| DVD Roundup December 2004
 From
Saint to Sinner: Santa Claus on DVD
Santa Claus has, in some ways, become a secular
figure whom we identify with snowy winters and good cheer rather than with the Christian
Saint Nicholas. This secularization has occurred not just in movies and television shows,
but throughout our popular culture. Still, it is interesting to see how films have
characterized and pictured Santa Claus. I begin with a history of the Santa Claus
character, then look at a few DVDs that feature, in Clement Moore’s words, the
"right jolly old elf."
History
The historical predecessor of Santa Claus was St. Nicholas
of Myra, who lived about 1700 years ago in what is now Turkey. Nicholas is thought to have
been greatly involved in helping the poor and sick. Some stories even suggest that he gave
away all of his inherited wealth in this pursuit. Other stories suggest that he gave
anonymous gifts to the poor by passing them through their windows. Upon being canonized,
he was made the Patron Saint of Children and Sailors. I could find no DVDs that provide a
historical look at St. Nicholas, but there are VHS cassettes available, such as The
Saints: St. Nicholas -- They Called Him the Wonder-worker [Ellinas Multimedia].
St. Nicholas was popular throughout the Renaissance and all
over Europe, particularly among the Dutch. His Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, is taken from
his Dutch name, Sint Nikolaas, and became Santa Claus when it was Anglicized. Sinter Klaas
came to America through the Dutch settlements in New York.
The evolution of St. Nicholas into our modern Santa Claus
was completed with Clement Clarke Moore’s An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas
(1822), perhaps better known by its opening line, "’Twas the Night Before
Christmas." Illustrations by Thomas Nast in the late 19th century depicted Santa with
the now-familiar red suit, helper elves, and North Pole workshop.
Movies
We can see a 20th-century take on a New York Santa Claus in
the classic 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street (***1/2, 20th Century Fox Home
Entertainment), in which a store Santa is forced to undergo a trial to prove that he is
the real Santa Claus. Natalie Wood stars as a young child who, at least to begin
with, doesn’t believe in Santa. Edmund Gwenn plays Santa, a role for which he won an
Oscar. This, perhaps the best-known cinematic portrayal of Santa Claus, should be seen by
fans of both the cinema and Santa. It was remade in 1994 in a version (also available from
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) starring Richard Attenborough and Elizabeth Perkins.
The story remains mostly the same, but there are differences in pacing and casting that
make me prefer the 1947 version.
It’s not hard to imagine that Moore’s poem
influenced Dr. Seuss’s wonderful book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. While
Santa doesn’t appear in the story, the Grinch’s entire plan revolves around
masquerading as Santa and taking away what Santa has already left for the children of
Whoville. Seuss’s book has been adapted both as an animated feature and a live-action
movie. The animated short (***1/2, 1966) was directed by Chuck Jones and is narrated by
Boris Karloff, who tells us the story of the Grinch as we watch the action, depicted in
classic Seuss style. The DVD, released by Warner Home Video, pairs the Grinch story with
Jones’ version of another Seuss classic, Horton Hears a Who (1970). The
live-action film from Universal Studios (**, 2000) stars Jim Carrey as the Grinch. The
Carrey version’s DVD is full of special features and will likely appeal to Carrey and
Seuss fans alike.
In The Santa Clause (***, 1994, Walt Disney Home
Video), Tim Allen plays a toy-company executive who inadvertently agrees to become the
next Santa Claus when the current Santa dies in a fall off of Allen’s roof. This
family film sees Allen’s character undergo changes both physical and psychological as
he comes to take on his new role. While this film won’t supplant the original Miracle
on 34th Street as the best portrayal of Santa, it is enjoyable enough. It illustrates
how Santa has come to be thought of and shows how, in many ways, he is now an entirely
secular character. We may still refer to him as St. Nick, but he is mostly thought of as a
magical gift-giver rather than as a religious figure who displayed humility and kindness
toward the poor. Note, for example, that Allen’s becoming the "next" Santa
Claus suggests that it is a position to be filled, and not the single, immortal entity of
St. Nicholas.
Santa Claus has been brought to life throughout the 20th
century with the proliferation of street-corner, and now shopping-mall, Santas. This
practice probably has its roots in the Salvation Army’s practice of having volunteers
dress up as Santa to collect money for their charitable work, which includes free
Christmas meals for the poor. The practice of shopping-mall Santas was recently used as
the premise for Bad Santa (**, 2003, Miramax Home Entertainment). Billy Bob
Thornton plays an alcoholic burglar who works as a mall Santa to scope out his victims
with the help of an accomplice who plays one of Santa’s elves. Some people whom I
respect thought this movie was funny, but I found it dull and uninvolving. At any rate, we
see that our expectation that Santa be a friendly gift-giver is subverted by this
curmudgeonly drunk. Of course, in true Hollywood manner, even this Bad Santa is
rehabilitated by film’s end.
Santa Claus has become intertwined not only with the
Christian holiday of Christmas but also with our secular celebration of winter. He has
been portrayed as a loving old man and as a fantastical, magical wish-granter, and his
place in contemporary American society has been the subject of satire, as in Bad Santa.
As winter approaches, you can make some hot chocolate and enjoy these cinematic versions
of Santa with your loved ones.
…Eric Hetherington
erich@hometheatersound.com |
