Following up on my “Still Christmas” post on Advent and Christmas family traditions, Christmas movies are an important tradition in many households. For me, Christmas movies are an especially important way of marking the continuing Christmas season. In general, I would rather watch Christmas movies with my kids after Christmas day, rather than before, as a way of celebrating the Christmas season.
The one Christmas classic I’d really like to watch before Christmas, alas, is one that hasn’t been made yet. I mean a Christmas classic about the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of the Lord Jesus. There have been movies made about this, notably The Nativity Story, but nothing that rises to real classic status. (For more on The Nativity Story‘s artistic and theological merits and limitations, see my various pieces at Decent Films.)
That doesn’t mean there’s nothing worth watching on the real meaning of Christmas. In particular, I like to watch the first hour or so of Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth with my family around Christmastime. Praised by Pope Paul VI as “an example of a fine use that can be made of the new ways of communication that God is offering man,” Jesus of Nazareth honors both the Jewish context in which Jesus was born and the Catholic sensibility that has celebrated Him for 2000 years.
In particular, Olivia Hussey is an iconic Virgin Mary, and the numinous Annunciation scene is the best I’ve ever seen. Peter Ustinov as Herod the Great has a wonderful scene offering an outside perspective on Judaism and the phenomena of prophecy and Messianic hope. There are down sides, most annoyingly the Magi’s avoidance of Herod’s court, and Herod fretting about the same. And you have to be willing to deal with Mary suffering birth pangs (for more, see my essay on Catholic teaching and The Nativity Story, which raises the same issue). Overall, though, it’s the best we have so far.
Other Jesus movies opening with Nativity sequences include The Greatest Story Ever Told (by Catholic director George Stevens, beautifully photographed by William C. Mellor and Loyal Griggs) and the 1977 Jesus movie, based on the Gospel of Luke. Nativity-themed productions I haven’t seen include the 2010 BBC miniseries “The Nativity” and The Fourth Wise Man starring Martin Sheen. Any thoughts?
Also worth mentioning are a couple of short form small-screen works. One, of course, is the classic “Peanuts” special “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” with its moving reading from Luke 2 by Linus Van Pelt, which one couldn’t imagine being made today, and which almost didn’t happen even in 1965, if not for Charles Shulz’s adamant insistence. (This tidbit and others have been circulating on the Internet this year thanks to a recent essay, “10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’.”)
The other is even shorter, and less culturally significant, but it’s almost more remarkable, and equally hard to believe that it was made as recently as 1993: “Little Drummer Warners,” a 6-minute episode of “Animaniacs” featuring Wakko, Yakko and Dot as shepherds in Bethlehem coming to see the baby Jesus. Scored to classic Christmas carols, it’s a remarkably reverent, gently comic celebration of Christmas iconography. Here it is:
Anyway, notwithstanding all of the above, the door is wide open for a new cinematic masterpiece celebrating the birth of Jesus.
In the absence of such a film, what is there to watch in the way of Christmas-themed viewing?
For me, one title stands above all the rest. I would even go so far as to say, with tongue-in-cheek hyperbole: There is only one real Christmas movie—one gold-plated can’t-live-without-it Christmas classic. I speak, of course, of the Vatican film list honoree It’s a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra’s variation on A Christmas Carol, which dwarfs the original Dickens story and all 217 (or whatever) screen adaptations.
I don’t mean to deny A Christmas Carol its due. I enjoy it, and I watch some version of it every year. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a version I haven’t liked. I know some Christians blame Dickens for promoting a secular vision of Christmas, but Chesterton eloquently defends A Christmas Carol, and the more secular our culture becomes, the more inclined I am to agree with him.
The redemption of miserly old Scrooge is heartwarming, and there are some touching moments in young Scrooge’s life, particularly the sad moment when his fiancée breaks up with him. The memento mori sequence in the graveyard is moving in its way (though it shows Scrooge no more than we all know every day). Best of all are the scenes in the Cratchit household, with good-as-gold Tiny Tim wanting to go to church on Christmas Day because he wanted the sight of a crippled boy to remind people of the one who made the lame walk and the blind see.
But here’s the thing: I love Bob Cratchit and his family more than I do Scrooge, yet Scrooge is the protagonist in A Christmas Carol. A big part of the genius of It’s a Wonderful Life is that the hero is not the mean, wealthy miser, Henry Potter, but the impoverished, heroic family man, George Bailey.
And what a hero he is! Not a perfect man, certainly; not as virtuous or disciplined as A Man For All Seasons’ Thomas More, say. But for all his flaws, George Bailey is one of the greatest heroes in Hollywood history, and his vindication is among the most richly deserved. It makes me cry every year—not just at the ending, but pretty much continuously throughout.
I need to stop there, or this blog post will turn into an interminable multi-part series about the greatness of It’s a Wonderful Life, which is not what I set out to write. Someday I will write a long essay on all the things I love about It’s a Wonderful Life (my review is okay, but I need to do much better). There is so much garbage written about this movie trying to tear it down, debunk it, etc. There has also been some excellent and insightful writing. Someday I’ll do my best to add to the latter.
After It’s a Wonderful Life, the next best bet is probably A Christmas Carol. But which one? There are so many, and many of them are worth seeing. The 1951 Alistair Sim version is of course the iconic classic. The versions starring Albert Finney (1970), George C. Scott (1984) and Patrick Stewart (1999) all have their various strengths and defenders. I even like the 2009 motion-capture animated Disney version starring Jim Carrey as Scrooge and all the Christmas spirits, in a theme-park ride sort of way. ( Which is your favorite? Your least favorite?)
Just this year, inspired by the recent return of the Muppets to the big screen, my family and I finally caught up with A Muppet Christmas Carol, which I’ve always heard good things about—and it turns out they’re all true. Michael Caine plays Scrooge quite straight rather than playing it with a wink because it’s a Muppet movie, and this is a very good decision. We even like Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol.
There’s lots more, of course. A lot of people love the boyhood nostalgia of A Christmas Story, and it’s easy to see why (if you’re okay with the language). I could go on—the list is practically endless. But I’d rather conclude with a few notes about Christmas-themed movies I don’t like.
Anything with Tim Allen is a good place to start. The Santa Clause is the kind of broken family film I really don’t like, with its postmarital snark and divorce mindset. The first sequel, which reduces “the real meaning of Christmas” to the lowest common denominator: not even family, generosity or good will, but toys, presents. (The recent Aardman Animations production Arthur Christmas makes a similar mistake.)
Then there’s Allen’s Christmas with the Kranks, which makes the seasonal celebration of Christmas so oppressive that it actually threatens to vindicate Allen’s character’s wish for a total boycott of Christmas, including charitable giving, in favor of a holiday cruise with his wife.
I know a lot of people like The Bishop’s Wife, starring Cary Grant. Meh. The whole premise of a romantic comedy starring Cary Grant as an angel—not a pseudo-angel, like Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life (a soul of a flesh-and-blood mortal who died in what Catholic theology calls the state of grace, and who would thus be a holy soul or a saint rather than an “angel”), but an immortal, pure spirit—is just icky and wrong. It can be somewhat more tolerable in an art film, like Wings of Desire, although I don’t like it even there. But in a popular entertainment it turns me off. Angels—real angels—shouldn’t be imagined that way.
No list of icky Christmas movies would be complete without mentioning Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas—a movie about which I have nothing to say that I didn’t say 11 years ago in my first rhyming review ever.
Finally, in a strange postscript, my two older sons claim that one year on Christmas Day itself I showed them F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu. Naturally, I refuse to believe I could possibly have done anything so horrible.
Those are my thoughts about Christmas viewing. How about you?
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What about the Jim Carrey A Christmas Carol? Totally agree with you on his Grinch (can’t even bear to watch), but other than all the falling through the sky scenes, I think it good.
I just re-watched the second half of Ben Hur with my family. What a joy! More profound, I dare say, than that Mel Gibson mistake - the Passion.
Carolyn: Thanks for the reminder. Just added the Jim Carrey Christmas Carol to my article above.
MarkC: The second half of Ben Hur? Wouldn’t that be more appropriate for Lenten/Easter viewing?
The Fourth Wise Men is an amazing movie! Also I just watched the Nativity Story with a bunch of friends from my Newman Club and we actually got into a long discussion over whether Mary would’ve had labor pains. All in all though, it was a very good movie, especially the soundtrack.
@Stephen. Well, the 1st half of Ben Hur does include a Nativity scene (if memory serves). But you’re right, Part II is definitely an Eastertide meditation.
BTW. I think you are WAY HARSH on Jim Carrey and the Grinch! I understand the Christmas message is nearly absent, I still think there are great production values and a terrific performance by Jim Carrey (you ought to have your funnybone checked).
I get your point that the extreme materialism of the Hoos in the movie is a departure from the original story but - I actually think it is a BETTER commentary on the holiday culture in the US and message to which most people can easily relate. If people can’t find Christ in Christmas - it is not Ron Howard or Jim Carrey’s fault - it is due to the incredibly superficial and over-merchandised holiday spectacle ..
“The Juggler of Notre Dame” is a beautiful Christmas movie that we watch every year (though our kids, 5 & 2, are a little too young for it yet). It’s an old story (Tomie de Paola’s “The Clown of God” is another version of the same basic story), but it’s really beautifully done, though Merlin Olsen may have been a better football player than actor… but the two main actors, Carl Carlsson and Patrick Collins, do an excellent job.
I had no idea that there is an argument whether Mary gave birth au natural or not, and I was raised in a pretty solidly Catholic home! This is all new to me, so I’ll be over here just looking up the Church Doctrine. Seriously, I’m stunned that giving birth would “harm” virginity in any way.
Hooray, Muppet Christmas Carol! We watch that every Christmas. Fun Muppety goodness for the kids, but the Muppety goodness doesn’t detract from the power and poignancy of the story—and my husband grins like a three-year-old every time they sing the line “‘Tis the summer of the soul in December.”
Which Christmas Carol is the one where Scrooge is so bad that he’s sent to a part of Hell that froze over? THAT’s the one I like! :-)
One of the curses God inflicted on women as a consequence of the Original Sin of Eve was “bringing forth children in pain and anguish”. Since the Blessed Mother was full of grace, immaculately conceived, she was necessarily exempt from the curse of painful childbirth! Her suffering in giving birth to her “children” (us-the followers of her Son) occurred at the foot of the Cross!
Theologians tell us that Jesus passed through the birth canal of His holy Mother in the same way He passed through the locked door in the Upper Room on Easter night—leaving her sacred virginity perfectly intact!
As for Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, in my humble opinion, the original 1938 version with Reginald Owen as Scrooge, Gene Lockhart as Bob Cratchit, is by far the most touching—and completely faithful to Dickens’ text.
One little line from “It’s a Wonderful Life” that I really internalized only a few years ago, was when Uncle Billy came running in the Bailey’s home shouting, “Mary did it, George! Mary did it! She went all over town telling people, ‘George is in trouble…’” I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the faithful one named “Mary” interceded for her desperate husband and turned the tides of fortune in his favor!
Let us all repeat this beautiful phrase: “Mary did it! Mary did it!” When we’re in trouble, Mary will tell the Good Lord, “George (or whoever!) is in trouble, my Son; he needs Your help!”
Merry Christmas!
@Steven: “In a theme-park ride sort of way”—LOL! Exactly! on the Carrey “A Christmas Carol.” Great description. But on the whole I really like it and the use of real Christmas HYMNS in it.
I also loved The Fourth Wise Man. But I liked the original TV version better than the recent DVD one. That one has extras scenes that take away from the story. One even has the leper colony getting to be so good as growing vegetables that the people in Jerusalem come out in drive to buy from them. So much so that the other farmers get jelous and burn down their crops. Ridiculous! No wonder it made it to the cutting room floor, and should have stayed there. Another had a totally out of context version of Peter denying Christ. Neither of the scenes are necessary in the movie and should have been left out.
My favorite Christmas Carol is the musical “Scrooge” with Albert Finney. The songs are fun to sing and the whole family sings them every year, even my almost 20 year old kids, and now their wives. It is the best version to show Scrooge’s remorse over losing his fiancee, and in no other version is he so bubbling over with joy at his conversion.
I know Alistair Sim is the classic Scrooge, but in my opinion his is the most unemotional, lifeless, and boring of them all.
Dang I wish I could edit that post get rid of the typos.
Another excellent one from the 1970’s was J. T. I’ve recently found this in five parts on YouTube. It’s not yet on DVD. You should watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqSgRsqK4aA
I would suggest that the best way to experience A Christmas Carol as a family is to read the book together. Having heard it read aloud (and read part of it) every year of my life, I have a profound appreciation for how exquisite almost every paragraph is.
Lisa A-Scrooge. Unless you watch the DVD that part is edited out.
I like the 1938 version best.
I’m going to post a vote for a musical production of A Christmas Carol I saw a few years back, starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge. It kept one of the bits that many screenwriters like to clip out (especially in re-imaginings), which is when the two almoners come to ask Scrooge if he’ll support their charity.
Stewart’s “Christmas Carol” is the best, I think. Fidelity to Dickens’ tale and Patrick Stewart’s post-ghost Scrooge are the main reasons. Also, this is the only “Christmas Carol” I’m aware of where Scrooge GOES TO CHURCH after his conversion.
Perhaps on equal footing is the Muppet version, which manages to be both touching and hilarious, sometimes in the same scene.
Yes! I’m so glad to see someone else mention “Little Drummer Warners”; it’s a wonderful example of how a cartoon can be fun while still being reverent. I was actually active in an internet fan group when that episode aired (yes, the internet was around back then), and I can remember several people asking whether it was appropriate for a cartoon to have such openly religious imagery. The strongest defense of that episode actually came from a pagan, who said he thought it was the perfect way to introduce his children to what Christians see as the true meaning of Christmas.
A fun trivia fact about the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol: Mervyn Johns, who played Bob Cratchit, was actually 20 months older than Alastair Sim!
Not sure I understand your comments on The Bishop’s Wife, though I’ve not seen the movie myself. Agree completely with what you said about It’s A Wonderful Life. It is a fantastic movie and I actually was fortunate enough to meet Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu) over the summer. My siblings and I all enjoy Magoo’s Christmas Carol and of course A Muppet Christmas Carol and I agree that Michael Caine’s Scrooge was done very well…in a way that made me almost detest the portrayal of Long John in Muppet Treasure Island.
Steven,
What about Danny Boyle’s Millions?
“They took our Christmas, so we’ll take their cash”...
only it doesn’t work out that way (with help from Saint Joseph).
Happy Epiphany!
Dear Steve,
Thanks for the review. “Numinous” is the right word for the wonderful Zefferelli nativity, augmented in no small part by Donald Pleasance’s eerie, mystical invocation of the prophecy from Micah.
Agree, too, with your affection for Olivia Hussey’s Mary…with one exception. Why is it that her devastation at Jesus’ death (six hours later in the pic) is so effusive, while Magdalen’s is reserved? That just seems totally removed from Hussey’s portrayal up to that point. I wonder a) why Zefferelli made that call b) if she thought it to be consistent, and c) if there were other versions left on the cutting room floor.
For my money, Gibson gets it right with that last shot of Morgenstern’s Mary quietly looking right into the camera: WE are the reason for His death, and her heart has been pierced interiorly.
Interested in your thoughts.
Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan.
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