DECEMBER 2022 ROUND-UP
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN DECEMBER: 5
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
Ginger Rogers and David Niven in Bachelor Mother
Wow, the year 2022 has come and gone! I only have one month's round-up left to do, this one from December. Then later on I will do the year's round-up of 2022, as soon as I get the stats from Letterboxd HQ. Stay tuned for that one!
So did I watch an impressive amount of classic films this December? What do you think? Guess!
Well, here's the thing ... I didn't even make an effort anymore to reach a fair amount of classic films. All I wanted was to watch at least 5 films, which I achieved fortunately (but sneakingly so, since 3 of the 5 watched films are shorts).
A lot of things interfered with my classic film watching. Next to working from home I spent time watching Korean drama series *), making the final move from Valencia to the small village of Picassent (mid-December), being busy with the apartment (shopping for furniture and stuff and decorating), spending 10 days in my native country The Netherlands for the holidays and watching a huge amount of Hallmark Christmas movies.
*) Korean series watched: The Sound of Magic (6 episodes), When the Weather is Fine (16 episodes), Fanletter, Please (4 episodes), Move to Heaven (10 episodes) and Off the Course (2 episodes).
Brian Donlevy and Jorja Curtright in Heaven Only Knows
There are no Most Watched Actors/Actresses this month. And like I already mentioned, 3 of the 5 films watched are shorts (2 silents and 1 talkie).
I wanted to watch only Christmas films. Although Heaven Only Knows is listed as a Xmas film on Classic Christmas lists, I didn't classify it as such because there weren't any Christmas scenes. But the other 4 films watched this December are Christmas films.
What else? No trips to the Filmoteca and only one rewatch (Bachelor Mother).
Bachelor Mother is my favourite and highest rated film of the month (not so surprisingly), and Ginger Rogers and David Niven make my absolute favourite couple. It was not so difficult to achieve this, since the shorts didn't have any noteworthy screen couples. I also liked Brian Donlevy and Jorja Curtright in Heaven Only Knows.
The Night Before Christmas is my lowest rated film of the month.
Breaking the 5 watched films down in decades:
1900s - 2
1910s - 0
1920s - 0
1930s - 2
1940s - 1
1950s - 0
1960s - 0
NOW LET'S MOVE ON TO THE FILMS!
(read notes with caution as they might contain spoilers; with ratings going from ½ to ★★★★★ and watched date)
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I watched the western fantasy film HEAVEN ONLY KNOWS (Nero Films, 1947) because I saw it mentioned on a list of Christmas films but apart from the religious theme there's not even a hint at Christmas, or I must have missed something because I was sleepy again, watching this in bed. It was a light and fun watch, with an enjoyable bromance between angel Robert Cummings and gambling boss Brian Donlevy, the man Cummings needs to reform and encourage to court minister’s daughter Jorja Curtright. I also liked the romance between Donlevy and Curtright, an actress I had never heard of. Some nice photography by Karl Struss and support by Marjorie Reynolds (portrayed with Cummings and Curtright), John Litel and Stuart Erwin. Albert S. Rogell directed. ★★★ / 05.12.2022
Came across a Christmas list on Letterboxd with early silent films and found the short THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Edison Studios, 1905), directed by Edwin S. Porter. With only 9 minutes of runtime, this is nothing special (Santa Claus can be seen working in his workshop and delivering presents to a family with a lot of children), except for the fact that it's made more than a century ago. I did like the tracking shot with the sleigh ride. ★★½ / 28.12.2022
L'Ange de Noël or THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL (Star-Film, 1904), originally titled Détresse et Charité (Distress and Charity), directed by French film maker Georges Méliès, is entertaining and tells the story of a poor little girl, sent out in the snow by her father to beg for her sick mother. There is a bit more narrative here than in the previously watched short The Night Before Christmas and I loved the snowy picturesque images, they're like pretty postcards. Apparently there are two versions, one made for the French audience and one for the American. Both have a different ending. In the American version the little girl is saved by a rich couple in a passing automobile, sending her home with gifts, a Hollywood-style happy ending, whereas in the French version the girl dies. I watched the American version. ★★★ / 28.12.2022
Wanted to see a fun Christmas film as the last classic film of the year (ending with a disappointing year's total of 170 films), and opted for a rewatch of a favourite of mine, the delightful BACHELOR MOTHER (RKO, 1939), starring Ginger Rogers and David Niven (both pictured in three gifs). The story of mistaken identity (Ginger mistaken as the mother of a foundling baby) is a bit madcap and can only happen in screwball comedies, and the chemistry between the leads is amazing and I can watch this over and over again. I love Ginger's comedic skills, but Niven also scores high points in that department. Reliable support by Charles Coburn as Niven's father ("I don't care who the father is, I'm the grandfather!"), and directed by Garson Kanin. Love this! ★★★★ / 28.12.2022 (rewatch)
So, there you have it! Another year's completed and we are moving into 2023. My resolution will be to watch more K-dramas, but hopefully also more classic films than in 2022. Time is precious, but with some management I can do both. And I need to be more selective when it comes to picking titles.
2023 will also mark my 5-year anniversary of the blog!!! It would be great to celebrate this with some extra activity/posts or with simply watching more classic films. Hopefully the Filmoteca in Valencia has some nice film screenings in store for us, but we realise that with our move to Valencia our Filmoteca days will never be the same (overall the offer of classic films in Valencia is nothing compared to Barcelona's Filmoteca). Anyway, let's wait and see what 2023 brings. I know I can do much better than only 170 films! Happy New Year and here's to more Classics!
