Every Christmas season I watch a lot of old, familiar Christmas movies on TV or from my DVD collection, as many people do.
There are perennial
favorites, such It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and A
Christmas Story.
I love these movies, but my
three favorite Christmas films may not be on your list, or even on your
radar.
I love O. Henry’s short
stories and I love the 1952 film, O. Henry’s Full
House.
The 1952 film offers five
adaptations of O. Henry’s great short stories with Christmas themes, featuring
five fine directors, fine screenwriters and a fine cast.
The film presents some of my
favorite short stories from one of my favorite writers.
The O. Henry stories - The
Clarion Call, The Gift of the Magi, The Ransom of Red
Chief, The Cop and the Anthem, and The Last Leaf -
offer humor, drama, pathos and irony.
I especially like the crime
story The Clarion Call, with Dale Robinson and Richard Widmark
(seen in the above photo).
You
can watch the film, which features the late, great actor Charles Laughton
and a young Marilyn Monroe (seen in the above photo), via the below link:
O. Henry's Full House (1952) - YouTube
Although 1951’s A Christmas Carol is another perennial favorite, and actor Alastair Sim is nearly everyone’s favorite Scrooge, I love the 1984 film with George C. Scott as Scrooge.
The 1984 adaptation of
Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol offers a powerful
performance by Scott, who is strong, willful and downright mean and nasty.
If you have not seen this
film, I suggest you watch it.
You can watch the film via the below link:
A Christmas Carol George C Scott 1984 - YouTube
One may not think of a James Bond film as traditional Holiday fare, but every Christmas season I watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
The film, which
was released in December of 1969, has a Christmas setting and takes place in
the snow-covered Swiss Alps.
The film,
despite not having the great Sean Connery who recently passed away, as Bond, is
one the best in the series in my view.
Considering
that the new Bond, George Lazenby, had to follow Connery in the role, and that
he had not acted before, I believe he delivered a better than fair portrayal of
Bond.
He
looked like Ian Fleming's Bond and he was very good in the fight and action
scenes.
The film was also graced with Diana Rigg (seen in the above photo), who recently passed away, as Tracy, a strong, yet troubled woman with whom Bond has a serious, if ultimately tragic, love affair.
Although I would have preferred a European actor to portray Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Telly Savalas was a commanding, brilliant and truly mad Blofeld. The supporting actors were also very good.
The director
of this fine film was Peter Hunt, who edited the earlier Bond films. Hunt
was faithful to Ian Fleming's novel, even going with the thriller's dark
ending. Peter Hunt gave us a true James Bond thriller.
The film also offers a
terrific soundtrack by John Barry.
You can watch scenes from the
film and listen to John Barry's instrumental We Have all the Time
in the World via the below link:
On Her Majesty's Secret Service • We
Have All the Time in the World • John Barry - YouTube
You
can also watch scenes and listen to John Barry's great love song sung
by the late, jazz great Louie Armstrong via the below link:
Louis Armstrong - We Have All the
Time in the World [007 On Her Majesty's Secret Service ] - YouTube
Enjoy the films. Merry Christmas.
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