| WHITE CHRISTMAS |
 1954 - USADirector: Michael
Curtiz - Reviewed by Kerri 
White Christmas is a holiday favorite you can really sink your teeth into.
Nothing sums up a good old-fashioned Christmas like sitting around with mugs
of cider and watching Bing Crosby croon as Danny Kaye dances across stage in
grey shoes that match his pants. Everything about this classic is a marvel
in movie-making; in how many films today can you watch a man sport a
turquoise silk scarf around his neck as he quarrels with the woman he loves
and not read anything more into that than a mere fashion accessory?
Every time Crosby warbles as he sings classics such as "Snow", "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep", and of course "White Christmas" I just tear up. That man has a voice like none other. Anyway, the singing and the dancing in this movie make for 2 hours of vaudeville nostalgia. I get tired just watching Vera-Ellen dance her numbers. White Christmas is a partial remake of Holiday Inn, and some have criticized it for being nothing more than a weak plot woven around Irving Berlin songs. I beg to differ. I like the plot very much: When Hollywood entertainers and army buddies Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Davis (Danny Kaye) learn that their esteemed general Tom Waverly (Dean Jagger) is running a failing Vermont inn, they put on a show guaranteed to pack in a profit. Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen join as an attractive sister act, and Mary Wickes gives a memorable performance as the nosy housekeeper. There's romance and misunderstanding and cheesy musical numbers. There is a questionable almost-minstrel number that would not survive long today, and the ridiculous "Sisters" song is enough to make you gag, but it's all part of the fun. Danny Kaye hams it up throughout the whole movie and Dean Jagger plays a general with heart. I'm a sucker for dance scenes so maybe I'm not the best critic on this film, but it retains the heartwarming cheer of the holidays and a nice change of pace from movies of today. For me, it just wouldn't be Christmas without it. |
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