My Christmas film is Russian Ark. In one lingering ‘take’, the film leads us through the Hermitage in a series of dreamlike sequences, like the thread that guided Theseus through the labyrinth, until we arrive not at the Minotaur, but at a magnificent Romanov Ball. The film brilliantly negotiates 300 years of history as the… Read More »
The fun & high jinks of The Muppet Christmas Carol movie do not entirely hide the fact that the story raises a range of important social & legal issues. From the very outset, the opening sequence reveals a snowy city setting and quickly the viewer is alerted to the atrocious working conditions of those poor,… Read More »
One of the joys of living in England after spending most of my life in Australia has been the build up of festivities in the crispy cold lead up to Christmas. And for me, a modern film that brings together all the mayhem, joy, humour and chaos of peoples’ lives at this time has to… Read More »
Perhaps last weekend, with your Christmas shopping complete, you sat down to watch the film Nativity! or indeed perhaps Nativity 2 or Nativity 3. Arguably it won’t really have mattered whether you were watching Nativity! or Nativity 2 as essentially the premise in each is the same; Primary School children, putting on a Christmas play, in difficult circumstances. A light-hearted easy film, excellent cast and ideal for watching with children, especially… Read More »
In our Law Library Christmas Films series, I have chosen Miracle on 34th Street, a seasonal classic from 1947, written and directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn and a very young Natalie Wood. (There is also a 1994 version with Richard Attenborough and Mara Wilson which is pretty good… Read More »
Tired of saccharine Christmas films featuring cute kids and elaborate dance routines? Maybe the 1957 horror film The Abominable Snowman ( of the Himalayas in US release), starring Forrest Tucker and Peter Cushing, would be more to your taste? No, it’s not a Christmas film, but it does feature some snow. And yes, it… Read More »
“Do you know the butchers in the next street but one?” “I should hope so.” “Good. Intelligent boy. Remarkable boy! Tell me, have they sold the prize turkey that was hanging there, not the little turkey, the big one?” “What, the one as big as me?” “Yes. Delightful boy! Yes, my boy, the one as… Read More »
The first film in the franchise – currently 5 strong – turned 25 last month! Still a Christmas favourite, what is the appeal? The cute little kid defending his home from the wicked burglars, or the knowledge that all will end well in true American hero fashion? But just what is the legality of leaving… Read More »
British audiences may not have been aware of a particular significance this film had for American audiences. At surface level, especially if you are not giving it your full attention, there is not much to distinguish it from a lot of feel good, rom-com/mistaken identity “happy ever afters” which can be provide suitable seasonable wallpaper… Read More »
It’s a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story “The Greatest Gift”, by Philip Van Doren Stern and, though it was initially not a huge success at the box office and took a while to recoup the initial investment, it is… Read More »
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