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Reviews
Comfort and Joy (2003)
More of a Christmas movie than Family Man
Another comment said that Family Man was a better version of this film, but I disagree.
Now, don't get me wrong, Family Man is a wonderful film - well acted, written, cast - BUT it is not what I consider a Christmas movie. For one thing, in that film, the children's' existence is predicated on events in the past. When the main character's "glimpse" into an alternate reality is over, there's no way it can ever, ever happen. When this movie was over, I felt depressed, sad that the kids would never get to be, and NOT in a Christmas mood.
So, this movie - Comfort and Joy - fixes that problem. This is a fantastic, happy, truly Christmas movie. All the events in the "glimpse" that the main character in this film experiences happen in the future - so, when the glimpse is over, it's all still possible. When this movie was over, I felt happy and optimistic.
I love this movie. I just wish they would play it more often so that I wouldn't have to keep ordering it from Netflix.
Hand in Hand (1961)
GREAT movie
I agree with the other reviewer who said that all these years later, she still has a fondness for this film. I feel the same way, and wish this film were available on DVD. I would add it to my collection without hesitation.
I remember a little more than the other review - well, complimentary pieces.
I also think that they got together because he witnessed and felt bad about her being teased by bullies. I don't remember him standing up to them, but he might have. Then I do remember that she really wanted to visit the Queen, which is why they were trying to raft down the river. They were going to London to see the Queen. They did end up getting to some old English estate, and a nice older woman said she knew the Queen or some such thing so that tea with her would be the "next best thing" and the little girl - Rachael? - could "get her wish".
I remember that they "played house" (no sexual overtones like there'd be today), and that one day he came "home" after having been tormented at school because of his friendship with her. The other boys were asking how he could be friends with a Jew, since Jews killed Christ. So, he comes home and opens the door and shouts, "You killed Christ!". She has no idea what is going on, so it sparks another conversation about what they each believe about "faith" and about each other.
And there was a mouse that they kept as a pet, I remember that it died, and he gave the mouse last rites (big argument between them whether the mouse should be buried as a Catholic or a Jew because it was their mouse together). After the boy left the mouse's grave, she leaned over and whispered a little prayer and said, "You *are* a Jewish mouse".
They have to work through lots of things that are absurd on one level, but they're just kids trying to figure out where all this stuff comes from without having the adult experience and education to know how to evaluate information - everything comes in with the same level of believability. Nothing - no matter how inane - has any more validity than anything else. They just keep working on it, figuring out how they feel about each thing, what makes sense to them, and consistently finding themselves "hand in hand".
This Children's Film Festival with Kukla, Fran, and Ollie also showed a film that I think was called "Fatty" that was made in Japan. I loved that one, too. I remember wanting to live in his house (beautiful Japanese simple design in a wooded area...gorgeous!).
The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)
Best version of the play
The most recent version of The Importance of Being Ernest changed the script! Whoever thought that they could write better than Wilde was sorely mistaken. This version, however, is superb! Not only is the full text in tact, but Sir Michael Redgrave, known for his serious Shakespeare stage performances, shows how farce is best done when done "seriously". I love this version, and am ecstatic that it is now available on DVD. BRAVO!