How many times can you watch Miracle on 34th Street? Settle down with one of these classics instead. (Click on the titles to read the full review)
NINOTCHKA
French champagne. One sip and you’ll become a convert to capitalism. Trust me, it works. There’s Greta Garbo’s humorless Soviet envoy, a model revolutionary if ever there was one. She believes in the righteousness of the cause and has nothing but contempt for the west. “The last mass trials were a great success,” she assures her three comrades.“There are going to be fewer but better Russians.” Ah, but she is in Paris. Who can resist the charms of the city of light? Pour yourself a glass of bubbly and savor this delightful film. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
I read somewhere that Clark Gable’s talent was in playing himself. Fans lined up to see him, whatever the role, and they were never disappointed. Could he act? Ask me if I care. The version of himself he played in “It Happened One Night” was genuine, charming, and way too handsome for that control freak, Claudette Colbert. “Cheerfully insolent” is the way a friend of mine describes Gable’s performance. Him I could imagine traveling with across the country or around the world. We’d probably end up going standby, and no doubt there’d be any number of mishaps along the way, but that would be part of the adventure. One thing for sure: we’d never be bored. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
The soulful Egyptian heartthrob Omar Sharif plays a Russian and Doctor Zhivago was shot mostly in Spain by a British director, produced by an Italian. “Lara’s Theme,” the schmaltzy leitmotif that evokes the Julie Christie character, can still be heard in elevators today. But there’s lots of snow and that makes this a perfect Christmas epic in my book. |
Deathless Prose 
Love your “Christmas” movies review! Happy holidays and best wishes to you for 2018, including lots of movie watching!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Ellen. Same to you — and enjoy Mame. That one can stand up to repeated watchings!
LikeLike
Some supposedly famous Christmas films I’ve never seen, among them Miracle on 34th Street, mentioned in your introduction, and A Christmas Story, based on a Jean Shepherd tale. Maybe I should remedy that someday. But I like your idea of alternatives. Since this year is the 100th anniversary of the 1917 Russian revolution(s), Doctor Zhivago holds some appeal. Besides, there’s snow! I’ll have to check your reviews later—I have to work today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When we lived in England, they showed epics nonstop on television during the days surrounding Christmas. Some, like Zulu and Laurence of Arabia, though wonderfully entertaining, seemed out of season, but Doctor Zhivago was just right.
LikeLike
Another suggestion (which I don’t think can be watched too often): Miracle of Morgan’s Creek. Marvelously perverse play with the idea of a miracle birth at Christmas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for bringing this one to my attention, Martin. I love Preston Sturges.
LikeLike
I was thinking of saying something about your Doctor Zhivago remarks, namely that we seem always to be living in troubled times, but that post didn’t appear to allow comments.
LikeLike
I’ve set things up so that comments close after three weeks — was getting a lot of spam on old posts, people selling knock-off Louis Vuitton bags and weight loss regimens with IP addresses in former parts of the Soviet Union. Since I did that, traffic to my site has decreased, but the visitors seem legitimately interested in what I write.
LikeLike
That explains it.
LikeLike