THE TOP EIGHT CHRISTMAS MOVIES

CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT

Christmas in Connecticut is a 1945 romantic comedy

directed by Peter Godfrey, and starring Barbara Stanwyck,

Dennis Morgan and Sydney Greenstree. The movie is

a romp of criss-crossing relationships, deceit, funny scenes

and witty comments. Arnold Schwarzenegger directed a

remake of this movie in 1992 but it wasn’t as successful

as the 45´original. Watching Christmas in

Connecticut is a tradition for many families.

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

Produced and directed in 1998 by William R. Kowalchuk,

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is another popular

animated Christmas movie. With the first appearance

in a 1939 booklet written by Robert L. May, Rudolph,

the main character, is the lead reindeer pulling Santa’s

sleigh on Christmas Eve. In many countries,

Rudolph has even become a figure of Christmas

folklore and is especially popular among children.

IN BRUGES

This 2008 British-American movie written and directed

by Martin McDonagh is not a traditional Christmas

movie but since the plot is set in Christmas time, it is

often ranked in this category. Combining several

different genres such as drama, thriller as well as

comedy, the film stars Colin Farrell and Brendan

Gleeson as two Irish hitmen. Filmed in the Belgian city

of Bruges, the movie garnered a cult status for

its dark humour and dialogues.

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

If you like more peaceful and gentle Christmas movies,

you cannot miss Frosty the Snowman, a classical

Christmas animated fairy tale based on the popular

song of the same title. The program, which first

aired in December, 1969 on CBS, was produced for

television by Rankin/Bass and featured the voices of

comedians Jimmy Durante as narrator and Jackie

Vernon as the titular character. The movie is

marked by the traditional cel animation that was

used back then.

THREE NUTS FOR CINDERELLA

Directed by Vaclav Vorlicek in 1973, Three Nuts for

Cinderella is a traditional Czech-German Christmas

fairy tale. Cinderella, a poor and humble girl has

three wishes at her disposal, gained from three

magic nuts. With their help, she becomes the

longed-for bride of a handsome prince. The film

is shown on TV around Christmas time every year

in many European countries such as the

Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia,

Switzerland and Norway.

A CHRISTMAS STORY

A Christmas Story is a 1983 comedy film directed by

bob Clark who was awarded two Genie Awards for it.

Starring Peter Billingsley as a 9-year-old boy Ralphie Parker,

the film has since become a holiday classic and is

shown numerous times on television during Christmas

time. In 2012, the film was even selected for

preservation in the National Film Registry by the

Library of Congress for being “culturally,

historically, or aesthetically significant”.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Produced and directed by Frank Capra in 1946, It´s a

Wonderful Life is a Christmas fantasy comedy-drama

based on a short story “The Greatest Gift” written

by Philip Van Doren Stern. The film stars James

Stewart as George Bailey, a kind man who has

given up his dreams in order to help others and

whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings

about the intervention of his guardian angel. It is

one of the most popular Christmas movies in America

and it even has been recognized by the American Film

Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made.

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

Based on a story by Valentine Davies, the 1947 version of

Miracle on 34th Street ranks among the most popular

Christmas classic. Directed by George Seaton, the movie

won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

(Edmund Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story

(Valentine Davies) and Best Writing, Screenplay.