Turner Classic Movies: Christmas In The Movies: 35 Classics To Celebrate The Season Book Review
It’s Christmas time.
With Halloween over, all attention is now on the Christmas season. Running Press got a jump start on the season with the recent release of the new revised and expanded edition of “Christmas In The Movies.” This Turner Classic Movies book release spotlights 35 Christmas films from 1939 to 2005. Of course, all the beloved classics are here such as “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “Miracle On 34th Street,” “A Christmas Story,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Home Alone,” and “Elf,” but there’s a lot of deep cuts here too like “Cash On Demand,” “Holiday Affair,” “The Cheaters,” and my personal favorite underrated Christmas movie- “The Man Who Came To Dinner” (seriously, when is this movie getting a Blu-ray release?). Although always a topic of debate as to whether they are Christmas movies, “Die Hard” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” are also included. Each entry is accompanied by credits, film stills, a written piece about the plot along with a history of the film along with some personal opinions and a “Holiday Moment” (AKA a memorable Christmas moment from the film ala the “White Christmas” song sung to veterans in “White Christmas”). Strewn throughout the book are 6 articles titled “Christmas Cartoons From Mickey To Tweety,” “1947: A Very Merry Movie Year,” “Five Other Three Godfathers,” “Christmas And Film Noir,” “A Christmas Carol Through The Years,” and “Little Women: 1933 and 1949.”
The book also contains a note from author Jeremy Arnold (who gets props for mentioning “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”) about this new edition, an introduction, bibliography, an epilogue that covers other Christmas movies of the 21st century, an index and acknowledgments.
The TCM books have always been a great read for film buffs like myself although I may be biased as someone who adores film lists. If you read or owned the previous “Christmas In The Movies” book this one is still worth picking up as a companion piece. Not only are there 5 additional movies listed, but there are numerous films mentioned as double-feature suggestions. For instance, the “Cash On Demand” entry has a piece on the Christmas thriller “The Silent Partner.” As mentioned above, there’s also an entire written piece on Christmas movies of the 21st century which touches on everything from “Bad Santa” to “Arthur Christmas.” The aforementioned articles also reference other Christmas titles including other versions of films listed here ala the other adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” and “Little Women.”
On top of all of that, you’ll learn so much about the movies. Did you know “The Bishop’s Wife” was titled “Cary And The Bishop’s Wife” in other markets? Did you know producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. was trying to remake “The Bishop’s Wife” before “The Preacher’s Wife” was greenlit? Did you know the production history of how “Miracle On 34th Street” managed to get clearance to shoot in department stores and at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? You’ll learn all of this and so much more.
If you’re tired of watching the same old Christmas movies every year and are looking for something new, this book is the perfect antidote. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover your next Christmas movie favorite?
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