The Holly and the Ivy (1952)

The Holly and the Ivy: Directed by George More O’Ferrall. With Ralph Richardson, Celia Johnson, Margaret Leighton, Denholm Elliott. A heartwarming tale of an English minister and his family reunited at Christmas time. Their story includes a remembrance of their World War II trials.

“For a while there, in Canada – in the eighties and nineties, when the television landscape was forever expanding – I could be guaranteed of seeing this movie; there was always some new station looking for filler, particularly during the Christmas season. What a treat!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis movie is not just a great film about the real meaning of Christmas, it is also a relic of a period that is not so long ago in terms of years, but is eons away in terms of social convention, manners, etc.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEven better, although the film was made in a gentler, more genteel time, serious issues (illegitimacy, alcoholism, reckless self-sacrifice) are explored with depth. If this had been a lesser movie, it would have come off as something to be shown in a religion class, but the extremely talented cast runs with the story and helps create a film that is magical and meaningful.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI have a tape of this somewhere, and am always on the lookout for a DVD version. I only hope The Holly and the Ivy makes it to digital transfer soon, and is rediscovered as the Christmas classic that it is.”