A Christmas Story Blu-ray features mediocre video and poor audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Set in a 1940s-era Midwestern town and told from the viewpoints of a seven-year-old boy, who only wants one thing for Christmas — a Red Ryder BB gun — the episodic tale chronicles not only his schemes to convince his mother and father to buy him one, but also offers a warmly nostalgic look into 1940s middle-class American life. From the stories of, and narrated by, Jean Shepherd.
Christmas was on its way! Lovely, beautiful, glorious Christmas around which the entire kid
year revolves.
If one were to bet a Red Rider BB gun to a jar of Ovaltine that more Americans have probably
seen A Christmas Story more than any other
movie,
including The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars, the chances of winning said bet are
probably pretty high. The movie plays for 24 straight hours on one
of
the Turner networks every Christmas season and has established itself as one of the most
beloved films of all time, and
not just simply among its Christmas movie brethren. Does the movie hold up in spite of the
deluge of television airings and home video releases?
The answer is a resounding "yes." It's as close to a perfect movie as one is likely to find, every
facet a tribute to the magic of cinema, childhood exuberance, and of course, Christmas. To this
day,
the film elicits emotions of joy, laughter, and awe, a true sign of its staying power; most other
films receiving this much airtime or this many video releases would do nothing but numb the
senses. A
Christmas Story is a perfect harmony of Christmas joy, the realization of
dreams framed in both wit and humor, and conveying the joy of sharing Christmas with the ones
you love. No other Christmas
movie reaches quite the level as this one, and it's legendary status is well deserved.
Yeah...a statue!
All Ralphie (Peter Billingsley, The Break-Up) wants for Christmas is an official Red Ryder
carbine action 200 shot range model air rifle (not to mention the included and all-important
compass in the stock
and
a thing that tells time). He tries to drop subtle hints everywhere he goes; anything that could
possibly persuade an adult into buying it for him is fair game. He slips an advertisement for the
gun
into a copy of his mother's Look Magazine and perks up when the rest of the class groans
in
despair over having to write a theme on "What I Want For Christmas." He even thinks up
fantastical uses for the rifle, including saving his family from "Black Bart" and his band of thieves.
Finally, his teacher
and mother reject the idea, telling him that he'll "shoot his eye out." In a desperate and final
maneuver, he
turns to his last
option: the local department store
Santa Claus. In a panic and a daze after waiting in a long line to see Jolly Old Saint Nick,
watching
as horrified kids are thrown down a scary slide by angry teenage elves, Ralphie draws a blank
once
he is on Santa's lap. He can't remember what it is he so desperately wants for Christmas! Santa
suggests a football, and Ralphie, in a near comatose state, agrees
that a
football would make a nice gift. He comes to his senses on the slide, crawls back up, and asks for
the
gun, recounting to Santa its every feature. Santa, sadly, responds as everyone else: "you'll shoot
your eye
out,
kid!" Will Ralphie's Christmas wish come true, forever making him happy, or will his Christmas be
a letdown, receiving only the ever-popular gifts like socks and pink bunny rabbit footed
pajamas?
The movie's true charm is the fun in finding out and experiencing the joys of Christmas
with Ralphie, his oddball family, and many of the townsfolk along the way.
A Christmas Story, as director Bob Clark explains, is a series of vignettes with the
common
thread of Ralphie's unending pursuit of doing anything in his power to ensure that the Red Ryder
BB gun
will
somehow, some way, finds its way under his Christmas tree on December 25th. Ralphie must
deal
with bullies on the way to and from school; he'll be implicated in a tongue-to-frozen pole incident
at school; he'll find himself in the middle of a war between his parents over the
world-famous "leg lamp" (it must be Italian!); he'll find himself with a bar of soap in his mouth
after
letting the wrong word slip whilst changing a blown tire with his father. The
movie is full of charm; it's gracefully made and is perhaps the most convincing period movie
ever committed to film. Bob Clark recounts that many people assume the movie was filmed in
the
1940s
instead of the early 1980s, a testimony to its realism, true-to-life setting, and timelessness. In
the end, it's the one person Ralphie never turned to for help that
will allow him to realize his dream, and that's the best aspect of the movie. Sometimes it's
the one we fear, the one we don't see eye-to-eye with, the one that seems the most distant and
out of touch with reality that understands us the best. The movie is touching from beginning to
end, and one cannot help but smile throughout, especially in the final few minutes of the film
when
it seems that everything that can go wrong with Christmas has gone wrong, but the power of
family and the magic of the holiday turns the day from a total loss into perhaps the most
memorable Christmas the family will ever share together. It's no wonder that this film has been
hailed as a classic and will continue to be recognized as the definitive Christmas movie. It just
does
everything right. Every shot is beautifully crafted, every line of dialogue expertly written and
flawlessly delivered, and the movie exudes pure Christmas magic from the first frame to the last.
Warner Brothers' 1080p, 1.78:1 Blu-ray version of A Christmas Story does not offer
top-flight Blu-ray imagery. Make no mistake; this is not necessarily a bad looking disc. A lot of it
looks fairly
nice, but it simply doesn't greatly exceed the 2003 2-disc DVD version, and this late 2008 Blu-ray
release is identical to the previous Blu-ray. It's an
improvement over the DVD, but a
minor one at
best. The print exhibits nicks, scratches, and pops here and there. Many indoor scenes suffer
from a
spotty appearance where most of the print's flaws are found. Outdoor scenes fare far better,
featuring solid clarity and definition. Flesh tones are accurate and black levels are rendered
adequately but not immaculately. Fine detail is generally strong; woven clothing, the trinkets
and warm interior of Ralphie's house, the wooden desks and chalkboard in the classroom, and
more look just fine. A Christmas Story probably looks about as good as it ever will, and
the image quality should in no way be a deterrence in adding this disc to a Blu-ray library.
All that is available on this Blu-ray edition of A Christmas Story is a 1.0 Dolby Digital mono
soundtrack, the same offering as found on the previous 2006 Blu-ray release. There isn't much
going on here,
obviously. It suffices, and quite frankly, the movie would probably not work as well with an
aggressive
pseudo multi-channel track. A few scenes, such as the fantasy sequences, may have offered up the
opportunity for a little atmosphere, but on the whole, this mono track is just fine. Dialogue is clear
and always
discernible. Music and various effects also come across as well as one would expect of a classic
dialogue-driven, charming cinema classic. This is an underwhelming track to be sure when
compared to the latest in action movie sound design, but is one that doesn't detract from the
overall movie
experience. Most viewers will be so enthralled by the movie's magical appeal that they will pay little
attention to what is a comparatively-speaking bland sound quality, instead immersed in Ralphie's
quest to obtain that oh-so-beautiful rifle.
This Blu-ray release of A Christmas Story features the identical set of disc-based
supplements as found on the other Blu-ray releases. The main attraction is a commentary track
with actor Peter
Billingsley and
director Bob Clark. It's a solid,
interesting track that discusses casting (Billingsley was the first choice for Ralphie, Jack Nicholson
was considered for the Darren McGavin role as Ralphie's father, and Melinda Dillon was cast
based on her work in Close
Encounters of the Third Kind). There are some instances of dead air, but Clark, in
particular,
makes up for the lags with some very good insights and stories from both before, during, and
after production. He is also very forthright with his affection for the work of writer Jean
Shepherd.
Daisy Red Ryder: A History (480p, 5:18) is a nifty little feature about the history of the
famous BB gun. Another Christmas Story (480p, 18:18) is a series of chats with some
of the cast and crew discussing the impact the movie has had on their lives. Script Pages
is a text-based deleted scene. Read all about it! Get a Leg Up (480p, 4:35) is a comedic
and patriotic look at the making of the famous "Leg Lamp." Finally, the film's theatrical trailer
(480p, 2:10) and a Leg Lamp Spot (480p, 0:49) finish off the supplements.
A Christmas Story is not only one of the best films of the last several decades, it's also one
of the best films of all time, period. It captures the spirit of Christmas from a child's eyes as no
other film has. Many have tried, but only this one has completely and unequivocally succeeded.
Its simple, honest story is framed around a boy and his quest to obtain his ultimate gift. The film
ends with the family sharing dinner together, representative of part of the true meaning of
Christmas. Despite all the ups and downs of Christmas day and the entire holiday season, the film
concludes with the symbolism that, no matter the odds, the joys, the sorrows of Christmas or any
other day, it is family that matters most. This Blu-ray edition offers nothing new in the way of the
actual presentation, compared against either the 2006 release or the recent tin. The image and sound
qualities are identical to the previous offering, as are the disc-based
supplements. The movie
itself receives my highest
recommendation, but the Blu-ray disc is only recommended if collectors do not have the most
recent DVD or any of the Blu-ray releases.
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