Alice Guy's "The Parish Priest's Christmas," according to Alison McMahan (in her book "Alice Guy Blaché: Lost Visionary of the Cinema"), is a surviving example of the "miracle films" she regularly produced for Gaumont that expounded on Catholicism and, often, as does this one, on Christmas. Here, the parish priest looks to create a nativity scene for his church, but his congregation is too poor to afford the statuary dealer's price for a statue of baby Jesus. The miracle, then, is that the faithful's prayers are answered by the appearance of angels and the Virgin Mary, who present them with a statue.
Hokey stuff, but this early story film does consist of five tableau, as well as stop-substitution effects for Mary and the angels, and without intertitles--the only words alerting to the Christmas dating in an insert shot. Competent if unmiraculous.
Hokey stuff, but this early story film does consist of five tableau, as well as stop-substitution effects for Mary and the angels, and without intertitles--the only words alerting to the Christmas dating in an insert shot. Competent if unmiraculous.
