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Story

Set in the 19th century, The Man Who Invented Christmas is the story of how Charles Dickens created the famous and enduring story, A Christmas Carol.

Dickens (Dan Stevens) is in considerable debt after the failure of three of his novels, and he’s under a lot of pressure to write a good story before Christmas. Dickens has also just moved into a new, large house in London with his pregnant wife Kate (Morfydd Clark) and four children. He has difficulty sleeping. And he often recalls the horror of his childhood, when his father, John Dickens (Jonathan Pryce), was dragged off to debtor’s prison with his mother and sisters. Charles was left alone and had to work in a boot-blacking factory.

In this period, Dickens also meets a grizzled old man attending a funeral at night. This gives him the idea for the character of Scrooge (Christopher Plummer). Other characters from A Christmas Carol start appearing in his room as real people, mixing fantasy and reality. Charles also gets inspiration from a young maid, Tara (Anna Murphy), who tells Irish folk tales about spirits.

It’s a frantic rush for Dickens to finish the manuscript of his new novel, have the illustrations done and the book printed. With help from his friend and self-appointed manager, John Forster (Justin Edwards) he makes it just in time.

Themes

Christmas; poverty and charity; Victorian England; fantasy; ghost stories

Violence

There is some violence in The Man Who Invented Christmas. For example:

  • An explosion on a stage throws Dickens to the floor.
  • A bad-tempered man throws a cat off a chair.
  • Under pressure, Dickens yells at everyone, throws things and sends people away.
  • In the boot-blacking factory, the young Dickens hits out at a boy who’s taunting him. They get into a fight.

Sexual references

Nothing of concern

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

The Man Who Invented Christmas shows some use of substances. For example:

  • People drink alcohol at clubs and parties and at home at Christmas.
  • John Dickens smokes cigars and appears drunk.

Nudity and sexual activity

Nothing of concern

Product placement

Nothing of concern

Coarse language

The Man Who Invented Christmas has some coarse language and name-calling.

Ideas to discuss with your children

The Man Who Invented Christmas is a fantasy drama about the creation of A Christmas Carol. The movie gives an insight into Charles Dickens and his unfortunate upbringing. It also explains why Dickens was so passionate about the injustices of Victorian society and the poverty that people of the lower classes experienced.

Although the movie features a ghost story, it’s told in quite a light-hearted way, which makes it less scary than it might be. But because of its subject matter, it isn’t recommended for children under 10 years and is more suited to older children and adults.

The main messages from this movie are that ‘no-one is useless if he lightens the burden of another’ and that Christmas is a time to think of those less fortunate and to share with them if you can.

This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the importance of helping people who are less fortunate than you. It also gives you the opportunity to talk about what it was like for children in Victorian society, who had to work in terrible conditions. It wasn’t until the 20th century that it became illegal to employ children in industrial work.

Supported By

  • Department of Social Services

Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

Member Organisations

  • Parenting Research Centre
  • The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute

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