They Belong In Every Home: The Best Holiday Movies By Farr
Below you'll find the movies that to my mind, best capture the essence of Christmas, year in and year out. These titles seem particularly fitting now, as we see the rampant consumerism of recent years yield to the fundamentals of the holiday-as a special time for family and friends to come together and give thanks. The values and emotions imparted in these timeless films are sure to stoke the spirit of "Peace On Earth, Good Will Towards Men" (and women).
Holiday Inn (1942) - Don't miss this funny, festive Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire musical about two friends who launch an inn open only on holidays. The film is best known for first introducing "White Christmas", the best-selling single of all time, and an instant favorite with troops then overseas. "Inn" remains consistently tuneful and entertaining, with a sublime Irving Berlin score that covers not just Christmas, but all major holidays. And Astaire and Crosby make a winning team. (For the record, I prefer this Crosby feature to the overbaked, oversaturated "White Christmas", released twelve years later.)
It's A Wonderful Life (1946)- A heartwarming holiday treat, Frank Capra's masterful handling of the bittersweet storyline-in which one George Bailey (James Stewart) sacrifices his own dreams to save the family savings-and-loan business and keep his hometown of Bedford Falls out of the greedy paws of a heartless banker-is pure Hollywood magic. Donna Reed (as Bailey's wife, Mary) and Lionel Barrymore (as the banker) give exceptional performances, but Stewart is the dynamic, all-too-human force holding it all together.
Miracle On 34th Street (1947)- Was there ever a better big-screen Santa than Oscar-winner Edmund Gwenn? This delightful fable about an elderly retiree turned Macy's Santa who sets New York a-twitter with his claim to be the real article gets at the heart of the question: if we humans can no longer believe in things we may not understand, what exactly is the point of Christmas? Look for a cute, young Natalie Wood as a disbelieving young girl Gwenn's Kris Kringle converts.
The Bishop's Wife (1947)- Cary Grant portrays Dudley, the suavest of angels who visits Earth at holiday time to set a certain Bishop's priorities straight. Co-starring David Niven as the Bishop and a dazzling Loretta Young as the title character, this joyful, witty film still has something to say about keeping the spirit of Christmas alive all year round. And Cary was never better.
Scrooge (1950)- Based on Charles Dickens's most widely read and enduring story, this definitive 1951 British version outdoes all others for atmosphere and characterization. The incomparable Alastair Sim, a gifted actor who seamlessly inhabits the title role, makes you feel there could be no other Scrooge. The film runs just eighty-five minutes, yet delivers the story's full impact, with Sim's droopy eyes projecting all of Scrooge's terror, shame, and regret.
The Apartment (1960)- Peerless Billy Wilder feature about C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon), an insurance man climbing the corporate ladder by lending out his bachelor pad for his bosses' assignations. Baxter falls for elevator girl Fran (Shirley MacLaine), but she's still involved in a messy romance going nowhere. Unhappy circumstances draw Fran into Baxter's orbit over the holidays. Will love blossom between these two lost souls? We find out by New Year's, in this poignant tale of loneliness and love.
The Homecoming (1971)- This was the wildly successful TV movie that spawned "The Waltons" TV series. On a Christmas Eve during the Depression, Olivia Walton (Patricia Neal) and her large brood wait anxiously for patriarch John, who's been forced to take a job far from home. With inclement weather making roads impassable, will he make it home for Christmas? The simple, touching "Homecoming" underlines the importance of family love and solidarity over material possessions. Neal is superb.
The House Without A Christmas Tree (1972)- Director Paul Bogart's deceptively unadorned story, adapted from Gail Rock's autobiographical book, involves one transformative Christmas in the 1940's. Precocious Addie (Lisa Lucas) badly wants a Christmas tree, but for James, her widower Dad (Jason Robards), such beauty only brings back his lost wife and past holidays he feels he must forget. He sternly forbids a tree in the house, but underestimates Addie's determination and cunning. See this one for Robards, one of the most powerful actors of his time.
A Christmas Story (1983)- An irresistible, often hilarious 40's-era holiday tale about young Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), growing up in a loving but eccentric family, and his obsession with getting a very special air-gun for Christmas. Initially, his parents (Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon) supply precious little hope. Will Ralphie's desperate yearning wear them down in the end? Based on a Jean Shepherd short story, the movie benefits from an immense heart, rich period detail and quirky comic characters.
A Child's Christmas In Wales (1987)- Spending Christmas with his daughter's family, a grandfather (Denholm Elliott) reminisces with his enraptured grandson Thomas about his own boyhood holiday memories in Wales. Inspired by a Dylan Thomas poem, Don McBrearty's lyrical, heartwarming "A Child's Christmas" is a simple, one-of-a kind piece originally produced for public television. Some of the language may be lost on the little ones, but the movie exudes so much charm and Yuletide spirit that it really won't matter.
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Can't really argue with any of these selections, but I have come to prefer George C. Scott's portrayal of Scrooge over Sims', as good as his was.
I was one of the very few who caught "A Christmas Story" during its inaugaral theatre run, and could tell instantly that it was a classic. I never tire of it.
I notice that there are no films from the last 20 years on the list, which coincides with my thinking about Christmas movies. I have called "A Christmas Story" the last great Christmas movie. Since then (has it really been 25 years?) Hollywood has churned out a succession of holiday films that range from the merely lame to the truly awful. Hollywood -- and the indies too, I guess -- just don't seem to "get' Christmas anymore. Judging by its recent output, modern filmmakers see Christmas as something to parody, not embrace. I'm not sure why. The good Christmas movies of generations past are really only a small step removed from romantic comedies, and there have been several gems added to that genre in recent times. I'm not involved in the industry, so I can't speak with authority, but it seems to me that the really talented filmmakers and actors don't do Christmas projects, that these are relegated to B listers. Again I don't know why. But it's a shame. I'd be really interested to see Charlie Kaufman's take on Christmas. Or Wim Wenders'. Or even Clint Eastwood's. Anybody who can bring creativity and humanity to the project.
the family man was pretty good and even The holiday was fun escapism...but i dont think either have that iconic cult status...then say the christmas story...
Are you guys aware that "Holiday Inn" includes a "Minstrel Show" sequence in honor of Lincoln's Birthday? As in, Bing Crosby in Blackface?
I, too, was delighted to see this movie appear on my VOD service and was enjoying such classic sequences as Fred Astaire's "drunken dance" but was somewhat taken aback when the calendar rolled around to February.
That is the one part that didn't stand the test of time and can actually make you wince. Although I find it odd too during the Washington's Birthday dance sequence that they're all duded up as though they'd come from the French Court and not the humbler American side of things. But that's Hollywood.
He is so right about "The House Without a Christmas Tree"! This little gem came out when I was 8 yrs old and I loved it so much. Back then, you had to really watch for a program to return(no vcrs or dvds then) and some years I got lucky and some I didn't. As an adult, I finally tracked down a copy on vhs and bought several copies for family and friends. Robards is amazing in this film. And it's done with such simplicity and nostalgia. A must see, if you haven't already.
Christmas Vacation and Elf are my two favorite Christmas movies.
Christmas Vacation is my house's all-time favorite!!
We start watching it in November and try to see how many times we can stand to watch it again before Christmas Day.
We can pretty much quote every line in the movie!
I know everyone's going to weight in with comments like, "Hey, he forgot...." I'm not going to say anything about "A Charlie Brown Christmas," because at 21 minutes long it's hardly a movie.
But I gotta give a shout out to my seasonal favorite, "Prancer." It's a terrific story, impossibly good acting by almost everyone involved (especially Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman and - who would have guessed - Abe Vigoda), several opportunities to get out your handkerchiefs... it's just a winner. Man, the scene where Elliott is reading the passage from "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Clause" to his daughter makes my break down and cry like a little girl EVERY SINGLE CHRISTMAS. I'm getting a little misty just thinking about it....
WARNING: Do NOT make the mistake of watching the "sequel," which is called "Prancer Returns" or some such nonsense. It's not really a sequel, because none of the original characters or actors return (except for Prancer, although he's now a fawn instead of a buck). The movie's overall tone is a somber as the darkest moments in the original, the acting is weak, the storyline is flimsy. Go for the original.
Sam's "Yes, Virgina" reading is an annual guilty pleasure for me, too.
I am very much a 'scrooge' type of person. I find the holidays to be excessive and usually just wish them to be gone. .... I know, I know ... don't harp on me too badly here.
However ... I believe Holiday Inn is the best movie eva! I watched it two days ago now that it has (finally) been released on DVD. It is interesting how it captures a different time in our society ....
for example, Bing Crosby in blackface...
Please don't forget to include "Shop Around the Corner" with Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. It never gets tiring and is so wonderfully acted. There have been two remakes since and they don't even come close - this is the one and only.
No argument with Farr's choices, but I would add "Scrooge" the musical (1970), because it tells the story in a more lighthearted fashion, with memorable songs. Albert Finney does a marvelous job of playing Scrooge, as does Alec Guinness with the character of Marley's ghost. We watch this every Christmas, along with several others on Farr's list.
I was watching "It's a Wonderful Life" with my husband last night (I have it on tape) and was thinking that anyone who is a republican must not get what this movie is about, right?
Republicans want Pottersville. Everybody else wants Bedford Falls.
Cheney = Potter.
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