By Max Sheikh
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the first classic Christmas movies to still be talked about to this day. Director Frank Capra’s inspiration originates from the short story and booklet The Greatest Gift, self-published by Philip Van Doren Stern in 1943. The cinematic gem is an emotional rollercoaster, beautifully orchestrating moments that are not afraid to tug at the heartstrings. The narrative delves into the web of human connections, illuminating how one life resonates with numerous others. George Bailey, the protagonist, shows this in his heroics in making others’ lives better. Detailing sensitive topics such as suicide, financial poverty, mental illness, and death, all while being made in 1946, demonstrates the barriers broken in cinema and filmmaking; important life lessons include the topics of friendship, love, hope, despair, self-worth, faith, and generosity. The film can be viewed with multiple heartwarming interpretations. Obvious ghost inspiration comes from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol but is far more layered, with a strong, passionate love story endowed with warmth and beauty, all contained in magnificence. It’s a Wonderful Life defines an old classic that will never grow out of date.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Another Christmas classic that most people will be familiar with is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Made in 1964, the musical animation contains 55 minutes of runtime. Directors Larry Roemer and Kizo Nagashima based the animation on the original song, Run Rudolph Run, published in 1949. What makes the animation so special is the stop-motion artstyle. Even by modern standards, the stop-motion technique is as impressive as it is nostalgic. From the catchy, touching songs to the great voice acting by Billie Mae Richards as Rudolph, little is short of perfectly executed. But what is most notable is the great message presented for young kids to hold for their futures. Rudolph shows children that it is okay to be different. It is okay to embrace these differences, and he shows how they can be a good thing. Rudolph’s development to this stage is executed with perfect simplicity. The Snow Monster is a great antagonist; however, his redemption at the end seems a bit forced. Given that is the only critique presented, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is nothing short of a classic film to watch late at night on Christmas Eve.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is based on John Hughes’ short story Christmas ’59 from 1980. Director Jeremiah Chechik loved the story so much that he asked Hughes to help with his film adaptation. In this comedy, simply put, anything that could go wrong, goes wrong. Chevy Chase’s role as Clark Griswold is hilarious. He truly is perceived to be losing his mind half of the time due to the dumbest outcomes of regular situations. Although Clark supports his craziness, the audience can’t help but smile when he is on screen due to his silly, loveable nature. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is the perfect family Christmas movie. Children will laugh with joy at the mindless misfortunes the Griswold family endures in the not-so-cozy Christmas season. Adults will laugh at the calculated, crude gestures Clark and others accomplish. But all will come away with the message that family is everything, no matter how crazy they may seem. What comes off as insensitive is Clark’s anger issues with his wife, Ellen. He tends to not listen to her and commonly reaps the consequences, but what is most confusing is his naive sense of pride that comes from the ideas of Ellen when fortunes come true. It could be a writing miscue. It could be Clark isn’t as wholesome as the film wants him to end up being. Nevertheless, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a classic Christmas comedy that everyone should experience at least once.
The Polar Express (2004)
The Polar Express is a 21st-century animated film set in the 1950s. Director Robert Zemeckis draws inspiration from the 1985 children’s book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The enchanting film is faithful to its original, paying great tribute. Hero Boy, the protagonist, embarks on a life-changing journey of self-discovery to the North Pole. To call his journey a “journey” seems disrespectful in terms of how vast it is. Zemeckis provided craftsmanship in terms of how the film was made, how awe-inspiring the 3D is used, and how perfectly timed the set-pieces are in large abundance. For an animated film made primarily for children, the cinematography could not be more majestic. Breathtaking excitement is not uncommon in the film’s cinematography due to its dramatic sequences in Hero Boy’s traveling. The characters (Hero Boy, Ebeneezer Scrooge, Hero Girl, Know-It-All, etc.) are well realized with seamless character development and convincing chemistry to craft the perfect story of exploration and adventure. It would be a disservice to not mention Tom Hanks’s role as the Conductor, the Hobo, and Santa Claus. He plays all the characters with a similar warm delivery that sums the animation up as a whole. Being both sentimental and extraordinary, The Polar Express is truly one of a kind and will never fail to rouse up the Christmas Spirit.
