A Christmas Memory

There is another adaptation of Truman Capote's novella which stars Geraldine Paige and features narration by the author. This version is infinitely superior to the 1997 adaptation. What makes the Paige version work is its austerity and respect for the material. Nothing in it is sticky-sweet or earth-shaking; it tells the story of two gentle souls who enjoy each other's friendship, and tells it well. The 1997 version, on the other hand, seems to have no respect for Capote's story. It fills the stage with other characters, extraneous dialogue, and scenes that are so calculated and sentimental you might have to leave the room (I did). For example, this piece of dialogue: "If you send Buddy to military school, he'll die!" "He won't die." "Then I might!!" Just this one instance is so far away from the heart of Capote's tale that this TV movie should not have the gall to associate itself with the original book. Do yourself a big favor: stay far away from this version and read the original.

It is sad that anyone would remake something that was perfect. Do yourself a favor and do not watch this version as it is awful and reeks of staged nonsense that is boring and absolutely not in the vein with which Capote wrote the story.

Anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of Truman Capote and his boyhood years will find this wonderful adaptation right on the mark. The prior, much shorter work (1967) was also wonderfully executed with Geraldine Paige bringing her own interpretations to the screen. Truman Capote narrated that version and it was necessary to slow down the audio track of his voice in order to lower his intonations. No computers to do it then!

But, for my money, the Patty Duke version succeeds on all levels in bringing a superior work to the screen on a television budget.

A Patty Duke performance that shines, as always. Looking at the other reviews, it would appear that people either loved or hated this nostalgic Christmas tale. Not having seen the earlier version, I was not swayed by comparisons. This one stands up just fine all on its own. It tugs at the heart strings even before the ending, as Miss Duke's character Sook and her young relative Buddy naively make holiday fruitcakes for the President and his wife. Ah, to live in such an innocent age!

Long ago, in times gone past, when my children were small and their world was still small and did not hold as many people as it does now,our yearly tradition was to watch "A Christmas Memory".I would sit with a child on either side of me and we would enjoy this very touching story. It remains etched in all of our memories as one of the best traditions we had.Their Mothers world expanded also and included "friends" that we did not know about,so after the divorce all items were split up and some lost forever.One of the items happened to be our copy of "A Christmas Memory" I have gone to this site in hopes of finding a copy, the original with Geraldine Paige, I believe.This story shows how things always change and how every person who enters our lives is a teacher in one way or another and how the people who do enter our lives help map the journey that is the path we choose to follow.It also teaches a lesson concerning telling others how we feel about them when we have the opportunity and not waiting till it's too late. Highly recommended to all, young and old. Share this movies with someone close to you.