The Stories That Stay with Us: Movies to Watch This Christmas

BreakPoint ^ | 2 Dec 03 | Chuck Colson

[Mr. Silverback]

In the rush of the Christmas season one thing is certain these days, and that is that people will spend time watching movies on VCR or DVD players. But which movies? Let me suggest a few that make solid worldview points.

First, let me make it clear: I’m not suggesting that you always have to watch movies just to get a lesson out of them. That’s not what movies, or stories in general, are about. A good movie is just that, but movies, at the same time, do shape our thinking. It’s no accident that, for the most part, the movies and stories that stay with us are the ones that dramatize truths about the human condition—like our fallen nature, our need for a Redeemer, our dependence on each other, good and evil. And the movies I suggest are like that.

One of the most popular Christmas movies ever is Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, a film that’s appropriate for all ages. The movie is about a businessman who spends his life giving up what he wants to help others. And then one day he finds himself in desperate need of help, and he’s rescued by an angel. There’s a reason people watch this movie again and again: Though it is a simple story, it reaffirms the value of faith, life, and friendship.

Another classic, for older children and adults, is To Kill a Mockingbird. In Depression-era Alabama, a white lawyer defends an innocent black man on rape charges. The movie clearly shows the depravity of human nature and the tragedy of prejudice. And it also portrays an unforgettable story about the eternal impact a good father has on his children.

There are more recent classics, like Saving Private Ryan. This is not a movie for children. But older teenagers and adults who can handle its graphic depiction of war will be deeply moved by the struggle of a group of soldiers assigned to rescue a single private. It’s a timely reminder of both the horrifying realities of war and the words of Jesus: “Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” The ending is worth the cost of the rental.

A very different wartime story is told in the Italian film Life Is Beautiful. In it a devoted father shelters his young son from the brutal realities of a World War II labor camp by turning the whole experience into a game. Is it possible to tell a comic story against such a horrific backdrop? Some people thought it was a sacrilege, trivializing the horrors of prison; I think it’s a beautiful depiction of the biblical principle of bringing good out of evil.

Finally, for those in your family who enjoy getting scared out of their wits, I recommend the film Signs, in which a former minister tries to defend his family against an invasion from space. Signs is not a typical alien flick. It has subtlety, humor, and nail-biting suspense—and it gradually develops into a strong affirmation of faith.

This list is only a starting point. You can get my complete list by calling us here at BreakPoint. And, of course, you and your family might benefit from Ted Baehr’s very helpful family guide to the movies, What We Can Watch Tonight. With the right movie and the right attitude, a little family time around the TV can be a life-changing experience, a Christmas gift you’ll long remember.

[Ryle]

A Child's Christmas in Wales" (by Dylan Thomas) -- it's a 1 hour PBS production that came out 10 or more years ago, but if you can find it in a video store, don't hesitate to rent it.

Even better, if you can find it on ebay or anywhere, don't hesitate to buy it - we always watch it a couple of times each year, and it's getting harder to find. Just wish it was on DVD .....

[Mr. Silverback]

ROTFLOL... "I don't want any of you spending time with Tracy Abernathy alone."

That is one of the best lines in a movie full of good lines. Just as good, "Is Douchebag a curse word?"

[Mr. Silverback]

Pardon my french, but I cannot stand that son of a bitch.

Um, I took French in High School, and I'm pretty sure that's not French...

[longfellow]

Capras "Meet John Doe." another great Xmas film.

[texasbluebell]

I have a vhs copy (Child's Christmas in Wales) that I taped a few years ago, fortunately, when it was broadcast.

It remains one of the best of the Christmas stories. Beautifully done.

Someone should issue that in dvd or vhs, it's timeless.

[texasbluebell]

Good grief. Thought I'd take a look on amazon to see if that was available.

A used copy from a dealer is going for $75, and there are 2 new copies, one is $200, and the other is $275...

[Argus]

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (the original version, with Maureen O'Hara and Edmund Gwenn) is still amazingly timely, with its cynical atheist modern woman learning the true meaning of Christmas.

For laughs, I like to put on the MST3K deconstruction of a weirdo Mexican movie called SANTA CLAUS, which is the strangest take on old St. Nick ever filmed.

[Argus]

My dad was a great Irish RC believer too, but he knew that Easter is about Christ's suffering. Christmas is about the Wise Men, and gifts...

[Lancey Howard]

I still crank up 'Babes in Toyland' (Laurel and Hardy) every Christmas.

[Mr. Silverback]

Argus, meet Tree of Liberty.

Tree, meet Argus.

Argus, Tree is looking for just the MST3K episode you mentioned and would probably like to know where you got it. Discuss amongst yourselves.

[Maigret]

A Christmas Story
Christmas in Connecticut (the original with Stanwyck, of course)
The Bishops Wife
The Man who Came to Dinner
A Child's Christmas in Wales (narrated by Denholm Elliot)
The Dead (John Hustons last film)
The Lemon Drop Kid
It's a Wonderful Life

These are some of the 'must sees' at our house this time of year.

[Maigret]

How could I have forgotten Alastair Sim's Christmas Carol, "a pox upon me for a clumsy lout" - 10 points to whoever can tell which Christmas film that line comes from :)

[Snidely Whiplash]

The 1951 "A Christmas Carol" with the great Alistair Sim as Scrooge.

No contest. It is The Definitive Version.

True. I did greatly enjoy George C. Scott's turn as Scrooge back in the 80s, though...he did cantankerousness as well as, say, Lionel Barrymore.

Snidely

[Snidely Whiplash]

Well, I started work here in 1993, so she was about 8. She's a bright little thing.

Heh...I think my head would just plain explode if an 8-year-old dropped that line on me.

Snidely

[Snidely Whiplash]

Oh, I nearly forgot. For all the "Christmas Story" freaks out there (myself included):

The Leg Lamp

Snidely

[texasbluebell]

The Dead (John Hustons last film)

Nothing says Christmas to me like "The Dead".

Superb.

[AnAmericanMother]

It's a Wonderful Life.

But it's not really fair, since I just watched it Saturday night.

[BibChr]

I like Scott per se, but the thing that stays with me from that version is that is conversion is inexplicable. At every step, the character offers a self-justification that is never countered. His pride is intact, never humbled; he is never broken. Then suddenly he's this transformed person.

In Sim's version (as in most others — even the Mister McGoo version!) you see the revelations hitting home and crumbling his arrogant edifice. The conversion makes perfect sense.

Not with Scott's.

One man's opinion.

Dan

[Tree of Liberty]

Yes! I think that's the one I'm looking for. Could you please let me know where I could get a copy?

Dos your have the "B-sharp" short at the beginning?

[Tree of Liberty]

Thanks for the ping. I would have missed the post if you hadn't.