A Holiday Celebration: Uncovering Overlooked Christmas Pictures

Something that irks concerning numerous contemporary Christmas films is their excessive self-awareness – the ostentatious decorations, the predictable score choices, and the stilted speeches about the true meaning of the holidays. It could be because the genre was not yet solidified into formula, films from the 1940s often approach Christmas from increasingly imaginative and far less neurotic angles.

It Happened on Fifth Avenue

A cherished discovery from exploring 1940s Christmas comedies is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 semi-romantic comedy with a brilliant premise: a cheerful vagrant takes up residence in a vacant posh townhouse each year. One winter, he invites fellow down-on-their-luck individuals to stay with him, including a ex-soldier and a runaway who turns out to be the offspring of the property's rich landlord. Filmmaker Roy Del Ruth imbues the film with a surrogate family coziness that numerous newer Christmas stories strive to achieve. This story expertly walks the line between a class-conscious commentary on shelter and a whimsical urban fairytale.

Tokyo Godfathers

The acclaimed director's 2003 animated film Tokyo Godfathers is a entertaining, sad, and thoughtful interpretation on the holiday tale. Drawing from a John Wayne picture, it follows a trio of homeless souls – an drinker, a trans woman, and a young throwaway – who come across an abandoned newborn on a snowy December night. Their journey to locate the infant's parents unleashes a chain of unexpected events involving crime lords, foreigners, and apparently fateful encounters. The movie celebrates the magic of fate frequently found in Christmas stories, presenting it with a cinematic visual style that avoids cloying feeling.

The John Doe Story

While Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life rightly earns a lot of acclaim, his earlier picture Meet John Doe is a powerful Christmas tale in its own right. Starring Gary Cooper as a down-on-his-luck "forgotten man" and Barbara Stanwyck as a clever reporter, the story begins with a fabricated note from a man promising to jump from a ledge on Christmas Eve in frustration. The public's response forces the journalist to hire a man to play the invented "John Doe," who later becomes a popular symbol for kindness. The movie serves as both an inspiring story and a brutal skewering of wealthy media magnates seeking to manipulate popular feeling for their own ends.

A Silent Partner

While seasonal horror movies are now a dime a dozen, the festive suspense film remains a strangely niche category. This makes the 1978 feature The Silent Partner a novel delight. With a wonderfully vile Christopher Plummer as a criminal Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a unassuming bank clerk, the story pits two kinds of morally ambiguous oddballs against each other in a well-crafted and unpredictable narrative. Mostly unseen upon its original release, it merits a fresh look for those who like their festive films with a chilling atmosphere.

Almost Christmas

For those who prefer their family gatherings dysfunctional, Almost Christmas is a riot. Featuring a stellar cast that has Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the film delves into the strain of a household forced to share five days under one house during the Christmas season. Private issues rise to the top, leading to situations of over-the-top farce, including a confrontation where a weapon is brandished. Ultimately, the story finds a touching resolution, offering all the enjoyment of a holiday catastrophe without any of the personal aftermath.

Go

Doug Liman's 1999 film Go is a Yuletide-themed story that functions as a youthful take on crisscrossing plots. While some of its comedy may feel dated upon rewatch, the movie nevertheless contains several elements to appreciate. These range from a cool role from Sarah Polley to a standout appearance by Timothy Olyphant as a charming pusher who amusingly wears a Santa hat. It captures a very brand of fin-de-siècle film energy set against a Christmas scene.

Miracle at Morgan's Creek

Preston Sturges's wartime film The Miracle of Morgan's Creek forgoes traditional holiday sentimentality in favor for cheeky humor. The film centers on Betty Hutton's Trudy Kockenlocker, who ends up with child after a hazy night but cannot remember the man involved. The bulk of the fun stems from her predicament and the devotion of Eddie Bracken's lovestruck Norval Jones to rescue her. While not immediately a Christmas movie at the outset, the plot culminates on the festive day, revealing that Sturges has created a playful version of the Christmas story, filled with his trademark sharp edge.

Better Off Dead

This 1985 adolescent movie with John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a quintessential artifact of its time. Cusack's