By Josh Bate
Johnny Depp makes his grand return to major studio fare this week with Ebenezer, the latest adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved novella A Christmas Carol.
From renowned horror movie director Ti West (X, Pearl), Ebenezer stars Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy and disgruntled man hardened by a life of misery and a focus on capital gain above all else. But one Christmas Eve night, Ebenezer is visited by the ghost of an old friend (Ian McKellen) and the spirits of Christmas past, present, and future, all of whom give him the opportunity to look at life from a different point of view.
Ebenezer is far from the first adaptation of Dickens’ novella, but West’s film departs from the original text in a number of interesting ways. The following is a comprehensive breakdown of how the movie differs from its source material.
Marley’s Death Is Shown Before Scrooge’s Christmas Eve Haunting
Dickens’ novella begins with the narrator establishing that Jacob Marley has been dead for seven years. The movie takes a different approach by opening with events from seven years before the main story, showing Scrooge and Marley working together.
During this opening sequence, Marley belittles Bob Cratchit. Scrooge eventually discovers Marley dead after Marley goes to fetch a cup of tea.
Afterward, Scrooge is the only person to attend Marley’s burial. In response to a jab from the gravediggers, Scrooge remarks that the lack of people attending Marley’s funeral is a sign of character.
The Ghost Of Christmas Present Slowly Withers Away
One of the film’s more striking changes involves the Ghost of Christmas Present. In Dickens’ story, the spirit appears as a larger-than-life figure who represents the abundance and joy of the season. His time is limited, but the novella does not depict him gradually deteriorating in the way the movie does.
As the film progresses, the spirit slowly withers away. His declining appearance eventually reveals two children, Ignorance and Want, held inside a cage formed by his rib cage. The imagery gives the film a particularly unsettling way to bring Dickens’ warning about society’s neglected poor to life.
Scrooge Does Not Spend Christmas With The Cratchit Family
In the novella, the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge into the Cratchit home, allowing him to witness the family’s Christmas celebrations and understand how much they care for one another despite their limited means.
The movie handles this moment differently. Scrooge only pokes his head through the window and watches Tiny Tim bless everyone. He does not enter the house or spend time with the family as he does in many other adaptations. The moment still gives him a glimpse of the Cratchits’ warmth, but it is a more distant encounter.
Belle Receives A Personal Message From Scrooge
The film also gives Belle, Scrooge’s former fiancée, an additional moment that is not part of Dickens’ original ending. Belle left Scrooge because his growing obsession with money had taken priority over their relationship. By the end of the movie, she has become a published writer and married someone else.
Scrooge sends her an unsigned letter congratulating her on her accomplishments and the life she has built. The message is tucked inside a red book containing one of Belle’s published novels, which Scrooge purchased from a local shop. Rather than attempting to rekindle their relationship, he acknowledges that she has achieved the life she wanted.
Scrooge Delivers The Christmas Turkey Himself
In Dickens’ novella, Scrooge sends a large turkey to the Cratchit family by paying a boy to deliver it. The movie changes the gesture by having Scrooge purchase the bird himself and personally bring it to Fred and Clara, rather than the Cratchitt’s.
This change is in line with earlier remarks from the Ghost of Christmas Present about how much he wishes he could eat a Christmas turkey as he and Ebenezer look on at Fred and Clara’s dinner. As Scrooge gifts his nephew the turkey, he comments that this is a gift an old friend would have enjoyed.
This change also reflects a larger shift to put more of the emotion of the story into Scrooge’s repaired bond to Fred than his kindness to the Cratchit family.
Scrooge Makes Cratchit His Business Partner
Another major change comes when Scrooge decides to help Tiny Tim. Rather than simply improving Bob Cratchit’s wages and becoming a second father figure to the boy, Scrooge offers to provide a doctor to treat him.
Cratchit initially refuses, insisting that he is not so low as to accept charity. Scrooge explains that it is not charity because Cratchit will pay for the treatment himself with the raise he is receiving.
Scrooge then walks Cratchit outside and shows him the sign above the shop. He announces that he intends to change it to “Scrooge and Cratchit,” making his longtime employee a business partner. It is a more substantial change to their working relationship than the improved salary described in Dickens’ novella, giving Cratchit a stake in the business and a new position in the future Scrooge hopes to build.
Ebenezer is now in theaters.