We can hear the wheels of his imagination whirling… 

His eyes are wide open, and yet as he talks to us they seem to get wider still…

We conjure him making small mini-gasps with each of his discoveries…

This is actor David zum Brunnen as Charles Dickens, at work in his study in the wee hours of the morning.He is piecing together his famed A Christmas Carol. There is one Eureka! moment after another as the script-like book congeals in his mind's eye and he puts pen to paper.

YES…and I think I'll make the child poor....and perhaps afflicted and frail as well. His symbol could be his little crutch....and perhaps his name as well. I'll name him Crutchman...Timothy Crutchman....no.... Crutchfield….no, that's too obvious. Timothy something crutch.cratch…Critchings…..Critcher.critch…...no.....Cratcher....Cratchings....Cratchit.....

Timothy Cratchit.....yes.....Little Tim (he writes it down at the desk)...no, small Timmy.....no Tiny Tim . 

Yes, yes...that's it…. 

 NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAROL Film

NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAROL Translates Stage to Film

Originally a one-man show written for the stage by Dickens scholar Dr. Eliot Engel, this film version's many tight frames on zum Brunnen's face crack open the window on Dickens' mind— much like actor zum Brunnen's eyes—ever wider still.We are on the inside — meeting the characters of A Christmas Carol just as they come to introduce themselves to Dickens. 

Truth to tell, if we can imagine this as a silent film, we just as well could be looking at Michelangelo, Beethoven, or any number of geniuses on fire in their cauldron of creativity.It is a masterful performance— spark after spark and glimmer upon glimmer.It's one helluva thrill ride to be Charles Dickens!

 

And to be Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim or his father, Jacob Marley, Fezziwig and so many ghosts! Zum Brunnen becomes Dickens becoming his characters —17 in all—as the story within the story unfolds. 

We get a vivid history lesson too in this film.We are reminded that debtors, like Dickens' father, went to debtors prison.And through Dickens' eyes we see the street urchins hanging about every London corner to start pickpocketing per Oliver Twist.And we all— on both sides of the pond— get a chuckle or two about Dickens embrace by his nearly barbaric American fans.

The beauty of this script is in how Dr. Engel distilled what might be a full semester's course on Dickens into an easy-to-digest Dickens primer. After immersing in Engel's short course, you too might find yourself wondering if those clever writers for that BritBox series you feel compelled to binge watch picked up a trick or two from serialist par excellence Dickens. 

 

In the United States—where The Night Before Christmas Carol was filmed— there might be a performance of A Christmas Carol in every 100 mile radius every December, from famed theaters in large urban centers to remote high school auditoriums. Hyperbole or not—it certainly feels that way— with a performance of this Dickens classic being just as much a part of the season as ubiquitous Santa hats or reindeers in store displays.

The Night Before Christmas Carol would especially be a worthwhile watch for a family with tween/s or teen/s reading Oliver Twist, Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations etc. for the first time.

AVAILABLE IN THE UK VIA VIMEO ON DEMAND.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

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Useful links

  1. RedBird Theatre Presents THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAROL Review — WHO the Dickens…
  2. PROBLEM OF THE HERO Film Review — Lived vs Imagined Experience
  3. Problem of the Hero Film Inside Views— Conversations with Three Who Made the Film

Images courtesy of EbzB Productions