What holiday movies are you watching in 2022?

[Odd Rödney]

In Austria, they have Krampus festivals for the children--and it's sort of like Hallowe'en mixed with Christmas.

I just googled that and I can now say that I would love to attend one of those festivals one day. Looks super cool.

[Jim Kelly]

Some more holiday movies watched--



THE HOMECOMING: A CHRISTMAS STORY (1971) [repeat viewing]; dir. Fiedler Cook; stars Richard Thomas, Patricia Neal; grade A

Seeing this meant a lot to me when it first aired and it still evokes family memories.

A CBS T.V. movie, it got rave reviews and its success led to THE WALTONS television series. Some of the characters are played by different actors. Ms. Neal plays Mama Walton--and I view her interpretation as much more severe than Michael Lerned's kinder, gentler Mama. Ellen Corby still plays Old Woman Walton, but instead of Will Geer it's Edgar Bergen as Old Man Walton--funny seeing Bergen listen to the radio as he was one of the biggest stars on radio in the 1930s. The Walton children are all played by the same actors as in the series.

This wasn't the first movie to fictionalize the life story of Earl Hamner, Jr. There was SPENCER'S MOUNTAIN in 1963, based on Hamner's novel of the same name, starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara--James MacArthur (Danno) played the eldest son.

I think the setting of the T.V. movie must be Christmas 1932, as both Herbert Hoover and F.D.R. are mentioned--so Hoover would have been voted out in November and Roosevelt would have taken office the following March. The presidential transition got hot during those cold months.



A MIDNIGHT CLEAR (1992) [first time viewing]; dir. Keith Gordon; stars Ethan Hawke; grade B+

A reduced squad of U. S. soldiers are sent to recon at a chateau in the Ardennes, December 1944, just prior to the Battle of the Bulge and Christmas.



A BILL OF DIVORCEMENT (1932) [first time viewing]; dir. George Cukor; stars John Barrymore, Katherine Hepburn; grade B

In an insane asylum since his time in the war and suffering from P.T.S.D., Barrymore's character escapes from the asylum on Christmas Day and comes home to find his daughter (Hepburn) grown into a young woman. It's tragic the way psychological disorders are regarded.



SIX CONTES MORAUX III: MA NUIT CHEZ MAUD (1969) [repeat viewing]; dir. Éric Rohmer; stars Jean-Louis Trintignant; grade A++

Jean-Louis (played by Trintignant) has been living abroad for many years--in Valparaíso, Chile, and in Vancouver, Canada. Only recently has he returned to France, working as an engineer for Michelin, in Clermont-Fernand. A practicing Catholic, he notices a blonde, at church and also riding her bike in the streets of town. He decides in his mind, without ever having spoken to her, that this is the woman he loves and that he will marry.

Earlier in life, Rohmer had been a teacher in Clermont-Fernand, which is the birthplace of Blaise Pascal--a 17th century philosopher, mathematical genius and deeply religious person. In the movie, Jean-Louis and others discuss Pascal at length.

This was the third story in the Six Moral Tales, but the fourth to be filmed. Éric Rohmer (a writer and editor for CAHIERS DU CINÉMA) was very particular about the conditions for filming MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S. It had to be filmed in winter at Christmas time, in Clermont-Fernand, in black and white and in a specific aspect ratio. As a result of these conditions, there was a one year delay in production and in the meanwhile Rohmer filmed his fourth moral tale instead, which was in colour--the first three tales are all in black and white and the last three are all in colour.



BACHELOR MOTHER (1939) [repeat viewing]; dir. Garson Kanin; stars Ginger Rogers, David Niven; grade A

Ginger Rogers owns this movie in every scene she's in. A comedy of errors leaves a single woman with a baby on Christmas Eve. Ha ha.

Based on KLEINE MUTTI (1935)--not a holiday movie--an Austria-Hungary co-production starring Hungarian singer-actress Franciska Gaal and directed by Henry Koster.



CHRISTMAS AT THE ROYAL HOTEL (2018) [first time viewing]; dir. Craig McCoury; stars Harry Oram; grade C-

In late 1941, Canadian troops are sent to defend Hong Kong against a possible attack by the Japanese. Much of the action centres around the Royal Hotel. The movie was filmed in Hong Kong.

McCoury wore many hats to produce this picture. There are some good qualities about it, yet it also resembles a student film. If McCoury was a young filmmaker that would make sense; but he has been around for a long time with many credits, so it's hard to understand why this movie is lacking (the camera almost never moves, scenes are badly edited, the actors are poorly directed, etc.). The subject matter is important and deserves a better treatment.



A CAROL FOR ANOTHER CHRISTMAS (1964) [first time viewing]; dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz; stars Sterling Hayden; grade C

Written by Rod Serling, this Cold War parable includes in the cast Steve Lawrence, Eva Marie Saint, Pat Hingle, Robert Shaw and Peter Sellers. It was broadcast on ABC, December 28th, 1964.



ABOUT A BOY (2002) [repeat viewing]; dir. Paul and Chris Weitz; stars Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult; grade A

Based on the book by Nick Hornby and featuring the most popular Christmas song of all time, "Santa's Super Sleigh."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZzEr8pSbwg



NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) [repeat viewing]; dir. Jeremiah S. Chechik; stars Chevy Chase; grade A+

Written by John Hughes. In a lot of ways this and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE are the same movie.



Short subjects rewatched this season--

CUNK ON CHRISTMAS (2016)
COMMUNITY, "Regional Holiday Music" (December 8th, 2011)
HERE COME THE BRIDES, "A Christmas Place" (December 18th, 1968)
HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (1966); dir. Chuck Jones; stars Boris Karloff
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (1965)

[Jim Kelly]

My final report of holiday movies this year--


THE HOLIDAY(2006) [repeat viewing]; dir. Nancy Meyers; stars Kate Winslet; grade B+

One must suspend ones disbelief that Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz are not the main love interest in their own lives--but if you go with it, this trading places romance is like a big ball of cotton candy sweetness. And you get to split your time between Winslet and Diaz. What more could one ask for?



WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (1995) [repeat viewing]; dir. Jon Turteltaub; stars Sandra Bullock; grade A+

Always a favourite movie to watch at Christmastime. Sandra Bullock does a lot of great face acting and you want every good thing for her.



SILENT NIGHT (2002) [first time viewing]; dir. Rodney Gibbons; stars Linda Hamilton; grade C+

A Hallmark T.V. movie, filmed in Quebec (subbing in for the Ardennes), based on a true story. A German woman and her son offer shelter to U.S. and German soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge, Christmas Eve, 1944. The movie explores similar themes to A MIDNIGHT CLEAR. Hamilton speaks German.



THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940) [repeat viewing]; dir. Ernst Lubitsch; stars Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullavan; grade A+

Set in Budapest, Hungary (but filmed in Hollywood), this motion picture could have been a Stefan Zweig short story, but it was actually based on ILLATSZERTÁR, a Hungarian play by Miklós László--with the screenplay by Samuel Raphaelson and Ben Hecht. The movie is a great example of the "Lubitsch touch."



ELF (2003) [repeat viewing]; dir. Jon Favreau; stars Will Ferrell, James Caan; grade A

This might be the best acting that Will Ferrell ever has done, because he lets go of any ego and commits to the pure innocence and playfulness of Buddy the Elf.

The thing that bugs me about some movies that treat Santa Claus and the North Pole as real is they go against the traditional fantasy I had faith in as a child. Besides the horrible uncanny valley in THE POLAR EXPRESS, I could never like that movie because it grossly contradicts what I fantasized about Santa and his workshop. Who are these movies being made for? Surely not for children unless the filmmakers want to upset their beliefs with heretical notions.

This is why I love ELF so much, because it's the kind of movie that gives me a vision of the North Pole that accords with those sacred childhood fantasies. Why can't other movies do this? Probably because the filmmakers are too jaded and can't make a movie that is full of childlike wonder.



REMEMBER THE NIGHT (1940) [repeat viewing]; dir. Mitchell Leisen; stars Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray; grade A

This movie was written by Preston Sturges and, while it can be very sweet at times, it doesn't sugar-coat the harsh realities for the central characters. Fine supporting performances by Beulah Bondi, Sterling Holloway and Elizabeth Patterson complete the picture of a happy home.



SISSI (1955) [repeat viewing]; dir. Ernst Marischka; stars Romy Schneider; grade A-

Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, was commonly called "Sissi." She was born in Bavaria on Christmas Eve and thus this movie and the two others starring Romy Schneider form a trilogy that is traditional viewing in Austria at Christmastime. When this came out on December 22nd, 1955, Austria had finally won self-government (May 15th, 1955)--freed from the constraints of the allied powers that occupied the nation after the Second World War. As much as this movie glorifies the old empire, it celebrates the natural beauty of the land and its people. Made in colour, on location at the palaces and countryside where these events really happened, I imagine Austrian hearts swelled with pride to see their country in a positive light after so many years in darkness.

Sissi's mother was the sister of the emperor's mother and the two conspired to have the young Franz Josef marry the elder daughter (his cousin), Helene (known as "Nene"). However when he met Nene he fell in love with her sister, Sissi, and said to his mother that the only woman he would marry would be the young Elisabeth. The first movie ends with their marriage, which is filmed in grand style.

At the time, the Empress Elisabeth was considered the greatest beauty of Europe. Her life story is like Queen Victoria, Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II all rolled into one--full of intrigue and heartbreak. The other two movies in the trilogy cover the young Elisabeth's involvement with the Kingdom of Hungary--where she was beloved as their queen--and a few of the early tragedies in her home life. Hers was not to be a storybook ending. Nor did Romy Schneider, who triumphed on screen, enjoy a long and happy life. Like the heroine she played, she was destined to suffer great losses.



A CHRISTMAS CAROL [a.k.a. Scrooge] (1951) [repeat viewing]; dir. Brian Desmond Hurst; stars Alastair Sim; grade A++

Watching this CHRISTMAS CAROL each year inevitably forces me to examine my own life. Where I was at, where I am at and where I am going. The song "Barbara Allen" is what always gets me as it's attached to the most poignant moments in dear Ebenezer's life.



IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) [repeat viewing]; dir. Frank Capra; stars Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed; grade A++

If CHRISTMAS VACATION is a slapstick version of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, then this Capra Christmas classic is surely an inversion of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol." Or rather, it shows that it's not just Ebenezer Scrooge or Old Man Potter who need to take stock of their lives; almost all of us will have our own dark night of the soul where we are called to account for our deeds in life. Even Bob Cratchit or Fred (Scrooge's nephew) or George Bailey: those people of diminished means who somehow manage to do good in the world.



THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) [repeat viewing]; dir. Robert Wise; stars Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer; grade A+

Filmed in Salzburg, Austria and in L.A. Not a holiday movie per se, but this movie is on the T.V. every December the 25th.



More short subjects--

THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, "Not a Christmas Story" (November 9th, 1974)
THE OFFICE, "Secret Santa" (December 10th, 2009)
MELROSE PLACE, "A Tree Talks in Melrose" (December 22nd, 1997)
GILMORE GIRLS, "Forgiveness and Stuff" (December 21st, 2000)
THE BOB NEWHART SHOW, "Home is Where the Hurt is" (December 21st, 1974)
CORONATION STREET (December 25th, 2022)
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, "Merry Bloody Christmas" (December 23rd, 2022)

[Largo161]

Scrooge (1935) starring Seymour Hicks
Scrooge (1951) starring Alastair Sim
A Christmas Carol (1984) starring George C. Scott

First time watching them all.

Sim’s version is superb, but I have an affection for Hicks’ ferociously angry Ebenezer. The movie is primitive compared to the others, but Hicks cracks me up!

Scott plays Scrooge too cool and snide for my taste. I appreciate how faithful it was to the novella, but it’s my least liked of these three.

ETA: If you’re interested, watch the 77-minute Hicks version in B&W, not the colorized 60 minute edit.

[Jim Kelly]

I've seen a few of the different CHRISTMAS CAROL movies in the past, but I always go back to Alastair Sim. I think the reason I love him so much in the role is because he plays the good Ebenezer as well as the bad. We can see that there's a good person inside him, so we want him to be redeemed. If he was just a nasty so and so, then we wouldn't care what happened to him. The end of the movie is one of the best parts because we get the joy of seeing Alastair Sim's Ebenezer doing good for others.

[caj]

I ordered and got a made-for-tv movie from the 1970s called The House Without A Christmas Tree. We watched it every December in the 70s when they would rerun it.

The film stars the great Jason Robards as a father to a daughter named Addie. Robards wife died of pneumonia right after Addie's birth and he refuses to celebrate Christmas or allow Allie to put up a Christmas tree in their house.

[CliffHanger2]

I recently watched Rudolph the red nose reindeer by Rankin/Bass and March of the wooden soldiers.