A Christmas Story

Summary

“You should see what it looks like out here!”

Warner Bros. has given film lovers an excellent gift this Christmas. They have given three of their very best Christmas films new 4K UHD releases – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, and Elf. These are three holiday films that I watch yearly, so I was excited to be able to own these releases in the 4K format. Our family got cozy the other night and watched A Christmas Story together. This is a film I have seen countless times over the years, but as I watched it, I realized it had been some time since I had watched the movie all the way through from start to beginning. I had mainly watched it piece meal in the background on Christmas during the marathon each year. My youngest son is seven, and this was his first time watching it straight through. He had an absolute blast watching the movie, which is a testament to its enduring connection with young viewers.

A Christmas Story was released on November 18, 1983, the week before Thanksgiving. Produced for a few million dollars, the film was a sleeper hit that eventually made over $20 million at the box office. The film became a holiday staple in 1997 when TNT began airing “24 hours of A Christmas Story” beginning on Christmas Eve and showing the film twelve times over the course of twenty four hours. Every year when I take my children to my parents’ house for our traditional Christmas meal, this film is playing on television as we open gifts and drink mimosas. It’s a tradition for good reason. A Christmas Story is a remarkable comedy and wonderful Christmas film.

The plot of the film takes place in the forties in the Midwest as young Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) anxiously awaits the Christmas holiday. With the holiday approaching just a few weeks away, Ralphie’s thoughts are consumed with  a specific gift he wants for Christmas – an official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in its stock. The plot revolves around Ralphie’s numerous attempts to have his parents gift him the BB gun while also navigating the last few weeks of school before the Holiday, the threat of the neighborhood bully Scut Farkus (Zack Ward,) and his hilarious family’s antics. As much as Ralphie is the central character of the film, much of the humor of the picture comes from Ralphie’s parents (played to perfection by Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon.) Ralphie’s friends Schwartz (R.D. Robb) and Flick (Scott Schwartz) have numerous moments where they take center stage as well.

A Christmas Story is an enduring holiday classic that is worthy of the adoration it has received. The film is extremely clever and funny. I have not read the short stories that inspired the film, but I take it as a solid endorsement of the script that the narrator of the film, Jean Heslip, was the author of those stories. The film goes through numerous tangents in describing the family’s numerous travails in the wintertime, and the tangents are all funny and effective. Who can forget the classic moments in the film that include: the father’s reaction to his frag-i-le lamp he won in a sweepstakes (that happens to be in the shape of a woman’s leg,) Flick’s disastrous attempt to lick a frozen pole, Ralphie’s accidental use of the dreaded F-word in front of his father, the toy store Santa saying, “you’ll shoot your eye out, kid,” a Christmas meal and singalong at a Chinese restaurant, and so much more. The film is a great Christmas movie, but it is also a whimsical and nostalgic coming-of-age film that benefits from its true-to-life quality. The stories ring true and capture the essence of those awkward younger years exceptionally well. 

My favorite character in the film is the father, played brilliantly by Darren McGavin. As a father of two boys, we all laughed at how similar I am to the his character. McGavin understands that the main emotion that dad’s show is exasperation with nearly everything and care for their children. McGavin is able to elevate every scene he is in. Melinda Dillon is similarly well cast as the mother. It is hard to beat watching her encourage the youngest son to eat by encouraging him to eat like a piggy. All the child actors are talented as well. Peter Billingsley plays the role of Ralphie as well as any child actor could be expected to perform. His friends are similarly capable with strong supporting performances by Scott Schwartz, R.D. Robb, and Zack Ward. Wrapping the film in a bow is the excellent narration from author Jean Shepherd. 

Bob Clark has the rare qualification of two Christmas classics under his belt for very different reasons – Black Christmas and A Christmas Story. Clark was a talented director and achieved excellent results with his cast. The film is shot in a hazy lensing that amplifies the nostalgic qualities of the picture. I was really curious to see how the 4K UHD would improve the native qualities of the cinematography by Reginald H. Morris, and I think fans of the film will be very pleased. 

Video

Presented in Native 4K in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, A Christmas Story looks worlds better than it ever has before. The cinematography by Reginald H. Morris has never looked as refined as it does here. The cinematography is hazy to bring about nostalgia for a lost time, but the 4K upgrade brings so much more clarity to the film. The transfer looks remarkable.

Audio

Warner Bros. has presented A Christmas Story with a reference quality DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. The lossless track brings the very best out of the original sound design. No complaints here.

Supplements:

4K DISC

• Audio Commentary – director Bob Clark and actor Peter Billingsley.

BLU-RAY DISC 

• Audio Commentary – director Bob Clark and actor Peter Billingsley..
• Christmas in Ohio: A Christmas Story House 
• Another Christmas Story
• Daisy Red Ryder: A History
• Get a Leg Up 
• “Flash Gordon” Deleted Script Pages
• The Leg Lamp Spot 
• Jean Shepherd Original Radio Reading – “Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid” and “Flick’s Tongue” –
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5 

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 3.5/5

Overall – 4.5/5

A Christmas Story is one of my favorite holiday comedies, and has secured its legacy over the years through repeated showings on television during Christmas. It had been a while since I had actually sat down and watched the film from beginning to end, and I was struck by just how clever and well written the film is. My youngest son laughed as hard as he has ever laughed during a movie while watching it. Bob Clark managed to create a sleeper hit with the film in 1983, and it has remained a favorite of the genre for nearly forty years. Warner Bros. new 4K UHD release of the film is a vast improvement over the prior Blu-ray release. The film has never looked better than it does here. Fans of the film should definitely purchase this release.