Christmas Oranges

I doubt that most viewers will know anyone other than Edward Herrmann and Nancy Stafford from Christmas Roses. Still it's a wonderful family film produced it looks like under Mormon auspices.

The two are the heads of a pair of orphanages the girl who grows up to be Bailee Michelle Johnson is placed. They couldn't be more opposite in their approach. Stafford kind of reminds me of Greer Garson when she played Edna Gladney in Blossoms In The Dust. The baby named Rose is just left on the door of her orphanage and she's just taken no questions asked. In fact Stafford because she came as an infant just regards her as her own.

But in what looks like an influenza epidemic many of the kids died and so does Stafford. The survivors are either adopted or scattered to other orphanages. And Johnson comes under the care of Edward Herrmann, a most strict man who is all about the rules.

Johnson who took her life lessons from Stafford turns out to be tougher than you would think. She not only takes a lot of buffeting, but she also softens a few hearts as well.

I agree with the other reviewer in that Christmas Oranges even under religious auspices never gets preachy. It's a nice family film and should be seen.

Loved this darling movie. It is well written, flows nicely, the camera work, settings and acting is flawless. An absolute gem. It is sort of along the same storyline of a Dickens novel.

I love finding sweet movies like this. This is one you can watch with the whole family and not have one cringe at all! So do yourself a favor and watch it. I am going to watch it again with my whole family in attendance. Our grandparents have told us stories of how special it was to receive an orange at Christmas and many of us put them out now as a tradition. It is fun to see how excited the children so long ago were over something we take for granted. What a stark contrast to what our children now a days get excited for at Christmas. If all they got was an orange boy would they be disappointed.

Bravo to the cast & crew. Sad movies like this don't get more attention.

I am not sure who did Rose's singing in the movie. If it was Bailee Michelle Johnson's real voice,she deserved to be recognized for her beautiful singing in the closing credits. If someone else's singing voice was dubbed in,then that person deserved recognition during the closing credits. The singing was spectacular,especially "All Through The Night" and "Silent Night". If that was Bailee's real singing voice,that voice alone should have made her a bigger star,but when you add in her very photogenic looks,incredible acting talent,and very expressive eyes,she has all the makings of a potential big-name star.

This is the story of Rose, a young orphan who narrates some of the story. It takes place in the early years of the 20th century, when state-run orphanages were often little more than holding tanks for unwanted children.

Rose was one of the lucky ones. She lived at Greenwoods, where the kindly Mrs. Hartley (Nancy Stafford), treated all the girls as if they were her children. But then came the epidemic of 1918, and the death of Mrs. Hartley. The girls were scattered among local homes and some, like Rose, were taken in by other orphanages.

Her new home was called Irongates and was run by the stern Mr. Crampton (Edward Herrmann). There she finds both friends and enemies. She has difficulty adapting to the strict rules of Irongates. But Rose never loses her inner spirit.

The story finds comparison with "Annie" or "Heidi". Its main flaw is the dialogue of some children, which often feels unauthentic, too adult to be realistic. But Rose is an interesting character to watch.

I didn't know what to expect. A surprisingly charming and nostalgic movie. Wonderfully moving hitting you right in the heart-where we all need it most.