The Christmas Candle (2013)

A pastor who's suffered a personal loss accepts a position in a town that believes in a Christmas miracle candle, which he strives to abolish.

Director:

John Stephenson

Writers:

Max Lucado (based on the novel by), Candace Lee (screenplay)

Stars:

Hans Matheson, Samantha Barks, Lesley Manville

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hans Matheson	...	David Richmond
Samantha Barks	...	Emily Barstow
Lesley Manville	...	Bea Haddington
Sylvester McCoy	...	Edward Haddington
James Cosmo	...	Herbert Hopewell
Susan Boyle	...	Eleanor Hopewell
Barbara Flynn	...	Lady Camdon
John Hannah	...	William Barstow
Jude Wright	...	Charlie Barstow
Morgan Jones	...	Phineas Barber
Alice Bonifacio	...	Delilah Barber
Tim Barlow	...	Oliver Barber
Beatrice Curnew	...	Agnes Chumley
Patricia England	...	Mrs. Chumley
Tessa Bell-Briggs	...	Widow Leonard (as Tessa Bell Briggs)

Storyline

Deep in the heart of the English countryside lies the enchanting village of Gladbury. Legend has it every twenty-five years an angel visits the village candlemaker and touches a single candle. Whoever lights this candle and prays before it receives a miracle on Christmas Eve, but in 1890, at the dawn of the electric age, this centuries old legend may come to an end. When David Richmond, a progressive young minister, arrives in Gladbury, the villagers discover a new formula for miracles: good deeds and acts of kindness. While David's quest to modernize Gladbury sets him at odds with the old world candlemaker, he finds an unlikely ally in the lovely skeptic, Emily Barstow. Now, the fiery candlemaker must fight to preserve the legacy of the Christmas Candle, but when the blessed candle goes missing, the miraculous and human collide in the most astonishing Christmas the village of Gladbury has ever seen.

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Plot Keywords:

candle | village | christmas | miracle | angel | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

Susan Boyle's acting debut.

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Goofs

The film has a funeral where all the mourners are holding retractable nylon umbrellas. Its as if the runners forgot to collect them, surely no-one would of thought these were contemporary to the period !.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Edward Haddington: [narrating] There's a story that has been passed down for centuries, from father to son. Legend has it a certain man came to live in the village of Gladbury. He was a good-hearted man, devoted to his family and his craft. The candle maker brought light to the entire village. But he longed to give them more. Life was hard in Gladbury, and the people had become disheartened.
Edward Haddington: Night and day, the candle maker worked, pouring his heart and his prayers into each candle. But on the first ...

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Soundtracks

Miracles All Around
Music by Luke Atencio
Lyrics by Candace Lee
Arrangement by Tom Trapp
Performed by Susan Boyle

User Reviews

There Is Miracles All Around

Christmas movies are a cottage industry. I don't mind watching them because I know the ending will always be happy. Now "The Christmas Candle" is not a great film. The film fails on at almost every level. The film is almost " A Touched By Angel" episode! It never rises above that level. It could of been better What it does well is that it sends the message about hope faith and miracles. The film however redeems itself in the final act and that was a miracle.

The film looks beautiful. The sets make you think you are back in the late 19th century. The films screenplay however is borderline terrible but it does have a great final act.

In this film Deep in the heart of the English countryside lies the enchanting village of Gladbury. Legend has it every 25 years an angel visits the village candle maker and touches a single candle. Whoever lights this candle receives a miracle on Christmas Eve. But in 1890, at the dawn of the electric age, this centuries old legend may come to an end.

Now despite the flaws it is still worth seeing. Family Safe. Most kids will be bored and so will most adults. I did however love the final 10 minutes

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Christmas Candle

Filming Locations:

Stanway House, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$68,655, 17 November 2013

Gross USA:

$2,258,620

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,476,775

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pinewood Studios, Big Book Media, Impact Productions LLC

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1