One Magic Christmas
by Phillip Borsos
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Arthur Hill, Elisabeth Harnois, Gary Basaraba, Harry Dean Stanton, Mary SteenburgenDirector: Phillip Borsos
Brand: Walt Disney Video
Cinematographer: Frank Tidy
Producer: Phillip Borsos
Writer: Phillip Borsos
Producer: Michael MacDonald
Producer: Peter O'Brian
Writer: Barry Healey
Writer: Thomas Meehan
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-07
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product features:
- Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen (MELVIN AND HOWARD) gives a solid performance as Ginny Grainger, a young mother who rediscovers the joy and beauty of Christmas, thanks to the unshakable faith of her six-year-old daughter Abbie (Elizabeth Harnois) and Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), Ginny's very own guardian angel. Ginny's wondrous experience will touch your heart and warm your soul in
Movie Reviews of One Magic Christmas
Movie Review: one dark and sombre Christmas flick 5 Stars
I am going to forego a synopsis of the storyline, which is found on the Amazon and IMDB.com websites for this film.Instead, I want only to share how I found this film transforming and endearing, possessed of heart and thought and what it meant to me; why it has become a must see for me each Christmas.
When this Disney film was released in 1985, I thrilled at seeing an unheralded treat (or so I thought)- one to be added to my list of annual Christmas treasures for viewing.
Needless to say, I (figuratively) crawled from the theater- stunned by the overall gloomy tenor of the film. Had Disney gone "dark"? Were the reviews I later read confirming the depressing nature of the film valid, or was I missing something.
For a few years, the haunting tale of Ginny Grainger's downtrodden existence, lack of hope and joy at the holiday season, her loss of faith, facing one heart-wrending calamity after another (only at last to be renewed) gnawed at me.
And then it was released on videotape, so I went to my nearby rental store and took the movie home to give it another chance. (let me tell you, my wife thought me insane - and still to this day does not "get it" - refusing to watch it with me).
I put it into the VCR on Xmas eve, sat back with a glass of wine and lo and behold! became entranced by the subtle beauty of the performances, the deep spiritual magic of the story and the emotions it brought forth.
Somehow, I had earlier missed the tale of faith born anew in the face of one catastrophe after another by Ginny, the central character` of the film.
Mary Steenburgen, as the matriarch of a family beset with severe financial problems, struggles against the feelings of joy and hope exhibited by her husband and children, who in spite of everything, believe in the magic of Christmas.
Harry Dean Stanton as the angel Gideon, contrives with Ginny's daughter to renew Ginny's Christmas spirit, with the aid of probably the greatest Santa Claus ever filmed on screen, as played by the actor Jan Rubles. If ever there was a Santa Claus, he is it- and the artistry and majesty of Santa's workshop at the North Pole is only as Disney could create it - this is not your Tim Allen in Santa's workshop to be sure.
Enduring Ginny's pessimistic outlook on life, and struggling with her as she faces one tragedy after another as engineered by Gideon to help her reach the ultimate crossroads in a crisis of faith takes a measure of patience and strength for the viewer and yet, the ultimate reward, the restoration of her belief in the magic of Christmas is enchanting and heartwarming.
As bleak as the canvas of this story is painted, until it's redeeming conclusion, it is wholesome and spiritual, without being overtly religious. It is as dark as the depths of despair suffered by George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life" and ultimately as life assuring as well. If you are not altogether soul-less, you will gasp and sob and come away glowing with sentimentality of it's virtue. Give it a view, it's more than worthwhile (sorry to be so wordy :)
Summary of One Magic Christmas
Features include:
?MPAA Rating: G
?Format: DVD
?Runtime: 89 minutes
Grab an econo-pack of tissues, gather your loved ones around a cozy television, and bring on the hot cocoa--it's time for a dose of Christmas spirit. The tender and charming Mary Steenburgen (Parenthood) dons a sour disposition in her role as Ginny Grainger, a woman who finds little joy in life lately--let alone in the impending holiday season. Money is tight, her husband (beautifully downplayed by nice-guy Gary Basaraba) lost his job, and the family must move out of their house. Ginny cannot even bring herself to say, "Merry Christmas," despite her family's enthusiasm about the big day. With help from Ginny's brave and loving daughter (sweetly performed by Elisabeth Harnois) and a Christmas angel named Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), Ginny undergoes a life-altering experience à la It's a Wonderful Life. The result? Happy endings, hugs and kisses, pass the tissues.
Not a light holiday entertainer by any means, the plot verges on depressing at times, as the family struggles through money issues and the tedium of daily suburban survival. While handled fairly subtly, some of the bridging story--including a shooting, a kidnapping, and a drowning--might prove disturbing to children under 6 years old. And really: if the somber Harry Dean Stanton (Paris, Texas) repeatedly appeared in your neighborhood, cloaked in a cowboy hat and overcoat, would you allow your kids outside? Still, a well-made favorite to cherish. --Liane Thomas
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