Pemberley (Lyme Park, Cheshire)

Pemberley (Lyme Park, Cheshire)
Oh, to be in England...

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A Child's Christmas in Wales 1987

A Child's Christmas in Wales

"I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six."

I watched this the first Christmas I spent with my husband in 1987, before we were even married.  I knew he was the guy for me, because he appreciated the sweetness and beauty of this holiday classic.  Not many people even know this DVD exists, which is a shame.  Our family had the pleasure of traveling to Wales five years ago (although in the summer) and parts of Wales are still almost as rustic as in this film.  In fact, this was filmed on location in Montgomery Wales, which is probably little changed from when Dylan Thomas was a boy in Swansea.
 
Old Geraint telling his grandson Thomas about Christmas past...

This sweet film is based on the poem by Dylan Thomas which was first published in 1954 after his death.  It is really more like a lyrical piece of prose as only Thomas could write.  In 1987, a collaborative effort between Global TV in Canada and HTV in Britain (now known as  ITV Wales & West Ltd) brought this to television, and it was shown on PBS in the USA as well.  It is rare to see this on television anymore, so you'll have to invest in the DVD if you want to see this (a wise investment for years to come...)

"One Christmas was so much like another, in those years..."

"December, in my memory, is white as Lapland, though there were no reindeers. But there were cats. Patient, cold and callous, our hands wrapped in socks, we waited to snowball the cats."

"It's loovely Grandad."

The Welsh scenery is gorgeous and lets you feel as if you are truly traveling back in time.  The film is a combination of present day (well, 23 years ago) and flashbacks to what looks like the time period just before WWI.  The children all have authentic Welsh accents, although I believe the adults are all Canadian actors except of course the wonderful Denholm Elliott (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Trading Places, Room with a View) who was English, but does a wonderful Welsh accent.


"...once I had a little crocheted nose bag from an aunt now, alas, no longer whinnying with us."

The music will also stay with you after watching this, particularly from the cozy scene at the end, where the family are all singing by the fire, quaint Welsh carols like "On To Bethlehem Town" and "All Through the Night".


"Our snow was not only shaken from white wash buckets down the sky, it came shawling out of the ground..."

As I was watching this tonight (research, you know) both my 16 year old son and my husband made their way into the room where I was and watched the last half with me.  Well, this has really gotten me into the Christmas spirit.  I will try to hold onto this feeling as I finish my Christmas shopping this weekend (fingers crossed) and not get caught up in the things that don't matter.  Happy Holidays!

N.B.  The screen captures above were borrowed with permission from a beautiful blog sweetsundaymornings.blogspot.com

Click for the full text of the Dylan Thomas Poem A Child's Christmas in Wales.

6 comments:

  1. I forgot all about this movie. Thank you.

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  2. Hi Mary. You are one of the few who even knows about this movie. You have extremely good taste in film I must say. I'm hoping I can convince a few others to watch this quiet little gem.

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  3. This is my favorite movie of all time. We watched it with our kids when they were little, and still watch it today. It is wonderful beyond words.

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  4. Hi Nan, so glad to find another kindred spirit. I lent this to my in-laws once and they didn't like it. I can't imagine anyone not liking this, as even my teenage boys still enjoy watching this with me. It makes me happy right down to my toes!

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  5. I HAVE A COLD THIS AUGUST, AND WHAT COULD POSSIBLY MAKE ANYONE FEEL BETTER THAN THIS INCREDIBLE CHRISTMAS TALE OF HOPE AND YOUTH. THE PRODUCTION IS EXQUISITE, THE CAST SUPERB, AND THE SCREENPLAY PERFECTLY CAPTURES THE LANGUAGE OF THE INCOMPARABLE DYLAN THOMAS. THE DVD IS ALWAYS A CHRISTMAS TRADITION AT OUR HOME, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER FINE CLASSICS. BUT, IT MUST ALSO BE VIEWED AT LEAST ONCE AGAIN DURING THE YEAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN ONE IS FEELING SICK AND MISERABLE, OR WHEN IT IS HOT AND STICKY OUTSIDE. EACH SCENE IS PERFECTION, AND THE LANGUAGE MAGICAL.
    IT IS A MUST FOR ALL AGES TO SEE!

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    Replies
    1. Hello Anon. Great idea to watch A Child's Christmas in Wales when you are feeling ill and hot. Made me cooler just looking at the photos again on my post. My sis does the reverse. She watches Rear Window in the winter when it is cold! Hope you are feeling better. Jeeves and Wooster might help too.

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