Christmas is fast approaching, and more importantly so is 2021, which will hopefully see the world turn a positive and happy new corner.
We all knew a Christmas following lockdown was guaranteed to end in tiers, and in the final month of 2020, the shot in the arm we need is not only medicinal but via the comfort of motion pictures.
Following Roshan’s comprehensive countdown of Christmas classics is my alternative list of the best films to watch at the most wonderful time of the year, which despite making us feel all festive, actually have absolutely nothing to do with Christmas.
There’s no better place to kick-start my winter selections than with an epic of wartime escapism. John Sturges classic The Great Escape (1963), is a staple of Christmas viewing. Packed full of iconic moments, this film has arguably the most recognisable music in British cinema, and certainly tops any list for the greatest ‘Dad film’ of all time.
Travelling further back to 1945, released just two months following the end of WW2, is Noël Coward’s story of forbidden love Brief Encounter. As Christmas is the season to be jolly, why not gather the family and watch this heart wrenching and deeply sad classic – the winter evenings will fly by. No, really, they will.
Continuing this run of utter classics is another romance released just two years prior, Casablanca (1943). Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman conjure career-defining performances in a captivating romance noir of hypnotic proportions. There is very little left to say of this monochromatic masterpiece that hasn’t already been said. ‘Play it once, Sam. For old times’ sake.’
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) is undoubtedly the greatest Christmas film of all time. However, if insistent on a non-Christmas themed film choice, Frank Capra released his similarly wonderful It Happened One Night 12 years earlier. A romance with sprinkles of screwball comedy, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert dazzle with charming chemistry, making comfortable companions for a cold winter evening.
Putting black and white films aside for one second, I think this list is need of some recommendations with more of the magic of Christmas. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) is the most appropriate choice for this. Although it may lack the quality of the later additions to the series, the fantastical world introduced in this film is undeniably exciting, and possesses a unique charm, casting a spell like no other film.
Local tier systems have clearly been allocated out of a sorting hat, not a magic one this time, an entirely random one and if you’re unfortunate enough to be stuck in tier 3, there is no better time to embark on a marathon of movies. Endless trilogies could fit the bill for this, and it was too difficult to choose just one so here’s my picks; Star Wars (the original trilogy, obviously), The Lord of the Rings (not the Hobbit films, obviously) and Toy Story (you can add the pointless fourth if you insist).
Christmas wouldn’t be the same without revisiting the cartoon classics of Disney. Picking which of the Disney features is most suited to a seasonal viewing is near impossible. If I had to choose, it would be Lady and the Tramp (1987) or 101 Dalmations (1992); I can’t pick between them, and I won’t.
Sitting comfortably amongst the universal appeal of Disney’s enchanting animation is the ingenious stop motion creations of Aardman pictures. Notably Chicken Run and the various Wallace and Gromit short films made between 1989 and 2008.
Contrasting the light hearted festive fun of Disney and Aardman is a film that puts the chills in chilling. A bleak, wintery backdrop sets the atmosphere for Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980). Locked down on a cold winter’s night (sound familiar?) a family deal with their father’s descent into murderous madness- hopefully not so familiar.
With the release of Pixar’s Soul to Disney+ on Christmas Day, it seems appropriate to complement my selection with a flick from this studios spectacular body of work. For me, this has to be Monsters Inc (2002). Sully (John Goodman) and Mike (Billy Crystal) are the perfect duo of monstrous animated creations, certain to lighten the mood when the inevitable locked-down Christmas tensions kick in. As soon as someone suggests monopoly, please, just put this on instead.
A host of familiar festive fixtures are also guaranteed to keep tensions low and mouths shut. A certain winner is the transformative beauty of Victor Fleming’s Wizard of Oz (1939). Another film, which captures the same trance-like charm is the 1968 musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang directed by Ken Hughes. This fairy-tale story created by Ian Fleming diverts from his usual tales of international espionage to a surreal adventure of toot sweets and child catchers. Capturing a similar quaint Edwardian appeal is The Railway Children (1970). Lionel Jeffries classic was made to accompany winter evenings by the fire and is perhaps the perfect ‘non-festive’ film. From Christmas past to Christmas present these films have gained a reputation for their viewing requirement across the festive season.
This list would be incomplete without featuring Bill Murray. Representing the anti-Christmas spirit in Scrooged (1988), Murray is known for his deadpan delivery and pessimistic characterisation. Demonstrated most clearly in Groundhog Day (1993), Murray gives a Scrooge like performance as a negative, bitter man who learns to love. The story of a man who is stuck in the same day, this film’s smart script and great cast make it a film to watch over and over again.
That about concludes my picks for the perfect winter films with no grey bearded gift giver or flying reindeer to be seen. To anyone reading this, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!