It’s Time To Start Taking ‘White Christmas’ Seriously

Editor’s note: this piece was originally published last December. We’re rerunning it now in the hopes that it inspires you to view this classic Christmas film with new eyes - or for the first time. Merry Christmas! *** After 70 years, it’s time to start taking “White Christmas” seriously. Few will deny that the 1954 musical is a classic Christmas movie, but no one would call it a “classic” in the same vein as “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Frank Capra’s meditations on morality lend themselves to serious thoughts; Bing Crosby crooning his way through Irving Berlin ballads and Danny Kaye pratfalling all over the Technicolor sets, not so much. But beneath all the schmaltz and snowfall, “White Christmas” is a realistic depiction of a country and people struggling to return to normalcy after years of war and conflict. Its willingness to confront that transition - as well as the social and commercial adjustments it requires - make it not only a true classic, but the perfect Christmas movie for the present. “White Christmas” is the story of Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, World War II veterans turned successful entertainers who find themselves spending Christmas at a struggling Vermont inn owned by their former commanding officer, General Tom Waverly. With ample song and dance, Wallace and Davis manage to save the inn, romance a pair of singing sisters, and put on a spectacular Christmas show that ends with the titular song, just as the first snow of the season begins to fall. Photo by Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images Yes, it’s fluffy. But beneath that fluff is a story of transitions. Career soldier Waverly can’t make peace with peacetime, and tries to trade his pipe and slippers for a new commission. Wallace has done a better job adjusting to postwar life, but only because he’s thrown himself into work, much to the chagrin of Davis, who urges his partner to settle down and start a family. This is really what “White Christmas” is all about. Think of it this way: the film only has one song about Christmas, but two songs about how hard it is for soldiers to adjust to civilian life. That fact alone is enough to make us consider that “White Christmas” is about more than seasonal merriment - especially considering the film’s director. Michael Curtiz is best known for “Casablanca,” an epic tale of love and loyalty at the height of World War II. While the two films don’t seem to have a lot in common, “White Christmas” actually serves as a quasi-sequel to “Casablanca.” So, in order to understand what’s really going on with Wallace and Davis, we have to look back to Rick and Ilsa. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images) Like “White Christmas,” “Casablanca” is set in the same year it was released. So, contemporary audiences would have seen each film as a commentary on their lives. With “Casablanca,” that commentary was a call to arms. The film is famously stirring, so much so...

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