MovieChat Forums > White Christmas (1954) Discussion > Not a 'Christmas Movie'

Not a 'Christmas Movie'

posted 10 years ago by bastasch8647
19 replies | jump to latest

Cheers to those who love this film - good for you, enjoy it. 'Nuff said on that.

I can't enjoy it because I find it ponderous, over-long, and most of all because it's not really a Christmas movie.

It starts hopefully during Christmas in WW II while guns are a-poppin' and shells are a-fallin'. Great, sentimental stuff with its special presentation for old man Jagger. ... Then Christmas is all but forgotten until the final big shindig at the very end. This does not constitute a Christmas, or even a "holiday" movie. It doesn't conjure the Christmas feel/spirit at all. It is an obvious studio attempt to cash in on the superior Holiday Inn's use of the song, White Christmas. At least Holiday Inn sustained a holiday feeling because the premise was to throw a big party for every major American holiday ... thus becoming an iconic film about the holiday spirit. White Christmas can only hope to be a poor cousin to the prior film.

[–] fleurfairy 10 years ago

I think White Christmas could be considered a Christmas movie then way It's A Wonderful Life is. Both movies aren't necessarily about Christmas/Santa Claus, etc but they convey that feeling of warmth, togetherness, and friendship that we find so important around the holidays.

[–] suzy8track 10 years ago

The holidays are always inundated with holiday movies...and many consider this film to be granddaddy of them all. My mom never appreciated this holiday classic, so we never watched it when it was on TV. I knew that Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney were in it, but I never viewed the film to make my own critique...until now. I was truly excited to see a true classic holiday film. Now many folks will probably bombard me with hateful comments, but this film fell below my expectations...I finally understand why my mom never cared for it! It starts off during WWII. The soldiers are making the best of their situation by singing Christmas songs in an effort to bring up the soldiers spirits. Bing sings the title song to the soldiers and then they honor their General who is being re-assigned. It is a touching and moving scene and gets the film off to a great start. It is after this that the film sorta falls flat.

They manage to all end up at a Vermont Inn, through a series of ridiculous circumstances. When they arrive at their destination, it curiously looks like springtime, because the leaves on the trees are still green, even though it is supposed to be December! To be honest, the movie didn't really have that Holiday feeling about it until almost the end of the film. Most of the songs in the film were NOT of the holiday variety...and I swear, if I hear that silly Sisters song ever again I'll jump out of a window! So please, tell me why, of all the holiday films, is this one considered the best of the genre?

[–] !!!deleted!!! (47421091) 10 years ago

So please, tell me why, of all the holiday films, is this one considered the best of the genre?

Why?

Nothing anyone will say to you will change your mind. Nothing anyone says to me will make me love this movie less. You don't care for it, and that's fine. At least half of the "top 100" movies of all time are torture for me to watch, so I don't watch them.

[–] suzy8track 10 years ago

Good Grief...pretty obvious that no one read the content of my post and basically just responded to the line! I think I explained pretty clearly why I don't feel its not really a Christmas movie! Seems like everyone was too lazy to read!

[–] brighid-1 10 years ago

What do you mean, it's not a Christmas movie? Lemme guess, next you're gonna tell me that Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie either...

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] DarkKnight1954 10 years ago

You're batty, it is on EVERY Christmas movie list there is and that holiday surrounds the entire premise of the movie and then of course theres the iconic Irving Berlin classic song "White Christmas"... Go home troll!

[–] !!!deleted!!! (25863049) 10 years ago

Is it a Christmas movie? Well, it begins during Christmastime, the majority of the story occurs right before Christmas, and it ends on Christmas Eve with a Christmas-themed show.

"Holiday spirit" refers to Christmas ONLY (and ok, the period from Thanksgiving to Christmas). Lincoln's Birthday, etc., don't evoke a holiday spirit because there IS no holiday spirit associated with them. No one starts getting a "Lincoln's Birthday feeling" two weeks ahead of time, let alone on the day itself. By that standard, WC is far more of a holiday movie than Holiday Inn. Is it a BETTER movie? That's up to opinion

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] suzy8track 9 years ago

Exactly! Its only a Christmas move at the very beginning and at the end of the film. The rest of the film did not have any holiday songs, and it looked more like springtime at the Inn when they arrived...the leaves were still green! So I cannot understand why people feel that this is the ultimate holiday film, it only looks like Christmas for less than a third of the film!

I'm in a glass case of emotion!"

[–] liscarkat (17811) 4 years ago

One of the reasons the OP listed that he couldn't enjoy the movie is "because it's not really a Christmas movie."

So the OP can only enjoy Christmas movies? That is so limiting.

[–] melissah1982 (883) 4 years ago

this movie is every bit a Christmas movie; more so than Holiday Inn (which is my favorite of the 2 movies). Just because it doesn't mention the word 'Christmas' 10000 like a Hallmark Movie doesn't make it any less a Christmas movie when it takes place during the holiday. It starts at Christmas time, ends at Christmas time. features snow and beautiful Santa style costumes. It's a light hearted movie that the family can watch at the holidays. But I do find it interesting with how people categorize a Christmas movie. For example; someone may not consider "White Christmas" a Christmas movie...yet...think 'Die Hard' is.

[–] vranger (444) 4 years ago

Bingo, Melissa.

Quite a few "traditional Christmas movies" barely mention Christmas. "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Shop Around the Corner" end on Christmas Eve, but nothing in the story hinges on that. "Holiday Inn" also ends around Christmas, but could just as easily be a 4th of July or Thanksgiving movie. "Christmas in Connecticut" has little to do with Christmas. Most of the Hallmark Christmas movie deluge only pay lip service to the season. They're virtually all warmed-over cliché romances that throw in the phrase "I love Christmas" and some decorations to make them qualify.

We always watch "The Shop Around the Corner" and "You've Got Mail" back-to-back during the season. "Shop" starts in the summer and ends at Christmas. "Mail" starts in the season and ends the next summer.

If a particular movie doesn't strike someone's fancy for Christmas, I've always been baffled what psychological defect induces them to try to spoil it for millions of other people for whom it means a lot. I don't think of "Die Hard" as a Christmas movie either, but I'll bet good money neither you nor I are on the Die Hard discussion trolling the people who think murder and violence are suitable Christmas tropes. ;-)

"White Christmas" is the movie my wife and I save for the honored position of Christmas Eve evening each year. I've watched it every year since the mid '70s, and we've owned the VHS, then the DVD, and now the Bluray. The Bluray is a gorgeous presentation, btw. I feel bad for anyone who doesn't appreciate how funny Danny Kaye is.

[–] strntz (11813) 4 years ago

....and some decorations to make them qualify.

Some decorations? SOME DECORATIONS? There are more freaking decorations in one Hallmark movie than any ten Christmas movies you can name combined, and that includes Clark Griswold's house!!!

They have decorations in the streets, on every house, inside every room of every house.. Even the cathouse on the edge of town is decorated to the gills! Take the tank lid off the toilet and you'll find they replaced the flapper with a rubber wreath!!!!

With regards to White Christmas, my wife and I do the same. Put the fireplace on, turn off the lights except for the tree and the blue floods on the mantle, a nice glass of red wine and put on White Christmas.

[–] vranger (444) 4 years ago

LOL to the "decorations", and I wish you and your wife many more pleasant evenings with White Christmas. :-)

[–] melissah1982 (883) 4 years ago

yea...I was gonna say it but let it go. I think there has to be an inside joke with the set directors of each movie for who puts the most decorations up. If they ever have a Hallmark style Oscar show, there better damn well be a 'best/most Christmas decorations' category, haha. Merry Christmas to you both!

[–] vranger (444) 3 years ago

I circled back to this a year later, Melissa, and Merry Christmas to you and yours this year, too! :-)

[–] melissah1982 (883) 3 years ago

same! White Christmas is on the family movie night line up for tomorrow night. Very excited. I love Bing Crosby. Merry Christmas!

[–] strntz (11813) 4 years ago

Thank you sir. God willing, we'll all have many more years!