"Christmas Story" is a dramatic film with an all-new fable about the origins of Santa Claus. In this version, Santa originated as an orphaned boy in the Lapland country of Finland. According to the story line, this was hundreds of years ago. In an accompanying video about the making of the film, promoters who worked on the movie expressed hope that it would become a Christmas classic.
This film is set in the far North with snow, reindeer and sleighs. That is far from the traditional and historical origins of Santa Claus that originated with St. Nicholas of Myra in present day Turkey. But, by the 19th century, with mixed fables from around the world - especially in Europe, most common lore placed Santa's home at the North Pole.
With the competing original tradition and its historical authenticity, it's not likely that "Christmas Story" will become "the" story of Santa Claus. Or even a classic film of the season. I hadn't heard of it more than a decade after the film was made. I just watched the DVD of the film over Christmas last year.
Still, it is a nice tale, if somewhat tinged with a little sadness throughout. Small children may not sit still for this film, but others of the family should enjoy it. It certainly contains a Christmas message. And, it's a refreshing break from the frequent annual modern Christmas movies that mostly are overly sugary or schmaltzy.
The movie was made by a Finnish film group and shot entirely in Finland. Most filming was done in Lapland, where temperatures were as low as minus 40 degrees - both Celsius and Fahrenheit. Most of the cast are Finnish and little known outside of Scandinavia. But they all give good performances.
This film is set in the far North with snow, reindeer and sleighs. That is far from the traditional and historical origins of Santa Claus that originated with St. Nicholas of Myra in present day Turkey. But, by the 19th century, with mixed fables from around the world - especially in Europe, most common lore placed Santa's home at the North Pole.
With the competing original tradition and its historical authenticity, it's not likely that "Christmas Story" will become "the" story of Santa Claus. Or even a classic film of the season. I hadn't heard of it more than a decade after the film was made. I just watched the DVD of the film over Christmas last year.
Still, it is a nice tale, if somewhat tinged with a little sadness throughout. Small children may not sit still for this film, but others of the family should enjoy it. It certainly contains a Christmas message. And, it's a refreshing break from the frequent annual modern Christmas movies that mostly are overly sugary or schmaltzy.
The movie was made by a Finnish film group and shot entirely in Finland. Most filming was done in Lapland, where temperatures were as low as minus 40 degrees - both Celsius and Fahrenheit. Most of the cast are Finnish and little known outside of Scandinavia. But they all give good performances.