Some essential, and surprising, Christmas movie recommendations

Families have unique Christmas traditions, but one of the most common is gathering to watch a movie on television.

Surprisingly, there is no really worthy film depiction of the actual birth of Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels of Mathew and Luke. As a result many turn to more secular entertainment at Christmas. For some, the choice is A Charlie Brown Christmas – an entertaining and appropriate diversion, with its emphasis on the real and original Christmas story.

For others, the choice is It’s a Wonderful Life – a charming asseveration of the good that each can do in this world.

However, what is suitable “Christmas entertainment” can be a cause of considerable disagreement. Is Die Hard really a Christmas movie simply because its plot has a Christmas background? Apparently, its star Bruce Willis, thinks it is not; others argue that the protagonist’s motivation, his determination to repair his marriage, is fitting for the season.

But is that enough to make it a Christmas entertainment? Brilliantly crafted though the film is, its essential violence and body count would seem to disqualify it.

This is even more true of Home Alone, a film which I have always found thoroughly distasteful in that the infliction of pain and suffering is made cause for humour. To my mind, the child protagonist is simply a sociopath in the making – not what I want to see at Christmas.

When it comes to more obvious Christmas entertainments, however, the choice can be even more fraught. While it is a decided exaggeration (despite the fanciful 2017 film that claims this), to say that Charles Dickens was the man who invented Christmas, for more than 170 years Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been considered an essential part of the season. Here, the movie versions are innumerable. According to one website, there are no fewer than 135 films inspired by the novel!

The choice is indeed daunting. Some prefer the 1984 version, starring George C. Scott, though there is a considerable disconnect in the film as Scott underplays the drama (some would call it melodrama).

Just how much sang froid would a man display when confronted by a series of ghosts – especially when the strident musical background and the ghosts themselves seem to be determined to emphasize fear and horror?

The 1970 version, starring the talented Albert Finney (remarkably, only 36 years old at the time) works far better on this level, but turning it into a musical can hardly be conducive to a faithful treatment of the novel. Nor is it a great musical. Leslie Bricusse’s songs, even when backed by Paddy Chayefsky’s lively (if repetitive) choreography, with the exception of the finale’s Thank-you Very Much, are hardly memorable.

Some viewers, particularly those with young family members, may prefer A Muppets Christmas Carol, which is certainly fun. It also has the excellent portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge by Michael Caine, whose faithful playing of the role, despite having to interact with puppets, is praiseworthy.

However, for me, the best screen version of the novel remains the 1951 film starring Alistair Sim. His performance surely remains the defining depiction of Scrooge. His ability to register the full range of the character, from evil, to quavering fear, to joyful and ebullient happiness is iconic.

Nothing is more delightful than Sim’s climactic scene, with the wonderful Kathleen Harrison as his foil. This is indeed fully in the spirit of Dickens.

Regardless of the film version one prefers, the fact is that the Muppet version gets it right by, as its conclusion, recommending that one reads the book – which is one of my own strictly observed Christmas traditions.

Dickens’ brilliant descriptive passages, his concern with attacking the social injustices of the workhouses, the ragged schools, and Victorian hypocrisy in the face of Ignorance and Want, while determinedly and overtly asserting the true message of the Christian feast, are difficult to convey in even the best film version – or, indeed, of any film, regardless of its provenance.

One last film that is often overlooked and goes a long way toward being the ideal Christmas entertainment is the 2004 movie Millions.

The British comedy-drama directed by Danny Boyle is delightful and comical entertainment that not only has a beguiling story line, but also has a child protagonist who is so in tune with his Christian faith that he constantly and entertainingly has imaginative interaction with a series of saints.

Above all, the film emphasizes the Christian message that, like Jesus, we are all called to serve our fellow humans, both those close to us and those far away. It’s a lovely variation on the theme that “a child shall lead them” and is indeed wonderful Christmas entertainment. What more can one ask of something that could be part of a family’s Christmas tradition?