunate at an early
age. That’s because he
had to drop out of school
to work in a factory to
support the family aft er
his bankrupt father (Jon-
athan Pryce) went to a
debtors’ prison.
Charles’
challenging
childhood
ostensibly
served as the source
of inspiration for such
coming-of-age classics
as “The Adventures of
Oliver Twist,” “Great
Expectations” and “Da-
vid Copperfi eld.” But the
book which has had the
most profound eff ect on
Western culture is “A
Christmas Carol,” since it
irreversibly altered how
we celebrate the holiday.
That notion is the gen-
esis of “The Man Who
Invented Christmas,” Les
Standiford’s historical
narrative
recounting
the events in December
of 1843 leading up to
Dickens’ publishing “A
Christmas Carol.” Now,
that opus has been adapt-
ed to the big screen by
Bharat Nalluri (MI-5) as
Arts & Entertainment
Film
cont’d from pg 6
serves all the accolades
she’s getting for exhib-
iting an enviable range
in a very demanding
role as a tormented teen
constantly in crisis.
Life is an emotional
roller coaster for this
college-bound
high
“
‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’
a sentimental tale of re-
demption.
As the fi lm unfolds,
we fi nd a cash-strapped
Dickens (Dan Stevens)
living beyond his means
and struggling to sup-
port his family. Truth
be told, he didn’t even
marry his wife, Kate
(Morfydd Clark), and
have the the fi rst of their
10 kids until 1836. That
anachronism makes one
wonder to what extent
the picture convenient-
ly takes further license
with the facts in order
to spin a heartwarming
yarn.
Anyhow, with debt col-
lectors closing in, we see
Dickens fi ghting writer’s
block to crank out anoth-
er best seller aft er releas-
ing three bombs in a row.
Luckily, key elements of
“A Christmas Carol,” like
the characters Ebenezer
Scrooge
(Christopher
Plummer) and “The
Ghost of Christmas Past”
(Anna Murphy) come to
him in a variety of ways,
ranging from dreams to
an off hand observation
made by his humble,
Irish housekeeper (Don-
na Marie Sludds).
He proceeds to pub-
lish the novella on Dec.
19, and the fi rst edition
sells out before Christ-
mas. More importantly,
the manuscript’s moving
message about catching
the spirit of the season
made a lasting impact
that still shapes the way
we observe the holiday.
Merry Capitalism!
Very Good HHH
Rated PG for mature
themes and mild epithets
Running time: 104 min.
and trying out for a role
in the school’s musical
revue. Plus, her hor-
mones are raging, and
she’s a little boy crazy,
too. So, excuse her for
not being able to keep
her eyes on the univer-
sity prize.
The plot thickens in
a variety of surprising
ways it would be almost
evil to spoil here. Suf-
fi ce to say that “Lady
‘Lady Bird’ is a fantastic,
female-centric, instant
classic
school senior. And
as the fi lm unfolds,
it’s easy to see why.
Christine “Lady Bird”
McPherson is an icon-
oclast who refuses to
conform, whether she’s
rebelling from her over-
bearing mother (Laurie
Metcalf ) or breaking
the rules at her Cath-
olic high school. She
dyes her hair a bizarre
blend of red and pink,
and insists on being ad-
dressed as Lady Bird by
everyone.
Despite being an aca-
demic underachiever,
she’s banking on col-
lege as her ticket out
of town. She hates bor-
ing Sacramento, and
won’t settle for a school
anywhere but in New
York City. But instead
of studying to pick up
her grades, she indulg-
es her impulses by run-
ning for class president
Bird” is a fantastic, fe-
male-centric,
instant
classic reminiscent of
both “Juno” (2007) and
“Bridesmaids” (2011).
Written and directed
by “mumblecore” move-
ment maven Greta Ger-
wig, the picture is also
ostensibly semi-auto-
biographical, since the
Sacramento native at-
tended an all-girls Cath-
olic school before mov-
ing to Manhattan to
attend Barnard College.
A delightful crowd
pleaser well deserving
of Oscar nominations
for Best Picture, Best
Actress, Best Direc-
tor and Best Original
Screenplay!
Excellent HHHH
Rated R for profanity,
sexuality, teen party-
ing and brief graphic
nudity
–NEW–
LOCAT
ION
F oundation
32nd annual
MARTIN
LUTHER
JAN. 15
2018
KING, JR.
8:30AM-10:30AM
Breakfast
RED LION ON THE RIVER – JANZTEN BEACH
909 N HAYDEN ISLAND DR, PORTLAND, OR
keynote speaker
TICKETS ON SALE at TheSkanner.com
Cheryl grace
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF U.S. STRATEGIC COMMUNITY
ALLIANCES AND CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT FOR NIELSEN
Cheryl Grace is the visionary behind Nielsen’s African-American
Consumer Report. This award-winning report led to the company’s
historic creation of Nielsen’s Diversity Insights Series. Each report
focuses on the rapidly growing African-American, Hispanic, or Asian
consumer base. Cheryl is known for her engaging and refreshing
perspective about why we buy what we buy.
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