Dir. Michael Curtiz, US, 1954 (2008 R/I), 120 mins
Cast: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger
Review by Joyce Dundas
“What you haven't seen it, how could you have missed it,” so say many when they find that one allusive person who may just not have seen White Christmas . However, it will be less surprising that the people who have seen this Technicolor extravaganza ? and this is one big advert for saturated colour ? on the big screen is a pretty small number indeed. It was first released in 1954.
Park Circus has reissued this classic in cinemas in all its wonderful cheesy glory just in time for the Holiday season. With such recent Christmas dross as Four Christmases and Fred Claus, (both of which star Vince Vaughn, who should maybe reconsider before accepting any more festive scripts) the storytelling, acting and comedy in this film are all top class and it should be applauded for grabbing back the red-velvet, snowflake-dusted genre.
Bob Wallace (Crosby) and Phil Davis (Kaye) are a couple of successful song and dance men, who met during the Second World War. They meet up with sister act Betty (Clooney) and Judy (Vera-Ellen) Haynes and, with romance in mind, invite them to join them in their next show at an inn in Vermont. The girls accept because they have to escape a nasty situation they have gotten themselves into.
However, when the boys get to the inn they find out it is owned by their former commander, Major General Thomas F. Waverly (Jagger), who is struggling to fill the hotel since there is no snow and without that there is no business.
When the general's request to rejoin the army is denied, Bob goes on national TV to get the men from his WWII division to surprise the general on Christmas Eve. The film touches upon our forgotten heroes but it isn't a message movie it's much more schmaltzy than that.
Crosby croons, Clooney's velvet voice harmonises, Vera-Ellen dances up a storm but Kaye is just stunning. He does his usual tongue-twisting song and slapstick comedy without fault and if truth were told, he steals the film.
The music is pure gold, including the Irving Berlin classics, Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep, Sisters , Blue Skies , and the most-famous holiday song ever, White Christmas .
Technically the film is outstanding. The sound is stunning as you would expect from a film doing justice to such musical perfectionists. It is also the first movie ever made in Paramount 's wide screen process VistaVision, you may even have to move your head from side to side to follow the action on the big screen. For all of you who have watched it on Christmas Day, on telly, while bloated with turkey get out and see the real thing. For those of you who have never seen it, well that's a no-brainer.
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