Mark Kermode's Christmas Cinema Secrets

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Synopsis

In this documentary exploring Christmas films, renowned film critic Mark Kermode uses clips from seminal titles to walk us through how one of the most popular festive events has been captured on screen. Divided into nine sections – Scrooge Variations; Countdown to Christmas; Good Ghosts; Dark Santas; Family Christmas; Nativity; Far From Home; Christmas Romance; The Healing Factor – Kermode uses examples from throughout cinema history to introduce key elements and demonstrate how Christmas has provided cinematic inspiration to numerous films over time. From heart-warming family favourites and festive romances to action films and darker winter tales, the documentary explores the remarkable variety of Christmas cinema and the storytelling elements that capture the spirit of the season.

Films featured within this documentary include:

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944); It's a Wonderful Life (1946); Scrooge (1951); White Christmas (1954); Scrooge (1970); Black Christmas (1974); Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979); Gremlins (1984); Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984); Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987); Scrooged (1988); Die Hard (1988); Home Alone (1990); The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992); The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993); Miracle on 34th Street (1994); The City of Lost Children (1995); Jingle All the Way (1996); How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000); Love Actually (2003); Bad Santa (2003); Elf (2003); Nativity! (2009); Black Nativity (2013); Hector (2015); Tangerine (2015); Carol (2015); The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017).