18. White Christmas

This was a holiday staple in my house when I was a kid, and its one my kids also like to watch.

It’s also a deeply regressive and conservative film that all the “Aw shucks, gang. Let’s put on a show!” sparkle can’t distract from its themes and motivations.

What am I talking about?

• There’s a song all about wishing to be able to go see a minstrel show again like in The Before Times
• There’s a song about how now theater is full of esoteric choreography instead of fun tap dancing.
• The entire plot of it hinges on the idea that there is A Right Kind of Woman and a Wrong Kind of Woman, and that the only way to be happy is for a man to find that right kind of woman willing to give up her career to produce a baseball team worth of children for him.
• Nostalgia for being in the army, including a song about how modern civilian life is terrible compared to serving in World War II. (Yeah, really roll that one around in your noggin for a minute.)
• Literally every single moment of this movie is tied to the idea that things used to be better, and why can’t they be like that again.

Am I looking at this through a modern lens? Yes. Were there plenty of films at this time that didn’t share the same values? Also yes.

Is it also possible to see this desire for a reversion to an idealized past as a way of dealing with the trauma of war? Kinda?

The problem with that reading for me is all the idealization of army life. We don’t see much in terms of combat, save one air raid, but what we do see is a kind of jokey camaraderie and playfulness that makes it seem like military service was a guys only vacation weekend with matching outfits.

So why do I keep coming back?

• Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen are all amazing performers who don’t know the meaning of phoning it in
  • I guess Bing Crosby is good in this, too, despite his being a trash monster.
• The music is catchy as all get-out, and the performances that go with it are staged and shot with plenty of energy.
• There is a kindness at the core of the story, where all the major actions are motivated by a desire to help others and honor the bonds of family, friendship, and shared service. Multiple times throughout the story, people perform a kind turn for someone else while simultaneously setting aside their own comfort or profit.
• VistaVision with color by Technicolor. The picture pops.