I can’t be faulted for including at least one “traditional” Christmas movie on the list, can I? Any Frank Capra movie is worth watching any day of the week, and It’s a Wonderful Life has become such a Christmas staple that it’s part of all our traditions. True, its status as a mainstay on network television was due initially to a lapsed copyright, but after that copyright was reinstated the film remained part of our holiday tradition. There’s no substitute for Jimmy Stewart’s earnestly heartfelt sincerity and the nostalgic simplicity of Capra’s world, and the truest testament to this film’s lasting success is its cultural ubiquity. Everyone from Batman to J. R. Ewing has wondered if life would be better without them, and there’s always been a Clarence-esque figure to show them just what an awful hole is left when someone isn’t around. Though the film may be naïve, it’s difficult to say that it isn’t compelling.
Anyone who knows me has heard me say these words: “Stalag 17 is a perfect movie.” And it is! William Holden stars as Sefton in Billy Wilder’s adaptation of the stage play about a German POW camp where one of the Americans is a stoolie – and it’s up to Sefton to find out who it is, since the other prisoners have him pegged as the guilty party. Best of all, it’s a holiday treat since the film takes place right around Christmastime 1944; the Americans throw themselves a Christmas party replete with musical accompaniment and Betty Grable by way of a straw wig. And when Sefton finds out who the rat is, he does so as his compatriots sing “O Come All Ye Faithful” in a perfect use of visual language (which we know is my favorite facet of filmmaking). It’s an underappreciated gem, but Stalag 17 has everything a great film needs – it’s intense, it’s mysterious, it’s funny, and it’s touching without being saccharine – and it qualifies for this list, to boot!
No comments:
Post a Comment