The Holly and the Ivy

This movie is a little gem for the most part. And a welcome change from the usual Christmas fare. The only fault is with the ending which appears rushed and we are left to grieve the characters a little. Rather like a dessert that gets whisked away before one is quite finished. Unsatisfied. It tells the story of a widowed parson and the family members who come home for the holidays to a quaint old village. Father, played wonderfully by Ralph Richardson, has always been shielded from the facts of life by his three - now adult - children. For the era in which it was made (1952)the secrets one of the three carries is quite a shocker. A flaw is that Celia Johnson, an actress I enjoy, is far too old in this to play a thirty one year old. Margaret Leighton's brittle charm is never more appealing than here. However, the two aunts steal every scene in which they appear, two wonderful stage actresses, Margaret Halstan and Maureen Delaney. A great script, a little stagey, and ending far too swiftly, I gave it a 7 out of 10.

The Holly and the Ivy is a far cry from the usual Christmas story since it is more a family drama set during the Christmas season. It is a powerful story with excellent acting as the group gets together in a country village north of London in 1948.

The family made up of father, aunts, grown children and two male friends come together at the vicarage of the father, the parson in a local church. Ralph Richardson and Margaret Leighton, as father and daughter, have the key roles and are bolstered by a strong supporting cast, including Denholm Eliot and Celia Johnson.

During the evening and Christmas morning, family matters that had been ignored or kept secret, come to the fore. After a series of uncomfortable incidents and heart-to-heart talks, things change and everyone finds comfort and possibly a deeper purpose in this Christmas.

This is certainly a serious movie and totally entertaining. Unlike many of the fantasy films we see at Christmas, this offers a dose of reality. The sets are very plain as they were in most British dramas of that era but the acting is superb. It teaches the audience that Christmas and family difficulties are often played out together. In that sense, family Christmas gatherings may not be that different than they were 60 some years ago.

This is a delightful movie--truly one of the best Christmas movies. And it is now available in video in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, "The Holly and the Ivy" is still not available to those of us who live in the United States.

Just in time for Christmas comes a DVD available from the UK, of one of the really great Christmas film gems 'The Holly and the Ivy'. Set in a Norfolk rectory its evocation of a post-war Christmas is brought to life by the playing of Ralph Richardson and Celia Johnson as the daughter. It holds no cinematic tricks and as such is just a faithful filming of a stage success. It's strength lies in the wonderful interplay between the divergent characters all coming together to spend Christmas in the Norfolk rectory. The two aunts played by Margaret Halstan and Maureen Delany are quite delightful and almost steal the show.A young Denholm Elliott is to be seen in an early role and Margaret Leighton gives a very moving performance. Just to hear the English language spoken so well by a first class cast is a joy. I love this film and will keep this one to play over the Christams period.

Another older film which is, unfortunately ,unavailable in video or DVD. This is a refreshing holiday movie in that it shys away from the blatant sweetness of most holiday pictures.It deals well with a family in post-war Britain that has survived the ordeal with several scars. Sir Ralph Richardson is excellent as a clergyman and a father trying to deal with uprisings and emotion within his family, caught between the "old" and the progressive. The english cast is as usual excellent - watch for a youthful Denholm Eliot. Too bad the film isn't shown often, especially for a needed change of pace from the usual Christmas line-up that happens every year.