Post by Fading Fast on Nov 27, 2023 15:06:19 GMT
While we had a great 2022 Christmas thread, in talking with Topbilled, we thought starting a general "Christmas Classic" thread might be a good idea so that we can build on it over time.
I'll kick it off with my review of the 1952 movie "The Holly and the Ivy."
The Holly and the Ivy from 1952 with Celia Johnson, Ralph Richardson, Margaret Leighton, Maureen Delaney, Margaret Halstan and Denholm Elliott
All Christmas movies, including classics like The Bishop's Wife and Shop Around the Corner have conflict. Heck, even Hallmark puts some, albeit weak, conflict in its yearly explosion of Christmas movies because, otherwise, there is no movie.
Something has to go wrong or be a challenge or there's nothing to be overcome by the spirit of Christmas, so we can all feel good in the end. What is surprising is when a Christmas movie doesn't hold back but brings some real challenges and dysfunction.
The Holly and the Ivy brings it. Alcoholism, an out-of-wedlock birth (when that mattered), a minister's son questioning his faith and an adult daughter sacrificing too much for her widowed father drive the story in this little gem of a Christmas movie.
With his cozy rectory being nicely decorated for Christmas in anticipation of his adult children coming to visit, a reverend, played by Ralph Richardson, seems set to have a perfect Noel celebration, but early on we see that nothing is as it appears.
His son, played by Denholm Elliott, doubts his religious faith, but is uncomfortable discussing it with his father as the family's operating manual says that everyone tells Dad, Richardson, what they think he wants to hear.
This goes doubly for Richardson's younger daughter, played by Margaret Leighton, who is a fashion magazine editor in London. She secretly had a child out of wedlock who recently passed away at the age of four, prompting Leighton to turn to drink.
The "good daughter," played by Celia Johnson, is single, in her early thirties and runs the house for her absent-minded and aging father. Her boyfriend, played by John Gregson, is an engineer about to leave for a five-year assignment in South America.
He wants to marry Johnson and have her move to South America with him where they will start a family. Unless she can convince her sister, London-based Leighton, or one of her quirky aunts to take over the house, Johnson won't leave her father.
The aunts have their challenges, too. One, played by Maureen Delaney, is struggling financially, plus, she's no joy in general. The other aunt, played by Margaret Halstan, is kind but lonely. Her fear of not being invited for Christmas is heartbreaking.
The family then starts to arrive home on Christmas Eve. The house appears "happy" on the surface, but almost everyone is unhappy in reality. Oblivious to all the discord in his family, Richardson merrily goes about his day as the busy reverend.
Director George More O'Ferrall perfectly captures the contrast between the surface and the reality in a home like this as we see small alliances form as frustrations are discussed in nooks, rooms and corners away from the others.
The whispered conversations, the white lies, the conspiratorial flash of one's eyes, the occasional flare of anger and the immediate attempt to put everything "right" again so "Dad doesn't know" reveal a home in turmoil underneath its placid facade.
This is still a Christmas movie, so two things inevitably happen. The problems eventually spill out, which greatly surprises Richardson. But he also turns out to be much more understanding than his family expected, so solutions and reconciliations are possible.
It's the Christmas-spirit moment all Christmas movies have. Even in this gritty and realistic picture, the resolutions happen too quickly and easily. Yet it's believable that this family, in time, will solve its problems, so you just smile and enjoy the Hollywood ending.
The acting is uniformly impressive. Johnson and Richardson stand out, but each actor creates a convincing character. The dialogue is crip, honest and, often, harsh, with only the too-easy ending feeling forced.
The Holly and the Ivy, with its genuine family discord, is too realistic to ever become a beloved "holiday favorite." But for those who like their Christmas movies with some bite, it's an engaging film with only a bit too much sentimentality at the end.
I'll kick it off with my review of the 1952 movie "The Holly and the Ivy."
The Holly and the Ivy from 1952 with Celia Johnson, Ralph Richardson, Margaret Leighton, Maureen Delaney, Margaret Halstan and Denholm Elliott
All Christmas movies, including classics like The Bishop's Wife and Shop Around the Corner have conflict. Heck, even Hallmark puts some, albeit weak, conflict in its yearly explosion of Christmas movies because, otherwise, there is no movie.
Something has to go wrong or be a challenge or there's nothing to be overcome by the spirit of Christmas, so we can all feel good in the end. What is surprising is when a Christmas movie doesn't hold back but brings some real challenges and dysfunction.
The Holly and the Ivy brings it. Alcoholism, an out-of-wedlock birth (when that mattered), a minister's son questioning his faith and an adult daughter sacrificing too much for her widowed father drive the story in this little gem of a Christmas movie.
With his cozy rectory being nicely decorated for Christmas in anticipation of his adult children coming to visit, a reverend, played by Ralph Richardson, seems set to have a perfect Noel celebration, but early on we see that nothing is as it appears.
His son, played by Denholm Elliott, doubts his religious faith, but is uncomfortable discussing it with his father as the family's operating manual says that everyone tells Dad, Richardson, what they think he wants to hear.
This goes doubly for Richardson's younger daughter, played by Margaret Leighton, who is a fashion magazine editor in London. She secretly had a child out of wedlock who recently passed away at the age of four, prompting Leighton to turn to drink.
The "good daughter," played by Celia Johnson, is single, in her early thirties and runs the house for her absent-minded and aging father. Her boyfriend, played by John Gregson, is an engineer about to leave for a five-year assignment in South America.
He wants to marry Johnson and have her move to South America with him where they will start a family. Unless she can convince her sister, London-based Leighton, or one of her quirky aunts to take over the house, Johnson won't leave her father.
The aunts have their challenges, too. One, played by Maureen Delaney, is struggling financially, plus, she's no joy in general. The other aunt, played by Margaret Halstan, is kind but lonely. Her fear of not being invited for Christmas is heartbreaking.
The family then starts to arrive home on Christmas Eve. The house appears "happy" on the surface, but almost everyone is unhappy in reality. Oblivious to all the discord in his family, Richardson merrily goes about his day as the busy reverend.
Director George More O'Ferrall perfectly captures the contrast between the surface and the reality in a home like this as we see small alliances form as frustrations are discussed in nooks, rooms and corners away from the others.
The whispered conversations, the white lies, the conspiratorial flash of one's eyes, the occasional flare of anger and the immediate attempt to put everything "right" again so "Dad doesn't know" reveal a home in turmoil underneath its placid facade.
This is still a Christmas movie, so two things inevitably happen. The problems eventually spill out, which greatly surprises Richardson. But he also turns out to be much more understanding than his family expected, so solutions and reconciliations are possible.
It's the Christmas-spirit moment all Christmas movies have. Even in this gritty and realistic picture, the resolutions happen too quickly and easily. Yet it's believable that this family, in time, will solve its problems, so you just smile and enjoy the Hollywood ending.
The acting is uniformly impressive. Johnson and Richardson stand out, but each actor creates a convincing character. The dialogue is crip, honest and, often, harsh, with only the too-easy ending feeling forced.
The Holly and the Ivy, with its genuine family discord, is too realistic to ever become a beloved "holiday favorite." But for those who like their Christmas movies with some bite, it's an engaging film with only a bit too much sentimentality at the end.
