-
Maid in Manhatten
- featuring Ralph Fiennes and Jennifer Lopez - has a closing
scene with the background in the hotel featuring Christmas trees and
presents, but nothing to do the the story line!
-
The Major and the
Minor - featuring Ray Milan as Major Kirby and
Ginger Rogers as Susan Applegate; adult Susan posing as a youngster
in the train compartment is discovered by Rita Johnson as Pamela
Hill (Kirby's fiancée). The Major yells out "Jiminy Christmas"
as Susan puts a cold cloth down the back of his neck to stop his nose
bleed!
-
Manchurian
Candidate (1961) - featuring Frank Sinatra as
Major Bennett Marco, Laurence Harvey as Raymond Shaw and
Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Iselin. Major Marco and Raymond Shaw
are reminiscing over a bottle of wine and Shaw calls for his House-boy
to fetch another. He then realizes that he gave the House-boy the
night off as it was Christmas Eve. The Twelve Days of Christmas
is playing on the radio in the background and Shaw makes reference to
it. The Christmas reference adds absolutely nothing to the plot.
-
Mermaids
- featuring Cher and Winona Ryder - when the move to the
Boston area Winona Ryder is setting up her Manger Scene and her little
sister asks why the Wisemen gave the baby Jesus "frankincense and birds".
-
Michael -
featuring John Travolta in the title role, begins with a "sleigh bells
ring" scene with Santa in a promotional photo-op following the crash of
the Bank of Commerce in the opening minutes of the film.
-
Midnight in the
Garden of Good and Evil - featuring Kevin Spacey and
John Cusack. At his Savannah mansion Christmas reception, Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey) works the crowd
with a "Merry Christmas to ya." ... and following the trial Jim
tells John Kelso (John Cusack) "I made the Christmas Party List and
you made the cut..."
-
Miracle on 34th
Street - with Natalie Wood.
-
Mr Soft Touch
- featuring Glenn Ford as Joe Miracle. After he crashes
through a barrier at the draw bridge, Joe pulls up at a toll booth while
Hark the Herald Angels Sing plays in the background and a
sidewalk Santa passes by in costume. He spills money in a brown
paper bag and collects it. As he goes to his sister's to hide,
there is a Christmas tree in the living room and a simple wreath on the
apartment door.
-
Mr and Mrs Bridge
- featuring Paul Newman as Walter Bridge and Joanne Woodward
as India Bridge. It's about a five member family. The father is a
conservative and traditional person who directs the family. The mother
is at home, she tries to hold together the family, while Mr. Bridge
works as a lawyer. The children have just grown up, and the
complications are derived from that they have a more modern view of
life. India visits Grace Barron only and there are Christmas
wreathes on the front door.
-
Mrs Stoffel
- featuring Diane Keaton, Mel Gibson and Matthew Modine
- escape from death row has a scene highlighted with the Christmas tree
and candles.
-
Molokai: The Story of
Father Damien - featuring David Wenham as Father Damien,
ministering to the lepers suffering from Hansen's Disease on Molokai;
includes a Christmas Eve Mass with a crèche shortly before he succumbs to
the disease that overtook him.
-
Mothman Prophecies
- featuring Richard Gere and Laura Linney - having just purchased their
new home, the couple have an accident with their car going out of control,
and in the background we see a house on the street with its veranda all
decked out in Christmas lights. Later, in the hospital, there is a
scene with the hallway decorated with trees and garland - adding
absolutely nothing to the story line!
-
Mutiny on the
Bounty - featuring Charles Lawton as Captain
William Bligh and Clark Gable as Fletcher Christian. As
Bligh and the others arrived in England from being cast off in a row
boat and surviving the sea we hear God Rest You Merry Gentlemen sung and
the scene featuring a Christmas tree... then teh scene changes to Tahiti
and the mutineers are joining in the carol!
-
Night and Day
- featuring as Cary Grant as Cole Porter. In this
fictionalized biography from Porter's Yale days to his height of
popularity, Christmas plays a major theme in this non-Christmas movie
featuring "In the Still of the Night" for the song the carollers begin
outside and Cole Porter continues inside at the piano! An odd
substitute for "Silent Night"! Note: real candles are burning on
the tree in the living room as family members roam around with their
presents tucked under their arms oblivious to the live flame!
Yikes!
-
Nobody's Fool
- featuring Paul Newman as Sully Sullivan, a rascally ne'er-do-well
approaching retirement age, and Jessica Tandy as Beryl Peoples,
Bruce Willis as Carl Roebuck and Melanie Griffith as Toby
Roebuck - set in Bath, running from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Wreath
on the door and lights in the Bar suggest Christmas but the plot is not
dependant on it. Sully discovers he's a grandfather, a father and a
friend.
-
Normal
- featuring Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lang - where Roy is
addressed by his Lutheran Pastor, "Roy, you're the only fella I can get to
nail together the Nativity every year - do you think I'm gonna let you go
that easy?" When Roy tells him that he is planning on having a sex change.
-
No Way Out
- featuring Kevin Costner as Lt. Cmdr. Tom Ferrell, Gene
Hackman as Defence Secretary David Brice, and Sean Young as
Susan Atwell. Very early in the film, the Manager of Tom's
apartment building says to Tom (as he's picking up his mail), "I've just
done a new painting. It's called Christmas in New England."
And later as Tom is
transferred to Washington, there is an oblique reference to a book that
he's reading: Christmas in New England. Now that's a double
header!
-
Nowhere To Go
- with George Nander as Paul Gregory and Maggie Smith as
Bridget Howard. Paul Gregory is sprung from jail in London by his
accomplice after getting a stretch as expected for robbing a woman who
falls for his charms. He arrives at a safe house and in the bath he
reflects on the crime and when he goes to answer the doorbell the
announcer on the radio says "Ten Days till Christmas..." Another
gratuitous example of Christmas popping up in the least expected places!
-
On Her Majesty's Secret
Service - with George
Lazenby as James Bond, Diana Riggs as Tracy Di Vicenzo and
Telly Savalas as Ernst Stavro Blofeld. In this 007 action thriller
set in the Swiss Alps, we hear the singing of "How Do You Grow A
Christmas Tree?"
-
The Outside Chance
of Maximilian Glick - with Noam Zylberman, Fairuza Balk,
Saul Rubinek as Maximilian, Jan Rubes, and Susan Rubes. The
life of Maximilian, a young Jewish boy in Canada who longs to be a
concert pianist. His pianist partner is a girl and a Christian and
there is a delightful terrifying scene when her family invites him to
place the angel on top of their Christmas tree.
-
The Package
- featuring Gene Hackman as Sgt Johnny Gallagher, Tommy Lee
Jones as Thomas Boyette, and Joanna Cassidy as Lt.Col. Eileen
Gallagher - in a suspenseful but foiled plot to assassinate the Soviet
General Secretary; set in Chicago with Christmas Wreaths, Christmas Trees and
ubiquitous carols appearing throughout in a movie otherwise devoid of
Christmas!
-
Paint Your Wagon
- featuring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood in a California
gold rush musical; at the bar in the camp one of the prospectors buys
a pound of flour and two pounds of sugar and says to Lee Marvin, "Aim to
be back to Woster by Christmas!"
-
Philadelphia
- featuring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Just before Denzel Washington
decides to take the case, he is exiting a convenience store and Santa is
on the street ringing a hand bell and has a donation pot for Christmas
charity.
-
The Poseidon
Adventure - featuring Gene Hackman as Rev'd Frank
Scott, Ernest Borgnine as Det. Lt. Mike Rogo, Red Buttons
as James Martin and Carol Lynley as Nonnie Parry. A group
of passengers struggle to survive and escape, when their ocean liner
completely capsizes at sea. The ship capsizes on New Year's Eve
and a Christmas Tree provides their escape from the ball room.
-
The Preacher's
Wife - A black minister prays for help; the story
culminates at Christmas.
-
Presumed Innocent
- with Harrison Ford and John Spencer - When the woman
deputy prosecutor R.K. Sabich (Harrison Ford) had an affair with is
murdered the prosecutor asks him to lead the investigation. When Sabich
digs too deeply he finds himself framed for the murder. Acquitted,
Det Lipranzer (John Spencer) gives the "lost" piece of incriminating
evidence to Savich and says, "Here's your Christmas present."
Savich then throws the beer glass with his finger prints on it into the
river from the ferry.
-
The Prize
- with Paul Newman, Elke Sommer and Edward G. Robinson
- after Paul Newman discovers a dead body in a flat in Stockholm, he
follows the murderer through the local market where a passerby in the
crowd strolls across the scene, carrying a Christmas Tree in a wooden base
-- adding absolutely nothing to this Nobel laureate themed flick!
-
The Proposition
- an Australian flick featuring Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone
- set in the 1880s... Mickie is being hung on Christmas Day and the Police
Captain's wife decorates for Christmas with a green tree and ornaments and
even sheets of cotton batten for snow.
through
through
through
through
through
