Ok, I confess, this is one I absolutely refused to watch
for years. Oh, I'd certainly heard about it. In fact, people
that knew my sense of humor swore to me I'd love it.
But something Christmas-y from director/producer Bob Clark???
The guy that made "Porky's"??? Frankly, I thought a snowball would
have a much better chance in Hell...
So much for what I know...
I finally broke down and watched it for the first time
around 1998 or 1999. Unbelievably funny. Absolutely nailed
a kid's excitement as Christmas rolls around. Tosses in the sense
of sheer purgatory that elementary school can be.
Tops all of that, somehow, by seeming to be 100% authentically
within the era portrayed. I've seen movies actually produced during
that era that don't seem that authentic. An amazing feat to pull
off.
How it was done, I'm not quite certain. Have a couple
of ideas, though.
There's something about the audio that just seems a bit
off. Maybe it's the strains of the oboe that interjects itself semi-regularly
that helps to provide an ethereal quality (for lack of a better term) that
takes one out of the current time. Maybe it isn't. Still, there's
something that's just "off" about the soundtrack that takes it completely
out of the time of production.
The other element may be the soft focus used in the cinematography.
There's really nothing harsh or crisply focused in the entire movie.
The ethereal term might actually work better here, as the look of everything
in the film is as far from contemporary as can be.
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Of course, one can't discount the value of Jean Sheppard's
narration. That voiceover work couldn't help be ring true, as Sheppard's
own childhood inspired the movie, taken from his book, "In God We Trust,
All Others Pay Cash". (And if that wasn't an inspired
title, I don't know what was...but I digress...)
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Most assuredly, though, the movie hinged on the three
primary actors.
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Darrin McGavin was/is arguably most famous for his
role in "Kolchak, The Night Stalker"...a character that just wasn't right.
Then again, neither was The Old Man. Unless I'm just completely undervaluing
the appeal of a certain "Major Award"...
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Other than this role, I'm not familiar with Melinda
Dillon's work at all. But this work was fantastic. She managed
to convincingly portray both the Everymom...and one that just wasn't right...
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C'mon, how many moms do you know that got
their kids to eat by having them pretend their plate was a trough???
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Then, of course, there's Peter Billingsley as Ralphie.
Poor kid, finding roadblocks at every turn in his quest for a Red Ryder
BB gun. Skirting the wrath of his teacher for his tangential role
in a classmate's misery. Or worse, becoming alternatively the victim/conquerer
of the infamous Scut Farcus.
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But the worst of all...faced with the creepiest Santa
Claus in all of known history. (Shudder...)
But, like every good childhood memory, this one ends without
the seemingly inevitable disappointment...if you don't count the "Chinese
turkey" dinner...
The only disappointment I have about this film is that
the DVD version is full-screen, not wide-screen. Can't believe the
option isn't available currently, especially with the proliferation of
wide-screen releases lately. Hopefully, the studio will come through
with a proper release soon.
It can, however, be seen in the wide-screen aspect on
Turner Classic Movies. Frequently in tandem with a neat little two-reeler
called "Star In The Night".
It wasn't until I started researching this short for this
page that I discovered "Star" was an Academy Award winner for Best Two-Reeler
of 1945.
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To Nick's surprise, all those who had piled their
petty problems on his shoulders earlier rallied around a young couple facing
imminent parenthood. (Though, being a product of the mid-1940's,
we never actually heard the word "pregnant" at any time during the program...hard
to believe in this day and age, eh?)
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Completely transparent, completely predictable...and completely
charming. Next time you see "A Christmas Story" on TCM's schedule,
leave a bit of space on the tape in case "Star" happens to play afterward.
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