Another Christmas movie

My daughter and I searched all the local libraries until we located a copy. We love Hallmark movies, and this one (from 1999) is even better than most: romance, kids with puppy dog eyes, Santa, and a Guardian Angel that saves the day THREE times! Don't miss "A Season for Miracles."

A couple of Christmas movies reviews

At Tea at Trianon:

It's a Wonderful Life and Bells of Saint Mary's. Enjoy!

Rod Bennett on Frank Capra

I stumbled across this article last summer, but have been very neglectful of posting it here until I noticed it making its rounds of the blogosphere. It's an excellent piece on Frank Capra, and in particular Capra's most well-known film, It's a Wonderful Life.

Since it's still Christmas, I'll post this anyway and you might have time to watch timeless classic one more time. :)

I had no way of knowing at the time that this was supposed to be a corny old Christmas "feel-good" movie. It began to make me feel pretty bad, in fact. Certainly I saw that It's A Wonderful Life is full of wonderful things: charm and humor and unforgettable characters that have since become like a second family to me. But the longer the movie went on, the bleaker and blacker things got. George Bailey, the hero (played by James Stewart), the dreamer who was going to see the world and lasso the moon, struggles to get out of the dead end job that keeps him chained to the hick town where he was born. It soon becomes obvious, to us and to him, that he never will get out of it. And yet, somehow, with every commercial break, that announcer kept repeating It's A Wonderful Life. I myself had dreams very like George Bailey's: dreams of accomplishment, dreams of romance. But the plain reality was that I was failing in school, my first real romance was ten years away, and I was lonely, alienated, and ugly with that unique ugliness only possible to fourteen year olds. And yet with every commercial break, over and over at eight-minute intervals, the "Armchair Theatre" man insisted It's A Wonderful Life. Before long, George Bailey (because of a meaningless accident—his lovable, doddering old uncle has destroyed his business by absentmindedly losing a packet of money) stands on a frigid overpass ready to drown his whole thwarted, aborted dream in an icy black river and we're not so sure we blame him. I stood there with him—my own dreams seemed (and sometimes still seem) just as hopeless. And still the man says It's A Wonderful Life.

Read the rest here.

Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas)

Joyeux Noel is a foreign film (filmed in at least three languages - English, French and German) based on the true story of the Christmas Eve Truce of 1914. This is not a children's movie at all, but I thought I'd share it here as it has some incredibly beautiful scenes which could be shared with your family at Christmas.

World War I was a brutal war and the movie rightly gives some of this context which gives more meaning to the truce. We are introduced to a Scottish priest and two brothers who all serve on the front lines, to a French lieutenant who hasn't heard from his pregnant wife - behind enemy lines - for months, to a German officer and to a German soldier and his Danish wife (who are both opera singers) and other interesting, minor characters on each side who come together, partly through the gifts of song and of faith, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and celebrate and bury their dead together.

The film is beautifully made and very moving, but there are many elements that are inappropriate for children - particularly the violence of battle scenes, a brief bedroom scene and a rather disturbing interaction between an emotionally broken young man and his dead brother.


One of the most beautiful and understated scenes I've ever seen in a movie is contained in the opening scene. After a brief introduction giving a sense of the indoctrination of hatred stirred up in the days leading up to the war (particularly in the schools), we find the news of war traveling all the way to rural areas of Scotland. The scene moves to a Church where a priest is lighting candles and and a young man is working on painting a statue. His older brother storms in to ring the Church bells, ecstatic that "something's finally going to happen around here" because they're going to leave for war. The brothers leave and the wind from the door snuffs out the candles. We're left with only an expression on the priest's face that says everything. (To me, he seems to say: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.")


Lots of great material for discussion here (particularly for teens) including the political reality of the priest's military superior (presumably an Anglican bishop) who, quite naturally, tows the line of his superiors.


From what I've read about the real-life Christmas truce, the filmmakers went to great lengths to portray it accurately (if at times representatively) and I was impressed with how much acknowledgement this non-believing director (from what I've listened to of the commentary so far) is willing to give to the Faith in general and to the priest in particular, who clearly sees all of the men from both sides of the trenches as belonging to his flock.


Although this is a war movie with a great Christmas theme and certainly one with political elements, it points higher to practical and spiritual realities of hope, love, forgiveness and brotherhood.


So, I suggest that you watch this first and then decide what portions of it you might like to share with your children. By the way, when this movie first came out, it was given an "R" rating, but, after huge objections from major critics, was updated to a "PG-13" rating. I can see where it sort of straddles that line.

UPDATE: Silly me. I forgot that it also includes the Latin language (but I don't want to say more as I don't want to spoil some of the very beautiful parts before you see it).

You can view some music and clips online here.

Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas

This is one of those great overlooked classics, it was never popular, but should not be missed. Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is based on the book by Russell and Lillian Hoban, authors of the Frances books. The story is classic, very similar in many ways to O Henry's classic Gift of the Magi. The movie rendition is from 1977, and features creations from the imagination of Jim Henson.

The simplicity of the story is the greatest beauty of it, Ma Otter is struggling to give her son Emmet what he wants for Christmas. She makes many sacrifices to raise him well, and give him what he needs. Meanwhile, Emmet is a good son, who does what he can to help his mother, but is sometimes misguided in his efforts. The movies does a great job teaching a few moral lessons without making it obvious or talking down to the intended audience.

The movie is a bit dated, it was made in 1977, and the music reflects that, but that can be easily overlooked due to the quality of the story. With our modren computer animation, the 70's muppets are a bit odd, their strings and wires are very visible, but again, the overall quality prevails.

I loved this book and movie as a kid, but as a mother, I now understand why my mom cried when she read it to us and why she gave the movie to me as a gift. Kids will love the movie, otters are just cute, the antagonists are goofy and loud and the songs are fun. Moms will appreciate the bigger story, and hopefully can use the lessons to discuss the real meaning of Christmas.

Favorite Christmas Movies

What are your favorite Christmas movies?

Here are some we've enjoyed:

It's a Wonderful Life (naturally)

White Christmas

Holiday Inn

Come to the Stable

Christmas in Connecticut

Joyeux Noel (just discovered this one this year - some mature content)

A Christmas Carol (various versions)

Miracle on 34th Street

Christmas with the Kranks

and last, but certainly not least...

A Charlie Brown Christmas

DVD Stocking Stuffers

What are your recommendations for movies worth re-watching that would make great Christmas gifts? I'll put Christmas movies in a separate post.

Here are a few of our favorites of all sorts:

Marx Brothers Comedies
Bringing Up Baby
The Philadelphia Story
The Princess Bride
Groundhog Day (older teens and adults)
You Can't Take it With You
Going My Way
Bells of St. Mary's
Pope John Paul II
Pride and Prejudice (BBC/A&E)
Sense and Sensibility (the one with Emma Thompson)
Spanglish (older teens and adults)
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima
Babette's Feast
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Cars
The Incredibles
Prince of Egypt
Joseph King of Dreams
Finding Nemo
Ever After