Christmas Holiday
1944
Abigail Manette (Deanna Durbin) is a woman with a questionable past who owns a sleazy nightclub and is involved in a nefarious underworld. Her husband has been incarcerated for life on charges of murder and Abigail thinks he's safely locked away, but he's actually escaped and is on a jealous warpath to find her and accuse her .. Read more
| Starring | Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly, Richard Whorf, Dean Harens |
|---|---|
| Director | Robert Siodmak |
| Genres | Drama |
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Christmas Holiday
Abigail Manette (Deanna Durbin) is a woman with a questionable past who owns a sleazy nightclub and is involved in a nefarious underworld. Her husband has been incarcerated for life on charges of murder and Abigail thinks he's safely locked away, but he's actually escaped and is on a jealous warpath to find her and accuse her of infidelity, even before he can ascertain the truth. At the same time, a mysterious army lieutenant (Dean Harens) comes into her club on the rebound from a recent breakup and its clear that this love triangle may end up with either a deadly or divine conclusion. It's the hooker with a heart of gold, Christmas story of salvation and new beginnings; a heart warmer with a dark edge.
| Starring | Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly, Richard Whorf, Dean Harens, Gale Sondergaard |
|---|---|
| Director | Robert Siodmak |
| Studio | SIMPLY MEDIA |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 29 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 06 Oct 2003 Production year: 1944 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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With that frothy title and a cast teaming Gene Kelly and Deanna Durbin you could well expect a musical. However, apart from Deanna warbling (beautifully) Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year, this melodrama treads on the wilder shores of film noir in the hands of expert director Robert Siodmak and screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz. A miscast Kelly never really convinces as a returned murderer, but Durbin is excellent in her only non-frivolous role, though who'd believe her as a hooker? Gladys George (as a madam) and Gale Sondergaard (as a possessive mum) add to the film's overall mood of depravity. A real curio, based on a Somerset Maugham story and relocated to New Orleans from Paris.
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A weird change of pace for Deanna Durbin, whose forte had been sweetness and light, this relentlessly grim and boring melodrama was also a travesty of the novel on which it was based.
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Most helpful member's review
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Atmospheric and dark
Now this is something perverse that one can relish - a Christmas film filled with film noir elements. It's almost a sin that Gene Kelly danced again, he's so good at playing a gambling rotter, oozing with that poisonous charm which connives its way into Deanna Durbin's good books. There's a favourable roster of character actors here as well, including the redoubtable Gale Sondergaard, and even though the plot derived from Somerset Maugham story doesn't quite suit the whole running time, an air of doom and tragedy render this an overlooked mini-classic and the ending is moving and poetically told as well.
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Most recent members' review
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Atmospheric and dark
Now this is something perverse that one can relish - a Christmas film filled with film noir elements. It's almost a sin that Gene Kelly danced again, he's so good at playing a gambling rotter, oozing with that poisonous charm which connives its way into Deanna Durbin's good books. There's a favourable roster of character actors here as well, including the redoubtable Gale Sondergaard, and even though the plot derived from Somerset Maugham story doesn't quite suit the whole running time, an air of doom and tragedy render this an overlooked mini-classic and the ending is moving and poetically told as well.
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News and features
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Holmes is a Christmas Day hit
- 28 Dec 2009
Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock Holmes appears to be a hit in America - the film took in almost £15.6 million on Christmas Day (25Dec09). Film fans flocked the cinema to see the Guy Ritchie movie at over 3,600 theatres, giving the director his best opening day ever. Avatar and Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel also served up big helpings at the U.S. box office on Christmas day - taking in £14.7 million and £9 million, respectively. Read more
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Abigail Manette (Deanna Durbin) is a woman with a questionable past who owns a sleazy nightclub and is involved in a nefarious underworld. Her husband has been incarcerated for life on charges of ... -