If you are limited to terrestrial TV and are not enchanted with the feeble selection of premieres, try BBC2 which is showing a whole bunch of classic films. Of course they have all been on umpteen times, but if you have not seen any of the following (or fancy viewing one again) these are some of the best:
20th, afternoon - A Night at the Opera (the Marx Brothers at their zaniest); 2lst a.m. - The Sea Hawk (Errol Flynn doing his swashbuckling bit); 22nd a.m. - Gunga Din (boys' own adventure with Cary Grant); 22nd afternoon - Bringing up Baby (Grant again with the divine Katharine H); 24th, Noon - Black Narcissus (passions run high amongst the nuns); 24th, late - I Walked with a Zombie (poetic Lewton horror); 25th afternoon - A Star is Born (1954) (The best version with Garland and James Mason); 25th late - The Scarlet Empress (wonderful high camp with Marlene Dietrich); 26th afternoon - That's Entertainment (first of the three MGM compilations) plus The Philadelphia Story (Grant, Hepburn, Stewart = bliss); 29th afternoon - The Red Shoes (Powell & Pressburger masterpiece).
On other terrestrial channels I would also recommend Major Barbara Saturday afternoon on Channel 5 with a sparkling performance from Wendy Hillier and James Stewart with his six-foot rabbit in Harvey on ITV late on the 26th. Channel 4 are showing Meet Me in St Louis on the afternoon of the 19th and Singin' in the Rain on Christmas day, but I guess everyone has seen these two several many times.
Have fun viewing -- and e-mail me if you want a capsule review of anything else that is on over the holiday period.
1 comment:
Looks like it's TV and a packet of crisps JP. There's some nostalgia in that list. The Sea Hawks and Gunga din I might catch again, and Christmas ain't complete without Meet me in St. Louis, Louis...meet me at the fair :) Rache xx
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