Christmas tale

Prologue

In the winter, Charles Dickens arrives in the United States to read aloud his Christmas Carol at the theater. Before reading, two mice run into the auditorium, scaring one of the spectators to death. Dickens, having seen this, immediately decides to make some additions to the plot of his story, making the mouse one of her heroes. He begins to read.

Dickens's Tale (animated film episodes)

In London, frosty and snowy winters are extremely rare. It is very difficult for the poor to outlive her, moreover, due to the greed of the heartless creditor Ebenizer Scrooge, they are mired in debt. Among these debtors is Scrooge Bell's ex-bride, who works in a hospital for the poor. When on Christmas Eve the only doctor in this hospital is taken to a debt prison, Bell decides to write to his ex-groom asking for help. But the clerk of Scrooge Bob Cratchit negligently drops the letter on the floor and forgets about it.

The same evening, when Scrooge is about to leave work, he is presented with the ghost of his companion, Jacob Marley, who died seven years ago. Marley tells Scrooge about the posthumous torment of sinners and reports that he has urged higher powers to try to save Scrooge’s soul. He predicts that three Christmas Spirits will come to that, and flies out the window, where a flock of sinful souls bound like chains are worn like him.

Scrooge does not believe his eyes and goes home, taking with him two mice living in his office - the only creatures he loves, saying that "these mice are much more diligent than Cratchitch." The mice pick up Bell's letter from the floor and when Scrooge arrives home they show him this letter. He decides to postpone reading until morning and goes to bed.

At one o'clock in the morning the first Spirit comes to him - the Spirit of the Christmas Past, which took the form of Bell. He brings Scrooge to the past. Scrooge sees himself at school, punished and left in class on Christmas Eve. Then came another Christmas Eve, which he once had fun with his sister Feng and her best friend Bell. Then - himself in his youth, at a Christmas party arranged by the employer. The spirit shows old Scrooge how young Scrooge gradually became mean and ruthless. Finally, the last vision from the past is the breakup between Ebenizer and Bell, which occurred after Scrooge proposed to the bride in the form of a business contract.

After that, the Spirit disappears. Scrooge is in his room and goes to bed again, but soon he sees light in the next room and finds a good-natured bearded man - the Real Spirit, with whom he sets off on a new journey.

This Spirit first shows him how people around are happy and rejoice at Christmas. In particular, Scrooge sees his nephew (the son of the late Feng) celebrating Christmas with family and friends and laughing merrily at the whims of his uncle. But then the Spirit takes Scrooge to the house of one of his debtors, from where Scrooge's subordinates take things out. Scrooge, seeing this, declares that it is all legal and that the Spirit does not understand anything in business. In response, the Spirit shows him two ugly children - the fragile sick Poverty and the evil bully Ignorance; he says that Poverty can be defeated if one realizes one’s Ignorance.

After this, the Spirit brings Scrooge to the house of his clerk, where Scrooge sees Cratchit's dying son, Little Tim, on whom Scrooge recently spilled a bucket of ice water. Now Scrooge, overcome with pity for the boy, asks the Spirit if he will survive, but the Spirit, without giving an answer, melts in the air. Instead, a new ghost appears - the Spirit of the Future, a high skeleton in a cloak.

The Spirit shows Scrooge a wake for Tim Cratchit, and then carries him to an even more distant future - to his own death. Scrooge sees that no one but Bell is grieving about him, his servants robbing him, colleagues joking about his stinginess, debtors praise God for his death. Suddenly he is fettered by a long chain, and he sees a flock of sinful souls led by Marley, who drag him along; but at that moment he wakes up.

Repenting under the impression of his journey with Spirits, Scrooge decides to completely change his life. He increases Kratchitu salary four times and helps to heal Little Tim, begins to distribute money to the poor. Finally, he regains his relationship with Bell, who is still loving him.

Epilogue

Dickens, having finished reading, adds that Scruge's mouse mice moved to America and that it was they who ran into the auditorium and scared the lady in the front row to death. The writer says goodbye to the audience and leaves. Following him, the mice sitting in it all this time run away from the hall.

• Simon Callow - Ebenizer Scrooge ^[6]
• Kate Winslet - Bell
• Nicolas Cage - The Ghost of Jacob Marley
• Jane Horrocks - Spirit of the Past
• Michael Gambon - The Spirit of the Present
• Rhys Evans - Bob Cratchith
• Juliet Stevenson - Emily Cratchit
• Robert Llewellyn - Old Joe
• Beth Winslet - Fan
• Colin McFerlane - Albert Fezzivig

"Christmas Tale" appeared in British cinemas on December 7, 2001, although the initial release was planned for November 30 ^{[2] [4]} . The film was released on DVD on October 7, 2003 ^[7] .

The film was generally viewed negatively by English, Irish and American critics. ^{[1] [3] [8] [9]} After watching him at the Toronto Film Festival , Variety critic Todd McCarthy wrote:

The characters turned out to be faded and inexpressive, and two intolerable mice (“without speeches”) run and gesticulate more than Harpo Marx in his entire career ^[2] .

Original text

The character animation is dully inexpressive, and two obnoxious mute mice do more scampering and gesticulating than Harpo Marx did in his entire career.

• " A Christmas Tale ” on the Internet Movie Database
• Christmas Tale (English) on allmovie
• Christmas Tale on the Rotten Tomatoes website