A Holiday Tour de Force: Exploring Overlooked Christmas Pictures

Something that annoys me about many modern holiday features is their overly meta-commentary – the ostentatious decorations, the checklist soundtrack selections, and the stilted conversations about the essence of the holidays. Perhaps because the genre hadn't yet solidified into formula, movies from the 1940s often explore the holidays from far more imaginative and far less anxious angles.

The Affair on Fifth Avenue

A delightful gem from delving into 1940s seasonal fare is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 semi-romantic farce with a brilliant premise: a cheerful vagrant spends the winter in a unoccupied luxurious mansion each year. During one cold spell, he invites strangers to live with him, including a ex-soldier and a runaway who turns out to be the offspring of the mansion's wealthy proprietor. Director Roy Del Ruth infuses the picture with a makeshift family heart that numerous contemporary Christmas films struggle to earn. This story expertly balances a socially aware commentary on housing and a whimsical urban romance.

Godfathers in Tokyo

The acclaimed director's 2003 animated film Tokyo Godfathers is a fun, poignant, and thoughtful version on the holiday story. Drawing from a John Wayne movie, it follows a group of down-and-out individuals – an alcoholic, a trans character, and a adolescent runaway – who come across an discarded baby on Christmas Eve. Their mission to find the baby's mother triggers a series of unexpected events involving yakuza, immigrants, and seemingly fateful connections. The movie embraces the magic of fate frequently found in holiday stories, offering it with a stylish aesthetic that avoids saccharine emotion.

Introducing John Doe

While Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life rightly gets plenty of praise, his earlier film Meet John Doe is a powerful holiday story in its own right. With Gary Cooper as a charismatic drifter and Barbara Stanwyck as a clever reporter, the story begins with a fictional note from a man promising to fall from a building on December 24th in protest. The people's reaction compels the journalist to recruit a man to impersonate the invented "John Doe," who later becomes a national icon for neighborliness. The movie functions as both an inspiring tale and a brutal critique of ultra-rich media magnates attempting to manipulate public goodwill for their own gain.

Silent Partner

Whereas Christmas slasher films are now commonplace, the festive suspense film remains a somewhat niche subgenre. This makes the 1978 feature The Silent Partner a novel delight. Starring a delightfully vile Christopher Plummer as a thieving Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a clever bank clerk, the movie pits two types of amoral oddballs against each other in a well-crafted and unpredictable yarn. Largely overlooked upon its first release, it is worthy of new attention for those who enjoy their holiday stories with a dark edge.

Christmas Almost

For those who like their family gatherings dysfunctional, Almost Christmas is a blast. Boasting a stellar group that includes Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the movie explores the strain of a family forced to endure five days under one roof during the festive period. Secret dramas bubble to the surface, resulting in scenes of high farce, including a dinner where a weapon is produced. Of course, the narrative reaches a satisfying resolution, giving all the entertainment of a family disaster without any of the real-life aftermath.

Go

The director's 1999 film Go is a Christmas-themed caper that is a youthful interpretation on woven narratives. Although some of its edginess may feel of its time upon revisiting, the picture still contains plenty aspects to savor. These are a engaging role from Sarah Polley to a memorable scene by Timothy Olyphant as a dangerous pusher who appropriately wears a Santa hat. It embodies a particular style of 1990s film attitude set against a festive setting.

Morgan's Creek Miracle

The famed director's wartime comedy The Miracle of Morgan's Creek skips traditional seasonal warmth in exchange for bawdy fun. The story centers on Betty Hutton's Trudy Kockenlocker, who finds herself pregnant after a drunken night but cannot recall the soldier responsible. A lot of the humor comes from her condition and the attempts of Eddie Bracken's simping Norval Jones to marry her. While not immediately a Christmas film at the start, the narrative winds up on the festive day, showing that Sturges has crafted a playful version of the Christmas story, packed with his characteristic witty edge.

The Film Better Off Dead

This 1985 adolescent film featuring John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a quintessential example of its decade. Cusack's