A Holiday Showcase: Exploring Overlooked Yuletide Pictures

Something that bothers me about numerous contemporary holiday films is their excessive self-consciousness – the ostentatious decor, the formulaic soundtrack selections, and the stilted speeches about the essence of the holidays. Perhaps because the style was not hardened into routine, pictures from the 1940s often tackle Yuletide from far more creative and less obsessive angles.

It Happened on Fifth Avenue

A cherished find from exploring 1940s holiday films is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 semi-romantic tale with a brilliant hook: a cheerful vagrant spends the winter in a empty posh estate each year. During one cold spell, he welcomes strangers to stay with him, among them a former GI and a runaway who turns out to be the heiress of the mansion's wealthy owner. Filmmaker Roy Del Ruth infuses the film with a found-family coziness that most newer holiday stories struggle to attain. It perfectly occupies the space between a socially aware commentary on affordable living and a delightful city romance.

The Tokyo Godfathers

The acclaimed director's 2003 tragicomedy Tokyo Godfathers is a fun, poignant, and thoughtful version on the festive story. Inspired by a western picture, it follows a trio of down-and-out souls – an alcoholic, a trans character, and a teenage throwaway – who discover an discarded newborn on Christmas Eve. Their quest to find the child's parents triggers a series of unexpected events involving yakuza, immigrants, and seemingly fateful encounters. The film doubles down on the enchantment of coincidence often found in seasonal flicks, offering it with a stylish visual style that avoids overly sweet feeling.

The John Doe Story

Although Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life justifiably gets much attention, his lesser-known picture Meet John Doe is a compelling Christmas film in its own right. Starring Gary Cooper as a charismatic everyman and Barbara Stanwyck as a resourceful reporter, the film starts with a fake missive from a man threatening to jump from a building on Christmas Eve in protest. The nation's reaction leads the reporter to recruit a man to impersonate the mythical "John Doe," who then becomes a national figure for neighborliness. The narrative acts as both an uplifting tale and a brutal indictment of wealthy publishers seeking to use public sentiment for their own gain.

The Silent Partner

Whereas holiday horror movies are now plentiful, the holiday crime caper remains a somewhat rare style. This makes the 1978 film The Silent Partner a unique surprise. With a delightfully vile Christopher Plummer as a criminal Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a clever bank employee, the story pits two varieties of opportunistic characters against each other in a sleek and unpredictable tale. Mostly ignored upon its first debut, it merits new attention for those who like their holiday stories with a chilling edge.

Almost Christmas

For those who like their Christmas gatherings dysfunctional, Almost Christmas is a hoot. Featuring a star-studded group that features Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the movie explores the tensions of a household compelled to share five days under one home during the Christmas season. Hidden dramas rise to the top, resulting in scenes of high comedy, such as a dinner where a shotgun is brandished. Of course, the film reaches a satisfying ending, giving all the fun of a holiday disaster without any of the real-life cleanup.

Go

The director's 1999 feature Go is a Christmas-themed tale that functions as a youthful interpretation on woven stories. Although some of its humor may feel product of the 90s upon revisiting, the film nonetheless contains several aspects to savor. These include a cool turn from Sarah Polley to a captivating performance by Timothy Olyphant as a dangerous supplier who appropriately sports a Santa hat. It represents a particular kind of fin-de-siècle cinematic vibe set against a festive backdrop.

Morgan's Creek Miracle

The famed director's wartime film The Miracle of Morgan's Creek rejects typical Christmas sentimentality in return for bawdy humor. The movie is about Betty Hutton's character, who ends up expecting after a hazy night but cannot identify the father responsible. A lot of the humor stems from her predicament and the efforts of Eddie Bracken's lovestruck Norval Jones to marry her. While not obviously a Christmas movie at the start, the story culminates on the Christmas, revealing that Sturges has created a satirical version of the birth narrative, packed with his characteristic sharp style.

Better Off Dead

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