One of the greatest holiday movies we had to wait a long time to get for our Christmas DVDs collection is A Christmas Story by Bob Clark. When it originally opened in 1983 just before Thanksgiving it was an instant success. By the time Christmas rolled around, the movie had already been pulled from most theaters because it had been “played out”. After complaints were lodged at the theater owners and the studio, the film played on select screens until after the first of the year 1984.

I just found two great reviews of a Christmas Story on the web. Here’s what the authors had to say about this Christmas classic:

Sometimes a movie-maker really gets it right and produces a film for all time. It requires a brilliant script, a dream cast, a gifted director and an outstanding photographer and technical staff. Put them all together and you can produce magic. Bob Clark and Gene Shepherd did just that in The Christmas Story. All the more surprising when you realize that Bob Clark had also produced the Porky’s movies.

A Christmas Story focuses on one central character, fifth grader Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) and his all-encompassing quest to receive a Daisy Brand Red-Ryder BB rifle for Christmas. Unable to come right out and say what he wants, Ralphie drops subtle hints around the house such as placing clipped-out magazine ads for the gun in his parents’ nightstand reading material. When prodded for his true Christmas wish, Ralphie blurts out that he wants a Daisy Brand Red-Ryder BB gun, but his mother’s only reply is: “You don’t want one of those. You’ll shoot your eye out!”

A Christmas Story is filled with memorable scenes and highlights that have helped built a cult following around the life of a young boy obsessed with Christmas who is surrounded by a varied cast eccentric friends and family members. When Ralphie’s father beams with pride at his ability to win a newspaper contest, his proudly displays his prize in the front window of the family home, a three-foot lamp with a woman’s long, stocking-covered leg as its base. Embarrassed, Ralphie’s mother “accidentally” breaks it, sparking a war of words with her husband. Meanwhile, Ralphie dreams of saving the whole family with his Red-Ryder BB gun, thus earning the family’s undying gratitude.

One of the best sequences in the film involves a family trip to the local department store, where Ralphie and his little brother Randy meet with the store Santa Clause near closing time. Following a long, extended wait to reach the front of the line to see Santa, Ralphie is so brimming with anticipation to tell Santa what he wants that he can’t speak. So, Santa convinces Ralphie that he wants a football. But before Santa’s helper can push Ralphie down the North Pole slide, Ralphie blurts out his true wish, only to hear Santa’s reply, “You’ll shoot your eye out with that, kid!”

A Christmas Story is a memorable holiday classic the entire family can enjoy. The timeless nature of its subject matter lends itself well to annual holiday viewing, and it remains one of a handful of must see films for the Christmas seasonÂ….

As far as I understand for many people who have been grown up in the Forties this movie is a gateway to their youth. The sense of the old Christmas days that many people have forgotten comes to life in A Christmas Story. It’s narrated by the boy who is now much older and is fondly looking back at the period,so it’s like your father would tell you stories from his childhood. If you ever wonderd how your parents (or even grandparents experience) the holiday season you got to add A Christmas Story to your collection of Christmas DVDs.