The Non-Christmas Movie Case
Every year as Christmas approaches, we all have movies that get us into the spirit of the holiday. Some films are about families and their holiday adventures, while others are about couples finding love during the “most wonderful time of the year.” But there are those Christmas movies that aren’t nearly as obvious. Some of us enjoy films that seemingly don’t have much to do with the actual holidays, but are more “holiday adjacent.”
We’ve all seen and heard the arguments about what makes a movie a Christmas film. Does the whole movie have to take place around Christmas? Should it be about the holiday? Was it a holiday film when it first came out, or did it somehow become one as time went on?
This week, we each chose a movie that both could and could not be considered a Christmas classic. All three mention Christmas or take place during Christmas, but could be enjoyed at any time of the year. We’re going to learn a little bit about each one and maybe we’ll be able to decide if they are Christmas movies or not!
Gremlins
Summary
A gadget inventor named Rand Peltzer finds the perfect Christmas present for his son: a small pet called a Mogwai from a Chinatown shop. The man in charge of the shop refuses to sell the creature, but his grandson ignores his wishes and lets Rand take it home. The young boy gives Rand three very important rules: Never expose it to sunlight or bright lights, never get it wet, and never feed it after midnight. All of these rules are inadvertently broken by Rand’s son Billy, resulting in a hoard of Mogwai monsters taking over the city, causing mayhem and panic on Christmas Eve.
The history of Gremlins
As far as mythical creatures go, Gremlins are fairly young. Thought to be similar to fairies and goblins, there is quite a bit of debate as to where they originated. Some believe the creature came from England. Its name derives from the old English word “gremian” which means “to vex.”
The term Gremlin became widely known during WWI when English pilots in the Royal Air Force began blaming mechanical problems on unseen Gremlins, impish creatures that delighted in causing trouble. A British magazine called The Spectator published a story just after the war, referencing the existence of “a horde of mysterious and malicious spirits whose purpose in life was…to bring about as many as possible of the inexplicable mishaps which, in those days as now, trouble an airman’s life.”
Some historians believe that these creatures were first named in print by a magazine called Aeroplane in 1929, calling the creatures a flier’s nemesis. The lore of the Gremlins expanded into WWII, and inspired a young flying ace and writer named Roald Dahl to write a book about the creatures. Popular cartoons like The Looney Tunes also referenced the little troublemakers in their animated shorts. Eventually, the creatures became synonymous with any kind of technical malfunction, not just airplanes. Even an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark features a gremlin causing all kinds of trouble with a large format camera.
This is why it makes sense in the film Gremlins for Rand Peltzer, an inventor with a home full of malfunctioning products, to be the one to take a gremlin home.
Making Of
Chris Columbus was in his 20s when he wrote Gremlins. He had recently graduated college and was getting steady writing work when he decided to write his own creature feature. Inspired by his favorite horror films and the sound of the mice scampering across the floor of his apartment at night, Columbus developed the plot for a holiday-themed horror comedy. He sent the script to his agent, who sent it out to dozens of producers. A few weeks later, Columbus got a call from Steven Spielberg, who had discovered the script and thought it was one of the most original things he had ever read. This discovery would catapult Columbus to fame, and by 1986, Spielberg had already produced three of Columbus’ films.
Columbus got the idea for Gremlins from his dad, who would spend Saturdays underneath the family car, talking about the little creatures that were keeping it from working properly.
He spent a lot of time in Chinatown as a student and became interested in the small shops that sold items that you couldn’t seem to find anywhere else. So, it made sense to him that Rand Peltzer would find the Mogwai creature in one of these shops. The name Mogwai comes from the Chinese word for “devil.”
The first draft of the film was more graphic than the final product. For example, it included a scene where the Gremlins went into a Mcdonald's and ate all the people, but left the food.
Spielberg helped Columbus reshape the film to meet the needs of a more general audience, changing key elements like keeping one Gremlin in its original form, which added emotion to the story.
Joe Dante had been directing films since the mid-1970s when Spielberg called on him to make Gremlins. He’s had a prolific career making films that you have undoubtedly heard of, like Small Soldiers and Explorers.
Spielberg felt Dante was the right director because of his previous work on films like Piranha and The Howling. He was looking for a director that could poke fun at modern films and culture.
Dante used Normal Rockwell-ish influences to depict the picturesque town that The Gremlins were about to destroy. He also brought in as many actors from classic horror films as possible.
Spielberg believed that hiring big names to play the characters in a fantasy film would take the audience out of the story. So, the film starred fresh faces and lesser-known actors.
Dante insisted that Gremlins be filmed on a stylized backlot instead of on location because he didn’t want the movie to look real. He felt that the obviously fake Mogwai characters would look out of place in the real world, so he created an idyllic town instead.
Despite the fact that Gremlins takes place during the winter, the movie was filmed during a sweltering California summer.
Zach Galligan who played Billy said that he was constantly sweating because he had to wear a parka in 100-degree heat. The snow in the movie was a combination of ground ice and sand. Ice was used for close-up shots and sand for wide angles.
Gremlins was a critical and commercial success. Although it released alongside the monstrously successful Ghostbusters, this horror comedy made back its 11 million dollar budget during its opening weekend. It went on to gross over 153 million dollars worldwide. This was a surprise, because the suits at Warner Brothers didn’t like the film at all, thinking it wasn’t funny in the slightest. Joe Dante said that a mother even screamed at him during a test screening because she didn’t think it was suitable for children. But, audiences ate it up.
One of the biggest factors to the success of Gremlins was the character Gizmo. Voiced by comedian Howie Mandel, this lovable furry creature maintains its cuteness despite the mayhem that occurs throughout the movie. Composer Jerry Goldsmith, who delivered an incredible score, found a young girl to be the singing voice of Gizmo.
The impossibly adorable Gizmo sits in stark contrast to the gremlins that transform into murderous, batlike creatures. The gremlins were a combination of puppetry, stop motion, and animatronics, designed in an age before CGI was a common visual effects tool. Chris Walas was responsible for stunningly real creations. He and his “creature crew” made puppets that were controlled by levers and switches. According to Joe Dante, they even used marionettes in a couple scenes. Much like The Muppets, some puppeteers stood beneath the sets to control gremlins. For the sequel, the legendary Rick Baker joined the team to expand on what the creatures could do.
What makes it a Christmas movie?
There are some pretty obvious reasons why some people consider Gremlins to be a Christmas movie. Firstly, it takes place at Christmas. It includes Christmas music, and the entire plot occurs because Rand Peltzer needs to find a Christmas present for his son.
Chris Columbus has said that the film was meant to be a satire on It’s a Wonderful Life, another famous Christmas story. Because of this, the plot relies on the film taking place during Christmas, otherwise the satirical nature of the story wouldn’t make much sense. If Gremlins has taken place during Easter, or Halloween, the core concept of the movie would have changed.
One way to measure the Christmasness of a movie is to look at the feel-good nature. Gremlins doesn’t have those tear-inducing moments that you’ll find in Miracle on 34th Street, but it does have a fair amount of good will. The relationship between Billy and Gizmo gives Gremlins a sentimental softness that audiences might want to revisit every holiday season.
What makes it not a Christmas movie?
In one clip filmed behind the scenes, Joe Dante tells one of the young actors that the film will be out in the summer. When the boy asks him why not Christmas, Dante explains that if it were a Christmas movie, people would stop seeing it after a couple of weeks. Although there is no denying that the film takes place at Christmas, it wasn’t necessarily meant to be enjoyed only at Christmas.
Gremlins is one of the last PG horror films of the 1980s before the PG-13 rating changed the way audiences understood ratings. Because of this, a lot of people would consider the film inappropriate for most audiences, and therefore not something to pop on while wrapping gifts. But the horror elements give Gremlins its staying power as a cult film with loyal fans.
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Summary
Bridget Jones begins the New Year with some resolutions. Drink less, quit smoking, and will find a sensible boyfriend to go out with. This means to not continue to form romantic attachments to any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobic's, peeping toms, megalomaniacs, emotional fuckwits or perverts. In order to keep on track she begins a diary which chronicles her journey to self improvement and the choice between her seemingly perfect boss Daniel and Mark Darcy, a man that at first criticizes and seems wrong for her.
The Eve Arnold image that visually inspired a scene.
Making of
Based on the column and then book by Helen Fielding
Fielding was asked to start a column in The Independent. It gained a following and so was therefore turned into a best selling book!
She also helped to write the screenplay as well.
The film was the directorial movie debut of Sharon Maguire. She has also directed Incendiary, Bridget Jones’s Baby, and Godmothered.
One of the scariest things for Sharon Maguire was hiring the Texan Renee Zellweger as the well known Bridget Jones. Macguire saw her as perfect for the role because she had so many of the qualities she thought Bridget had and a certain vulnerability and inner irreverence. They both knew however that if it did not do well it would be on both of their shoulders.
In order to get ready for the role Renee moved to the UK and became familiar with everything over there.
She was successful enough that Hugh Grant didn’t even know she wasn’t British until she showed up at the wrap party with her Texan accent!
If you have ever seen this film , you may have noticed that it is a modern version of Pride and Prejudice.
Fielding wrote the columns and book which came out in 1996 about the same time that the BBC released their version of Pride of Prejudice from 1995. The BBC version informed the book and took a lot from Firth’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy.
So when it came time for casting, there really was no other choice than Colin Firth.
There were more friends in the book and screenplay but it had to be cut down so they could focus on Daniel and Darcy.
During filming Hugh and Colin established a kind of friendly rivalry for who would be the thinnest and have the nicest clothes. SO Renee would be the one waiting for the two of them to come out of their trailers.
The Make-up artist for the film was Graham Johnston.
For Bridget’s make-up they went very natural for the most part, just covering imperfections with a little pink in the cheeks and stuff.
At the parties it was a little heavier.
When Bridget’s diary pieces go up on a public board, it was really there up on the electric boards of Piccadilly Circus in London’s West End. It was the only place that would let them do that.
The egg peeler was specially made.
There was a man in the backseat that pulled the scarf off in the car
Loneliness dressed up as a comedy
The scene after Bridgit finds that Daniel cheated she is in the bath-tub. The visual for this was inspired by an Eve Arnold photograph of a woman in a bath with her tights hung above her.
When it Released and How it was received
The film was released in April of 2001 with a budget of $25 million and it grossed worldwide at almost $282 million. It was so successful that there were two sequels, the most recent with Ed Sheeran in it! There has also been talks of a fourth movie.
It was received so well that on my copy of the dvd it actually has 5 glowing reviews in the special features section. They include ones from USA Today, Rolling Stone, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
What makes it a Christmas movie?
It begins in the New Year and ends around Christmas.
The focus is about the change that you undergo over the course of 12 months.
The focus on loneliness is something a lot of people feel during the Christmas Season, even when they are surrounded by those they love like Bridget is.
Colin Firth’s Christmas Jumper. (Even if he is wearing it at a New Year’s party.)
Finally in the ending scene the lovebirds are making out amidst snowfall and twinkling Christmas lights.
What makes it not a Christmas movie?
The film was released in April of 2001.
The majority of the film takes place throughout the warmer months.
The famous Christmas jumper that Darcy wears was worn at a New Years party and not a Christmas party.
Die Hard
Summary
NYPD cop John McClane goes on vacation to visit his estranged wife Holly in Los Angeles where she works for the Nakatomi Corporation. While they are at the headquarters for a Christmas party, a group of terrorists led by Hans Gruber take control of the building and hold everyone hostage. Unable to escape and with no immediate police response, John is forced to take matters into his own hands.
Making Of
Directed by John McTiernan, Die Hard actually started out as a book called Nothing Lasts Forever. It was written by former police officer Roderick Thorp as a sequel to his previous novel, The Detective. Thorp had been inspired to write Nothing Lasts Forever by a dream he had after watching the 1974 film The Towering Inferno.
Screenwriter Jeb Stuart was in serious financial trouble when Lloyd Levin, the head of development at the Gordon Company, asked to work on an adaptation of the 1978 novel.
Believe it or not, Levin gave Stuart creative freedom as long as he retained the Christmas-in-Los-Angeles setting. He believed that the concept would provide an interesting aesthetic.
At the same time, Stuart began working 18-hour days at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, which left him exhausted and "on edge". After getting into an argument with his wife, he went for a drive. There was a point where he saw a box in his lane and was unable to avoid it, he was forced to run over it only to discover it was empty. According to Stuart, he pulled over on the side of the freeway with his heart pounding.
From this, Stuart conceived a story of a man who should have apologized to his wife before a catastrophe. He returned home to reconcile with his wife and wrote the first 35 pages that night. Once the screenplay was written, it was pitched to studios as "Rambo in an office building".
Another screenwriter Steven E. de Souza ended up rewriting Stuart's script, as he had much more experience in blending action and comedy. He approached the story as if Gruber was the protagonist. He said, "If [Gruber] had not planned the robbery and put it together, [McClane] would have just gone to the party and reconciled or not with his wife. You should sometimes think about looking at your movie through the point of view of the villain who is really driving the narrative."
Because Die Hard was based on the novel sequel to The Detective, the studio was contractually obligated to offer Frank Sinatra the role. Sinatra, who was 70 at the time, declined, so the role was offered to various major stars including Sylvester Stallone, Richard Gere, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Burt Reynolds, Al Pacino and many more. The prevailing action archetype of the era was a muscle-bound, invincible macho man like Arnold Schwarzenegger, (who was also offered the role). Bruce Willis was known mainly for his comedic role in the romantic comedy television series Moonlighting, starring opposite Cybill Shepherd. He initially declined the role because of Moonlighting, but when Shepherd became pregnant, the show's production was stopped for eleven weeks, giving Willis enough time to take the role. He would find acting in Die Hard difficult because it was so different from his previous experiences. Mostly that he was often alone, not having any others to act with.
Several subplots and traits for characters other than McClane were created during the first few weeks of filming because Willis was still working on Moonlighting. He would film the show for up to ten hours and then work on Die Hard at night. These new scenes included Holly's housekeeper, Holly confronting Gruber following Takagi's death, an introductory scene for Thornburg, and more moments between Powell and his fellow police officers.
Filming took place almost entirely in and around Fox Plaza in Century City LA. The building was under construction and was mostly empty, which was perfect for filming. So it was secured with two main conditions: no filming during the day and no damage from explosions.
What makes it a Christmas movie?
There are a lot of reasons why people say Die Hard is a Christmas movie and we couldn’t possibly go through every single one, but here are a few of the big ones.
Just because a movie takes place at Christmas is not an automatic pass, but it at least passed the first hurdle. Not to mention it's also set at the office Christmas party.
A Christmas movie should have Christmas music, and Die Hard has a few Christmas classics, from Let it Snow to Run DMC's Christmas in Hollis. There's also Bruce Willis whistling Jingle Bells, while the score often uses actual jingling bells to provide that seasonal vibe.
As the Let it Snow plays over the end credits, snow is falling. Well not actual snow, as this is L.A., but falling papers from the building that McClane has just spent the past 2 hrs destroying sorta counts.
One of the biggest reasons is that in 2020, Steven E de Souza, made a compelling case that not only is Die Hard a Christmas movie, Die Hard is MORE of a Christmas movie than the seasonal classic White Christmas. So if the writer says it is, then it’s hard to argue otherwise.
However that does not stop people from making said arguments.
When you think of traditional Christmas, the usual family-friendly stuff comes to mind. What do most Christmas staples have in common that Die Hard doesn't? For one, none of the classic specials include the intense violence depicted in Die Hard, the main reason for the film's R rating.
It also lacks any traditional Christmas motifs like Santa Claus, reindeer, elves, snowmen, and even shopping malls.
Regardless of the holiday, Gruber would've gotten some hostages whether it was a Halloween or Thanksgiving party, and the president of the corporation, Joe Tagaki, would've still been present either way. Many argue that one could describe the core plot of this movie without mentioning Christmas at all.
And to counter the writer Steven E. de Souza, Bruce Willis disagrees. During his own Comedy Central Roast, Willis ended a speech by proclaiming that "Die Hard is not a Christmas movie! It's a god damn Bruce Willis movie!"
It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and Home Alone, are movies that many of us watch every holiday season. They are unquestionably Christmas films, getting us all into the holiday spirit. But when January rolls around, we don’t often see these movies getting a lot of play. That’s possibly the biggest difference between these bona-fide holiday hits and the three films we talked about this week.
Gremlins, Bridget Jones’ Diary, and Die Hard are all movies that audiences can enjoy any time of the year, without getting seasonal confusion. But just because these classics focus on topics besides getting the perfect present or surviving yet another holiday season with your frustrating/lovable family, does that mean that they aren’t Christmas films? The truth is, the holidays are hard. Watch any movie that will make your Christmas brighter.
Gremlins Sources:
https://medium.com/@junereynolds/gremlins-a-nineteenth-century-mythology-c0254c605db9
https://www.dday.org/2013/08/08/its-then-youll-see-the-gremlins/
Bridget Jones’s Diary Sources:
DVD Special Features