Christmas spirits
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Christmas spirits |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 2018 |
| length | 64 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 0 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Judith Gardner Julian Köberer |
| script | Judith Gardner |
| production | Fred Steinbach |
| music | Martin Stefaniak |
| camera | Lukas Steinbach, Chris McKissick |
| cut | Jan Bihl |
| occupation | |
|
Speakers:
Puppeteers:
| |
Spirits of Christmas is a Christmas film from the Augsburger Puppenkiste from 2018 . It is based on the story A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens . The film is the fourth cinema production by the Augsburger Puppenkiste and their third Christmas film. It was released in theaters on December 1, 2018.
action
In the frame story, a little boy - Timi - asks an old man - Scrooge - to tell the story of how he came to love Christmas. Scrooge warns him that the story is scary, but Timi doesn't worry, knowing that it will end well. So Scrooge begins to tell:
Sullen and stingy Scrooge cannot stand Christmas. He behaves in a negative way towards all other people. His niece Freddy visits him on Christmas Eve. She brings him a dog that she recently ran into and invites him to her Christmas party. But her uncle insults her and is reluctant to let the obviously watchful dog into his office. His accountant Bob Cratchit is supposed to feed the dog from his salary. He rebukes the accountant's son, Timi, who is playing in front of the window, asking him to be quiet.
In the evening, the ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley appears to Scrooge. He explains to Scrooge that he regrets not leading his life better and reveals to Scrooge that it still has time to change. He announces the visit of three more ghosts. Scrooge is very scared, but his little new watchdog seems to stand by him and protect him. On the night of Christmas, Scrooge first receives a visit from the ghost of Christmas past. He brings back Scrooge's childhood memories of Christmas. Back then he liked Christmas but couldn't spend it with his family because his parents couldn't afford to travel home from boarding school. During his apprenticeship, however, thanks to the company of his generous instructor and a good friend, he was able to spend wonderful Christmas parties. The third memory shows him his former wife Bella, who left him because she could no longer bear that money had become more important to him than his fellow men.
The spirit of the present Christmas leads Scrooge through town and shows him the joyful celebrations of happy families, including those of his niece, in which Scrooge refused to take part. Then the ghost leads him to the house of his troubled accountant and family. Scrooge learns that Bob Cratchit's son Timi is seriously ill, which excites Scrooge's pity. Scrooge is touched by the fact that the family can still have a joyous Christmas, and he realizes that it is not material prosperity but love that makes people feel the spirit of Christmas.
Finally, the spirit of Christmas to come shows Scrooge how bleak his future will be if he does not change his behavior towards others. Scrooge sees his own grave, where nobody mourns because nobody misses him, and Bob Chratchit at the grave of little Timi, who died early due to a lack of medical care. Scrooge thinks of his family and, for the first time in a long time, wishes for a loving connection with his fellow human beings.
On Christmas morning, Scrooge decides to make sure that Timi receives the best possible medical help. He hosts a wonderful Christmas for his niece and the Chratchit family.
production
The film was shot in the Theater der Puppenkiste in Augsburg. Carsten Gardner created the set. The dolls were designed by Laura Mair-Kühnel, Carsten Gardner, Florian Moch and Hannelore Marschall-Oemichen, the costumes by Katrin Freund and Jessica Hock.
reception
Gerhard Summer called the film in the Süddeutsche Zeitung "a prime example of how small things can develop into size". He also compared it to Die Weihnachtsgeschichte , the Christmas film by the Augsburger Puppenkiste from 2016: “In terms of perspective, the Puppenkiste has increased significantly compared to its first film. Of course, it pays attention to details, such as the fact that snowflakes are visible on the rear when you slides down a mountain of sledges on the pants. Above all, however, she succeeds in the trick of keeping the production in the balance between old-fashioned fantasy and gentle horror. That too is almost a miracle. "
The German Film and Media Assessment (FBW) awarded the film the title “particularly valuable”. The jury's justification stated: “Despite the rigidity of the puppets' faces, the ensemble succeeds in conveying the emotionality of the story, especially through the speaking voices, so that children can follow the events well, especially through the voices. And thanks to the loving decor and the careful staging, the ghostly apparitions are so coherent that even small children do not get too scared here. The stage design, the costumes and equipment as well as the opening titles and sometimes the slightly winding expressions of the characters breathe the spirit of cozy nostalgia and understand how to convey the magic of Christmas and the very special charm of Dickens' classic, which has been filmed many times. The camera deals with the limitations of the stage space in an imaginative way and, especially in the fantastic scenes, knows how to make people forget for a moment that this is a piece recorded in a puppet theater. "
DVD and radio play
Ghosts of Christmas was released on DVD in 2019 , which also contains an audio version for the blind and visually impaired.
A radio play version with Martina Gedeck as the narrator was released to accompany the film .
Web links
- Ghosts of Christmas in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Ghosts of Christmas at filmportal.de
- Ghosts of Christmas on the pages of the production company Universum Film
- Play Ghosts of Christmas on the pages of the Augsburger Puppenkiste
Individual evidence
- ↑ Certificate of Release for Christmas Spirits . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF).
- ↑ Gerhard Summer: The Christmas film from the Augsburger Puppenkiste is a small miracle. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . November 27, 2018, accessed December 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Ghosts of Christmas on the pages of the German Film and Media Rating , accessed on December 24, 2019.