Not the usual Christmas movies

[Christopher Jacobs]

Since this is the season and I've already seen WHITE CHRISTMAS, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, MIRACLE ON 34th STREET, A CHRISTMAS STORY, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, ELF, CHRISTMAS VACATION, AMAHL & THE NIGHT VISITORS, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, and any number of others more than enough for the time being (and all but one of those are currently available on Blu-ray looking better than ever), I've been looking through my shelves for Christmas-themed movies that are not usually associated with the traditional holiday cheer feel-good classics.

Last night I watched the Blu-ray of the original DIE HARD (1988), actually seeing the full-length movie for the first time, and not having realized until recently that it was actually set during the Christmas holidays. Tonight I ran the classic Warner cartoon GIFT WRAPPED (1951), a Christmas-themed Sylvester & Tweety that's a lot of fun and I'm not sure if I'd seen before but looks great on the new Looney Tunes Volume 2 Blu-ray set, followed by the Warner DVD (from one of their noir sets) of LADY IN THE LAKE (1946), which I hadn't seen in many years and is much better than I remembered, besides being set almost entirely from about December 22-25 and opening with a deviously misleading Christmasy main title sequence. The DVD picture quality is also outstanding, almost Blu-ray qualty and really making one wish for that extra clarity and crispness that a Blu-ray could provide. Then I looked at the Blu-ray of DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER (1990), which takes place in and around an airport entirely on Christmas Eve, and which I'd also never got around to seeing until now. Again, lots of fun, both dramatically and historically, and Christmas-themed to boot!

Any other Christmas movies that from their titles and/or casts don't really suggest the holiday season but really are closely tied to it?

[JFK]

Pandora's Box Eyes Wide Shut Cover Up Gremlins I The Jury Running Scared

[Rollo Treadway]

The Christmas perennial for me is Big Business with Laurel & Hardy. As christmas tree sellers, they come into conflict with James Finlayson, and the result is one of their most epic "tit for tat" battles, and one of the most perfect comedies ever made.

Since I didn't see The Shop Around the Corner on your list, I'll mention it as well, though I would assume it's fairly regularly shown at this time of year? The adjective "perfect" seems to fit for this one too, but what is your opinion? Now, I want you to give me your honest opinion...

[Christopher Jacobs]

The Christmas perennial for me is Big Business with Laurel & Hardy. As christmas tree sellers, they come into conflict with James Finlayson, and the result is one of their most epic "tit for tat" battles, and one of the most perfect comedies ever made.

Since I didn't see The Shop Around the Corner on your list, I'll mention it as well, though I would assume it's fairly regularly shown at this time of year? The adjective "perfect" seems to fit for this one too, but what is your opinion? Now, I want you to give me your honest opinion...

Yes, BIG BUSINESS is a classic. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER is indeed a wonderful film, but yes it is usually overexposed this time of year. I also enjoy its remakes IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME and YOU'VE GOT MAIL, though neither is quite the classic as the original.

I'm most interested in finding more films that people don't normally expect to be Christmas movies from their titles, genres or stars (e.g., an experimental 1st-person noir like LADY IN THE LAKE, or the first two DIE HARD movies).

[Little Caesar]

I always make it a point to watch "The Thin Man" around this time of year since the events of that film take place around Christmas. If you're looking for a good movie to watch around New Years, watch "After the Thin Man." The events of that movie take place only a few days after the events of the first film. and are partially centered around New Years.

[Joe Migliore]

There is the Jimmy Durante film THE GREAT RUPERT which is kind of fun. The DVD I have bears the legend "A Christmas Wish", but I don't think that's in the main titles.

[Christopher Jacobs]

I've never seen THE GREAT RUPERT, and I'd forgotten that the first THIN MAN movies were around Christmas and New Year's. I was almost going to mention GREMLINS earlier, as pretty much the overtly anti-IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE Christmas film, but had completely forgotten about the brilliantly ironic Christmas conclusion to PANDORA'S BOX, helped immensely by the proper score with the appropriate Christmas carols. It also slipped my mind that EYES WIDE SHUT was a Christmas film (and I've got that original one-sheet up in my basement theatre!), and RUNNING SCARED is one I haven't seen since it came out and didn't remember as being set at Christmas. As I recall, there are quite a few war films with extended sequences at Christmas and at least a western or two that I can't remember offhand. Wasn't part of THE FRENCH CONNECTION also at Christmas with a Santa Claus costume? I'll have to track down COVER UP and I, THE JURY, neither of which I've seen.

[mwalls]

A favorite movie of mine that does not seem to get over exposed is Holiday Inn. It covers all of the holidays, but I associate it most often with the Christmas season.

[greta de groat]

I don't think anyone has mentioned Meet John Doe yet.

Just to be pedantic, i'll mention that the Norma Talmadge film The Woman Gives (1920) has a Christmas party as part of the proceedings.

greta

[BGM]

Lets not forget Deanna Durbin in Christmas Holiday-her noir film directed by Siodmak. She is good as the world weary "road house" ie brothel singer. Gene Kelly is less effective and Gale Sondergaard as his grande dame mother not having a New Orleans accent is a bit bothersome. Durbin's Lady on a Train is also set during the Christmas season-a great mystery spoof where she sings silent night laying on a bed into a telephone-sexily directed by her future husband Charles David-and who said she never made the transition into adult roles!

[LongRider]

In JACOB'S LADDER Tim Robbin's character gets beat up and thrown out of car to the curb where he is robbed by a Santa Claus.

Not exactly a Christmas movie tho'.

[boblipton]

My movie tonight in Killer Joe.

Bob

[bobfells]

I don't believe anyone mentioned THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1942).
There's a nice Christmas scene in THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL (1939) that's sure to bring a tear to your eye.
BEAU BRUMMEL (1924) has a Christmas scene with what seemed to me when I first saw this film as the largest indoor tree I had ever seen.
There's a Christmas scene in THE SINGING FOOL (1928) between Al Jolson and little Davey Lee.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES (1935) has a memorable Christmas scene as does MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935).
Of course, BEN-HUR both the silent and sound versions, depict the very first Christmas.

[Richard M Roberts]

The John Ford Directed version of THREE GODFATHERS (1948)


RICHARD M ROBERTS

[LouieD]

"Christmas Eve" (1947) has a great cast (Joan Blondell, George Raft, George Bancroft, Randolph Scott, etc) and a decent story.

[radiotelefonia]

Merry Christmas with a Italian commercial remake never seen here:

[daveboz]

You're going to kick yourself — REMEMBER THE NIGHT [1940], with Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, and a Preston Sturges script.

[Christopher Jacobs]

Doesn't HELL'S HEROES (1930) end in a church at Christmastime? Or was it just in a church? It's been some years since I've seen it. In any case, great movie in its silent edition with a good score, and pretty good movie in its early talkie sound version.

[syd]

Movies that take place during Christmas:

Lethal Weapon
Less Than Zero
Brazil (every day is Christmas)
The Apartment
1941

[Joe Migliore]

syd wrote:

Movies that take place during Christmas:

Lethal Weapon
Less Than Zero
Brazil (every day is Christmas)
The Apartment
1941

Also, the film MIXED NUTS; Steve Martin works at a suicide prevention hotline at Christmastime.

[bobfells]

You're going to kick yourself — REMEMBER THE NIGHT [1940], with Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, and a Preston Sturges script.

Ouch! Which reminds me of CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (1945)

[Steve Pendleton]

Trading Places.

[sepiatone]

My movie tonight in Killer Joe.

Bob

I'm the tenth person on my local library's waiting list for this movie.

[sepiatone]

IF I HAD A MILLION(1932) with WC Fields, Mary Boland, Charles Laughton, Gary Cooper, May Robson, Wynne Gibson and whole list of others to help you appreciate 'good fortune'. This should long be a holiday classic in the vein of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

[silentfilm]

Isn't the end of Running Scared (1986) with Billy Crystal set at a giant Christmas tree in the lobby of a high-rise building in Chicago?

[WaverBoy]

HOLIDAY AFFAIR (1949), with Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh. An absolutely wonderful film which I discovered a couple of years ago, now one of my all-time faves.

[Frederica]

If we're doing modern films, I'm newly partial to Hogfather (2006), starring Michelle Dockery in a pre-Downton Abbey role.

[Richard Finegan]

This week TCM ran the 1958 movie GUNS, GIRLS AND GANGSTERS most of which was set between Christmas and New Year's Eve, with a Christmas tree in several scenes.
That's certainly "not the usual Christmas movie"!

[silentfilm]

The final escape in Stalag 17 (1953) takes place at Christmas. The escape is aided by the Red Cross Christmas packages, which are full of ping pong balls.

[rangebuster]

The Roy Rogers colour B western Trail of Robin Hood is an excellent film for the holiday season with the bad guys trying to hijack the Christmas tree market. In Gene Autry's Cowboy and the Indians Gene winds up the movie by singing Here Comes Santa Claus. More Christmas movies: Prancer, Laughter House (UK story of taking geese to market,) The Bishop's Wife, The Night They Saved Christmas, Toy Tinkers (Donald Duck cartoon), Santa Claus The Movie; The Gathering (TV movie); Come to the Stable; Pluto's Christmas Tree (cartoon), The Holly and the Ivy; Beyond Tomorrow; It Happened on 5th Avenue; Scrooged; various versions of Scrooge/A Christmas Carol; Jingle all the Way; The Cheaters; The Grinch.