Runtime: 120 minutes
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger
From: Paramount
A film my late Mom was a fan of. I now have over 4,000 (!) followers (on Letterboxd), many deciding to follow in recent months; henceforth, I’ll reiterate for the first time in awhile that she fell sick January of 2020 and passed away late July that year, NOT due to COVID. That event occurring over 4 years ago still doesn’t seem right. She liked White Christmas well enough that she had it on VHS way back when; eventually, an upgrade to Blu was made. While not in my wheelhouse, I still saw the movie ages ago. As many on Letterboxd have reviewed it-and highly-and more musicals should be tackled by me anyhow…
The memories of this were faint; even then, the lack of Christmas iconography (for the most part) was recalled. This is true, although it’s the themes of the film which are fitting for the holiday season. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye meet in the Army during World War II and after the war they become a boffo singing duo who presented stage shows. Via circumstances, they both find love w/ a sister singing duo and venture to Vermont, where they assist their former General, who is in need. It was more than just giving work to those in the stage show who otherwise wouldn’t receive a paycheck during a hiatus.
It's simply a charming motion picture, which looks resplendent in VistaVision and Technicolor. What a quartet that Crosby, Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen made as the leads. Whether it was acting, singing, dancing, or just being entertaining, the film became engrossing rather than piffle full of schmaltz. Michael Curtiz as the director, lovely sets and Irving Berlin showtunes that even I can like were additional assets. Dean Jagger as the General was swell due to his character arc. There is humor throughout but Mary Wickes as the nosy Emma was the character that amused me the most. Yes, part of one song mentions the good old days of MINSTREL SHOWS which gave me great concernment; on the other hand, unlike Holiday Inn (or so I’ve heard) there’s no blackface. In any event, the song-and-dance numbers were also impressive due to the dance aspects.
I was even able to accept one heck of a plot contrivance. White Christmas (more than just an all-timer song) is a nice movie where you’ll probably have a smile on your face as you see people in need receive assistance far above & beyond because it was the right thing to do and they had respect for an old superior they hadn’t interacted w/ in years. That is a nice theme for the holidays, especially for those who are disadvantaged, at least at the time. Whether or not you think there’s homoeroticism between the two leading men-they seem awfully hung up about the other finding a woman to marry-I will think that Mom would have approved of what I experienced last night.
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