A Christmas Without Snow

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully played "non traditional" Christmas story
Review: "A Christmas Without Snow' could never be put into the same category as most of the other, older Christmas favourites that are played each festive season. It tells its story in a very warm manner but never once does it cave in to playing too sweet and sentimental. It gets a regular screening each Christmas in Australia and has become a regular Christmas favourite for me.

The real strength of "A Christmas Without Snow' is the wonderful performances given by a group of seasoned acting professionals. Michael Learned shines in the role of Zoe Jensen, the pivotal character here who is a recently divorced mother of a young son who has come alone to San Francisco to start a new life and finds life a difficult adjustment without her family and familiar surroundings. She also finds it difficult finding appropiate teaching work in the city and as a release from her frustrations she joins the choir of the local community church. There she encounters an even greater challenge when she finds herself having to deal with the domineering choir master Ephraim Adams ( the gifted John Houseman in a splendid performance), who is a perfectionist and drives the choir to the edge in an ambitious staging of Handel's Messiah. The film uniquely shows the choir's progression from a group of amateurs who all love music through to the end performance while revealing alot about each of the main characters and some of the issues they are confronting in their lives along the way. This is done in an interesting non sentimental way for each of the main characters. We see Zoe struggling with being on her own for the first time and having to deal with a possessive mother over the telephone who thinks she is doing the wrong thing moving to San Francisco without her son. We see Ephraim after all his work leading the choir having to make some harsh decisions about some members suitability and then being struck by a stroke just prior to the main performance. We see Reverend Lohman (James Cromwell) having to deal with a communication problem with his son that almost results in the group not performing, and Wendell (Calvin Levels)the black boy who loves to sing struggling to help his grandmother and then being wrongly accused of damaging the church. The screen play reveals the characters as all very human with faults and there are no automatic happy endings for any of the characters in the story, only hard work to try and make their lives better than they were. It is refreshing to see a Christmas movie take this approach without sacrificing the warm sense of needing to belong to a community which this movie so richly depicts.

The performances are all a joy to watch and Michael learned and John Houseman in particular are very memorable in their playing. Michael learned, an extremely capable actress had just finished her long running Emmy Award winning role as Olivia Walton on the classic series "The Waltons" at this time and here she takes on a role very different from that which made her famous in the series. She is at times warm, insecure, assertive and caring for the other choir members in their troubles and really is the heart and centre of this touching yet realistic Christmas tale. John Houseman, playing a character very similiar to his wonderful performance as Prof. Kingsfield in "The Paper Chase" is also a standout and is at times a hard task master with the choir but also never fails to reveal the great love and admiration he has for the members of the choir under his direction.

I believe if you like well written and realistic characters then "A Christmas Without Snow" will be a film that will get your attention. It is a fine movie to include in your Christmas viewing however it carries a message that all of us should embrace throughout the year, that being that none of us is without failings and that all of us need to be cared for and loved as human beings no matter what time of the year it is. I recommend "A Christmas Without Snow' as a part of your future Christmas viewing if it isn't already.

Rating:
Summary: A Heartwarming but Realistic Christmas Favorite
Review: Although I admit part of the fun in watching Christmas movies is that they are so corny, this realistic tale rounds out a Christmas collection nicely.

It is about a newly divorced single mom from the midwest trying to make a new start in San Francisco. The multi-ethnic city is the perfect setting for this made-for-tv movie with a very diverse set of characters in who share a love of music. These characters are people with real problems and weaknesses. They are played by a terrific cast of theatrical worthy actors such as John Houseman, James Chromwell, Micheal Learned and Valerie Curtin.

It is nice to be able watch a Christmas movie that is heartwarming and life affirming while being true to life.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie!
Review: John Houseman is as good here as he is in Paper Chase. He inspires excellence in music in stead of academics. He teaches the true meaning of the word "amateur." The video tape as well as the DVD are not steller reproductions of the original film. It needs to be remastered again for DVD, but the movie itself is outstanding. It has the great music of Handel from Messiah, humor, real life situations for those who direct church choirs - the primadona soprano, the loving but tonedeaf alto and the tenor who challenges your patience.

Rating:
Summary: Memorable movie.
Review: There was something about this movie that entralled me and stayed in my mind over the last 24 years since I first saw it and I decided to order a copy. The other reviews concerning the product quality alarmed me, I was prepared for the worst but ordered the DVD anyway, I was surprised that it was not nearly as bad as I had expected, I had no trouble viewing the picture or hearing words. I think what appeals to me so much about this story is the sense of Christian community it portrays, a story of several different people struggling with everyday problems, yet coming together and finding fellowship while striving together as the body of Christ to produce a magnificent offering of adoration to the Lord. It inspires me to want to do the same.

Rating:
Summary: Okay Drama Badly copied on DVD
Review: Watching a Christmas Without Snow can be an enjoyable afternoon especially watching Michael Learned (Mama Walton) and John Houseman (Professor Kingfield) give their stock performances. The main plot line is okay, except that there are far too many subplots, many of which are totally forgotten by the end. There are also logistical problems in the story (Her son sends her Kindergarten level paintings, when he is a smart 10-year old.)

However, the portrayal of the amateur choir, especially the technicalities of singing are well done.

My biggest problem is the quality of the DVD - it is obviously just a cheap copy of the tape.