A Child's Christmas in Wales (1987)
In this perfect Christmas television special that’s sadly only an hour long, the audience gets to experience the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child at the start of the 1900s. It’s a charming tale with beautifully unique and descriptive language. Nowhere else will you find a story that describes the “dumb, numb thunderstorm” and “wool-white, bell-tongued ball of holidays” during the “never to be forgotten day at the end of the unremembered year”. It’s pure poetry, but only when you hear Denholm Elliot telling his tale to his young, adorable grandson and vicariously the audience. Denholm, who had no children of his own, gives a wonderful performance as the grandfather. His delivery of the holiday story is distinctive, with imitable hilarity and touching moments.
I’ve heard Dylan Thomas read his own classic holiday work, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” and it’s quite different. As you would expect, it’s simply the recounting of his childhood Christmas. There are no passages about the grandfather telling his history to his grandson, which, to me, make the story special. Without the grandfather telling the story, the wonderful line (which is not in Thomas’s original prose) “Because it’s Christmas now,” makes no sense. In short, Jon Glascoe’s and Peter Kreutzer’s teleplay is far superior. It might sound like sacrilege for me to criticize Dylan Thomas, but watch this 1987 adaptation and see if you don’t agree with me.
At the start, Denholm tells his grandson, “I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve, or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six.” The stage has been set and the illusion is charming. There are no other children present in the entire movie, because in his mind, the aunties and uncles doted on him alone. There are lots of “always” and “never” because, to the remembering grandfather, Christmas is a collection of all the years of his childhood. And even as he realizes this, he recalls that when the older folks tried to tell him when he was younger that Christmases in their youth were superior, he didn’t listen. It’s absolutely perfect.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales is one of my favorite movies to watch during the holidays. It’s charming, heartwarming, nostalgic, and meaningful no matter what age you are. It sucks you into the early 1900s with unknown actors and actresses portraying the family. Full of love and respect, it represents the spirit of Christmas better than almost any other movie I watch during the season.
More Christmas movies here!
I’ve heard Dylan Thomas read his own classic holiday work, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” and it’s quite different. As you would expect, it’s simply the recounting of his childhood Christmas. There are no passages about the grandfather telling his history to his grandson, which, to me, make the story special. Without the grandfather telling the story, the wonderful line (which is not in Thomas’s original prose) “Because it’s Christmas now,” makes no sense. In short, Jon Glascoe’s and Peter Kreutzer’s teleplay is far superior. It might sound like sacrilege for me to criticize Dylan Thomas, but watch this 1987 adaptation and see if you don’t agree with me.
At the start, Denholm tells his grandson, “I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve, or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six.” The stage has been set and the illusion is charming. There are no other children present in the entire movie, because in his mind, the aunties and uncles doted on him alone. There are lots of “always” and “never” because, to the remembering grandfather, Christmas is a collection of all the years of his childhood. And even as he realizes this, he recalls that when the older folks tried to tell him when he was younger that Christmases in their youth were superior, he didn’t listen. It’s absolutely perfect.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales is one of my favorite movies to watch during the holidays. It’s charming, heartwarming, nostalgic, and meaningful no matter what age you are. It sucks you into the early 1900s with unknown actors and actresses portraying the family. Full of love and respect, it represents the spirit of Christmas better than almost any other movie I watch during the season.
More Christmas movies here!