Reviews
An American Christmas Carol (1979)
Great idea but could've been better
An American Christmas Carol takes place during the Depression, with Henry Winkler portraying the elderly miser Benedict Slade, a man who loves money and forsakes all else in pursuit of it. R.H. Thomson plays Thatcher, his kindhearted loyal assistant.
While the story itself is a wonderful idea, especially by having it take place during the Depression, it's hard to watch Henry Winkler convincingly try to play a mean old man. His "Scrooge" (Slade) is harsh, but not harsh enough. He never yells, and even when he gets upset he doesn't become angry and explosive. His voice doesn't sound like that of an older man either but more like Fonzie with a slight case of laryngitis which doesn't help the believability. His makeup job is good but instead of looking worn, wrinkled and haggard, it looks more like he has a case of wind burn.
Aside from that, the story is a very good adaptation and "modern-day" retelling, choosing not to mimic the Dickens characters but instead create new ones based upon them. Definitely worth watching in spite of the flaws noted.
Yentl (1983)
awful and way too long!
A seemingly endless movie that really deserves a zero rating. The premise seems simple enough: Yentl, a girl interested in studying the Talmud, wants to go to school. But only boys are allowed to study, so after her father's death she decides to disguise herself as a boy to get in. She does and becomes close friends with Avigdor, who is to be married to a beautiful woman named Hadass. Hadass' family learns Avigdor's brother committed suicide, and the wedding is called off. Yentl, now calling herself Anschel, is then selected to marry Hadass. She does but it is never consummated. Yentl/Anschel and Avigdor go away for a few days, and Yentl/Anschel reveals her secret to him. The movie ends with Avigdor returning to (and marrying?) Hadass, and Yentl going to America to continue her studies although she will have to continue to do so in disguise.
The plot above seems interesting at first for a movie over 2 hours long, but there are several things that ruin it. For starters, there is the constant SINGING. (I can already hear the critics shouting.) Yes, I know this is a musical so there are supposed to be lots of songs and dance numbers. But the movie could have been improved if it were directed and played without them. The songs become tedious after a while, and there isn't as much dancing as one would expect. Many of the songs are forgettable, with no real memorable lyrics, and those with any significance could easily have been substituted by a voice-over. Only one song stands out from the rest, "Papa Can You Hear Me". It is obvious that most of the others were deliberately placed so Streisand could simply have a reason to show off her vocal abilities every five to ten minutes. Chances are anyone who will see this film will already know what a superb singer and actress she is, so the songs really aren't necessary.
Second, Streisand's makeup, which can be seen during her scenes as a man (the lipstick, enhanced lashes, and traces of blush are all obvious) makes it hard for the audience to believe in the Yentl/Anschel character, that she is actually serious, and fooling her new friends, colleagues, and even Hadass, into believing she is a man. Yet we are asked and expected to believe that very thing. There seems to be a contradiction, as her character talks, or rather sings, of how she doesn't think she can pull it off, but is surprised that everyone seems to be fooled because she is wearing men's clothing. This means that we are then expected to believe the other characters are so naive they can't see the other differences, such as her actions, which are clear giveaways. The facial differences alone cannot be included, as other characters in the film mention that some of their male relatives or friends didn't have a beard or other facial hair. Nevertheless, in the 1900s, if a woman dressed as a man, but wore as much makeup as Streisand's character did, and still tried to pass herself off as a man solely because she wore men's clothing, it would have been deemed unacceptable and caused an outrage. Chances are she would probably be forced to leave the town, or even the country. Therefore the "feminine" makeup on Streisand does not lend to the character's credibility, and only weakens the plot. If it was only applied to make Streisand look more beautiful, it should have been scrapped.
Thirdly, when Yentl/Anschel herself reveals who she truly is toward the end, we are then asked to believe that the other characters are not as smart as Streisand's and only when they learn the "truth" do they become a little wiser. By now it becomes more and more apparent that the whole plot is so far fetched that it is nothing more than a custom-made vehicle for Streisand to fuel.
Lastly, there are those who are fans of Streisand who will find no fault with this film, its plot, or the songs. To those I must respectfully disagree. While she has excellent vocal and acting abilities, I am not a "fan" of her style of singing. However, I have enjoyed many of her other features including musicals. There are even some songs of hers that I like, so I am not a "hater" nor have set out to bash her. I have written this review from an honest perspective, from someone who has tried their best to watch this movie - several times even - and has noted the problems within. If Streisand was interested in creating a great or even believable film, she could have done so here by not injecting her need to show off and prove how talented, beautiful and smart she is at nearly every turn. This movie does nothing more than hurt her abilities, make her appear self-absorbed, and thus turn the film into a laugh-fest unworthy of her fans or audience.
Il Natale che quasi non fu (1966)
Great
I remember seeing this film for the first time when I was a kid on cable many years ago....I just loved it! Younger children will especially enjoy the plot of Santa needing money to pay the rent (altho we're never told how much), "tightwad" Phineas T. Prune (Mr. Whipple, to Mr. Prune: "The "T" stands for "tightwad!"") and the wonderful ending! It was on Showtime a few years ago but that's the last I saw of it. If you can, catch it and enjoy! For those who watched it as a kid as I did, it's a real treat!
Scrooge (1951)
Best of them all
This is truly a Christmas classic. Not a year goes by where I haven't pulled out the old (and out-of-print) VHS version of this film and watched it, at least 5 times by December 1 and of course the traditional Christmas Eve viewing! Alistair Sim is simply brilliant as Scrooge, complimented by a wonderful cast. Sim's Scrooge is much more lifelike than other films' attempts at the character. The cast, settings, and costumes makes you really feel as tho you are back in Dickens' time, to "merry old England" again! The music is even brilliant! They don't get more perfect than this one.