Movie Info:
Writer: Jean Shepherd
Director: Bob Clark
Cast: Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Peter Billingsley, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R.D. Robb, Zack Ward, Tedde Moore, Yano Anaya
Rating: PG
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: November 18, 1983
DVD Release Date: November 4, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.95
If you say you don’t like A Christmas Story then you absolutely stink. This movie has been hailed the best Christmas movie since It’s a Wonderful Life, and I think that’s a pretty accurate assessment. At my house, we have a tradition of watching It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, and Mixed Nuts (I’m also a child of the 80s, so as a parent, Home Alone is also quite popular) along with a few different animated specials (Frosty, Rudolph, Charlie Brown). These are movies we never miss watching no matter the year. A Christmas Story is one of our very favorite movies not only for Christmas, but of all time.
Regardless of your age or the decade in which you grew up, Ralphie and the Parkers are relatable. I grew up in the small town Midwest. I remember wanting that one, elusive toy that every kid seemed to want and feeling the frustration of thinking I’d never get it. I don’t remember Santa being quite so scary, but I do remember the school bullies, having to bundle up until you’re practically unrecognizable (and have trouble moving because of it) and the double and triple dog dare. Add in some silliness, such as the dad with the leg lamp (The Old Man was my dad – he was a world champion when it came to swearing), and the “show mommy the lil piggies” scene with Ralphie’s little brother, Randy, (my brother was so picky his ketchup and mustard couldn’t touch on his hamburgers or hot dogs – for the longest time I believed mustard had to go on the bottom of a bun and ketchup on top of the meat!) and you pretty much have the All American Christmas classic, A Christmas Story.
When A Christmas Story was first released, it was only a modest success. It had the kind of reception It’s a Wonderful Life had, with fans warming up to the movie once it started airing on television. Now, both movies are considered essential watching in many of the households not only in North America, but around the world. It truly is amazing to see what a beloved character Ralphie has become and all of the adventures he experiences are laugh out loud moments no matter your age!
What I find the most amusing about A Christmas Story is the fact that the stories that the movies were based on were featured in Playboy magazine. Back in the day, Playboy was considered a much more respectable man’s magazine. The stories were often high quality and wholly engaging, which is why so many men would tell their wives (and it almost became a joke) they just got Playboy to read the stories. Actually, for many men, that was somewhat true. Of course, the beautiful, semi-clad women didn’t hurt! It’s just ironic that this story has its roots from Playboy, but it makes “the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window” line all the more amusing.
The A Christmas Story Plot
Ralph Parker (Jean Shepherd) is the narrator of this story. He is reminiscing about his childhood, when he was known as Ralphie (Peter Billingsley). During this particular year, as Christmas is nearing, all Ralphie wants for Christmas is a “Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and a thing which tells time.” Unfortunately, Ralphie isn’t sure how to go about telling his mother (Melinda Dillon) about his one, true, Christmas desire. He decides to use advertising propaganda (putting a Red Ryder sales pitch in her Life Magazine) and subtly hinting at it (blurting it out during breakfast). Unfortunately, mom swears that Ralphie will shoot his eye out!
Ralphie’s dad, The Old Man (Darren McGavin), is trying to win a contest for money. He needs to buy a new furnace, because he’s always fighting this one and it nearly always wins. Ralphie’s dad is the king of swearing with so many bad words said in one stream Ralphie is sure they’re floating over Lake Michigan in a cloud. His dad also likes to change tires like he’s in the pit crew for the Indianapolis 500 and often gets harassed by the Bumpus hounds, the neighbors several smelly hound dogs.
Ralphie has a little brother, Randy (Ian Petrella). He’s a picky eater, who their mother tries to get to eat by having him show her how the “piggies” eat. Randy also gets so wrapped up in his snow clothes that he can’t put his arms down (“I Can’t Put My Arms Down!” – And Mom’s response “Put your arms down when you get to school” is classic!) and when it comes to the neighborhood bully Scut Farkus (Zack Ward) and his toady friend, Grover Dill (Yano Anaya), Randy’s only defense is to “lay there like a slug.” While he tries to keep up with his older brother and Ralphie’s friends, Flick (Scott Schwartz) and Schwartz (R.D. Robb), he’s simply too little to do so effectively. Of course, Ralphie is nice to his younger brother, sometimes.
Throughout the course of the movie, the Parkers deal with many things. Ralphie has multiple run-ins with Scut Farkus, eventually getting in a fight. His friend, Schwartz dares Flick to stick his tongue to a frozen pole, which he does. The Bumpus hounds manage to get the best of Ralphie’s dad when it comes to Christmas turkey and all Ralphie can think about is the Red Ryder BB Gun, except when he’s trying to decode messages from his favorite radio show, “Little Orphan Annie.” Unfortunately, everyone thinks that Ralphie is going to shoot his eye out – ‘you’ll shoot yer eye out!’ This includes Santa, Ralphie’s teacher, Mrs. Shields (Tedde Moore), and, of course, his mother.
So, what’s a boy to do when he’s been down in the dumps, wanting a BB Gun? He has an active imagination where he dreams of shooting the bad guys a la Old West and saving his family. He even gets in trouble for letting his father hear him say the f-dash-dash-dash word, even though dad has said it many times on his own. This story is ultimately heartwarming, hilarious, and worth watching every single Christmas, with those special people in your life.
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Audio/Visual:
Having watched previous releases of A Christmas Story on standard DVD and on television, let me tell you how good this transfer is. It looks like a better, more cleaned up version of the movie. It still retains its retro feel though because there is only so much that can be done with this kind of source material. Sure, there is grain, color problems, and everything else you’d expect from a movie made in the late 70s-early 80s, but comparing this to past releases is like night and day. I kept marveling at how good the 1080p/VC-1 video in 1.85 widescreen looks. I like this transfer and it’s one of the benefits to this DVD release.
On the other hand, I’m highly unimpressed with the pathetic Dolby Digital 1.0 mono track that is available. This is Blu Ray. This release needed an upgrade. Sure, it sounds decent. The dialogue and music come through. It’s not overly dynamic. The volume doesn’t need toggling, but it isn’t dynamic. It’s not Blu Ray quality. It didn’t wow me. It didn’t even thrill me. It’s middle of the road quality and that’s being nice. There is also a French Dolby Digital mono track and subtitles are available in English SDH, English, French and Spanish.
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Bonus Features:
This Blu Ray is filled with more bonuses than what is available in previous releases of the movie. The majority of these bonuses come from the 2004 Special Edition release by Warner. None of these bonuses are in HD, so be prepared to be disappointed on this front. The first bonus is an Audio Commentary with Bob Clark (who sadly passed away in a car accident not too long ago) and Peter Billingsley. This is mostly enjoyable with Clark doing the majority of the talking and he certainly is an engaging host. This is a way to see Bob Clark as he was and its excellent that he got to do this commentary prior to his death.
My favorite feature is the 20th Anniversary documentary-style featurette, “Another Christmas Story,” which is nearly a half hour long. This features interviews with Bob Clark, Peter Billingsley, Scott Schwartz, R.D. Robb, Zack Ward and others who participated in the creation of this movie. Many of these actors have moved on to fulfilling careers, with Billingsley perhaps most notable for his producing career (he produced Iron Man just to name one of his recent projects) and Zack Ward a busily working actor. It’s nice to hear about the filming, the behind the scenes aspects of the movie and where the cast is now.
The next feature is “Daisy Red Ryder,” which as you might have guessed looks at the history of the actual Red Ryder BB gun and the character, Red Ryder. For those who don’t know, Red Ryder was a famous character that was inspired by the BB gun and he fought bad guys throughout the 1940s and 1950s. The final featurette is a tribute to the Old Man’s leg lamp in, “Get a Leg Up.” This is a funny featurette. In fact, all of the featurettes on this DVD are excellent.
Finally, there are series of script pages (mostly excerpts), a pretend commercial for the leg lamp and the A Christmas Story original trailer. These bonuses round out the set.
While there are some pretty cool bonuses here, if you own the 2004 version, you might want to avoid buying this updated version unless you are buying this for the better visual quality. The bonuses are the same. The A Christmas Story Blu Ray Ultimate Collector’s Edition might be worth the purchase, but only if you want a special tin and some extraneous bonuses, such as a cookbook.
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Bottom Line:
I love A Christmas Story. It is one of my favorite Christmas movies ever. I never miss watching it multiple times during the winter holiday season. If you love this movie as much as I do, check out the Blu Ray. For a movie made when I was 2 years old, this transfer looks exceptionally good. I was impressed by how fabulous this DVD is. While some will prefer the Ultimate Collectors Edition in Blu Ray, this is suitable for those who aren’t ga-ga over a bucket load of extra bonuses (none of which are included on the disc). Either way, this transfer is just as good and worth the purchase! A Christmas Story Blu Ray is one of my hot holiday picks. You can guarantee it will be on our holiday must have list!
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Technorati Tags: A Christmas Story, DVD Review, Warner Home Video, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Peter Billingsley, Ian Petrella, Christmas, Classic, Bob Clark
Written by Dominick Evans – Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.
