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.
I'm not sure if there is a way to really know, but I would bet Red Rider BB Guns to Ovaltine
containers that more Americans have seen A Christmas Story than any other movie,
including The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars. It's on for 24 straight hours on one
of
the Turner networks every Christmas season. It's one of the most beloved films of all time, and
not
just among its Christmas movie brethren. I've seen this movie so many times that as I sat down
to
watch this, I wondered if I would still feel the same about this movie now as I did growing up.
The answer is a resounding "yes." It's easily a perfect 5/5, and it deserves more. I feared
becoming numb to the charm of the movie having seen it so often, but ultimately felt quite the
opposite. It
still brings every bit the smile to my face now as it did years and years ago. Its classic status
remains. A Christmas Story is a perfect harmony of Christmas joy, the realization of
dreams, wit and humor, and conveying the joy of sharing Christmas with the ones you love. I'm
sure I'll love this movie as much (if not more) through my next 29 years as I have during my
first 29. No other Christmas
movie reaches quite the level as this one, and it's legendary status is well deserved.
Blast away kid!
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 has a fantasy
sequence of him 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 move, he
turns to his last
option:
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, providing every detail of it. 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 such as socks and pink bunny rabbit costumes? I
bet you know the answer, but the fun is in getting there and experiencing the joys of Christmas
with Ralphie along the way.
A Christmas Story, as Bob Clark explains, is really a series of vignettes with the common
thread of Ralphie in 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 25. 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 now
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 out of his mouth whilst changing a blown tire with his father. The
movie is full of charm. It's very gracefully made and is perhaps the most convincing period film
ever made. Director Bob Clark says that many people assume the movie was filmed in the 1940s
in stead of the early 1980s. In the end, it's the one person Ralphie never turned to for help that
will help him to realize his dream, and to me, that's the best aspect of this 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 most. The movie is touching from beginning to
end, and you can't help but smile throughout, especially in the final few minutes of the film when
it seem that everything that can go wrong with Christmas has gone wrong, but the power of
family and the magic of Christmas 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 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, 1.85:1 Blu-ray version of A Christmas Story is nowhere near the
quality I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad looking disc. A lot of it looks fairly
nice, but it simply doesn't greatly exceed the 2003 2-disc DVD version. It's an improvement, but a
minor one at
best. The print exhibits nicks and 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. There
is slightly more clarity and definition. Flesh tones are accurate and black levels are rendered
adequately but not immaculately. Parts of this transfer look pretty good and others
look as good as the DVD but no better. For the most part, I would call this a minor upgrade from
the DVD, but not so much that an upgrade from said DVD is essential.
All that is available here is a 1.0 Dolby Digital mono soundtrack. There isn't much going on here,
obviously. It suffices and frankly I don't know that this movie would work with an aggressive
pseudo multi channel track. A few scenes, such as the fantasy sequences, may have offered up the
opportunity for a little ambience but really, 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 for a movie such
as this. An underwhelming track to be sure, but one that doesn't detract from the overall movie
experience. You'll be so enthralled by the movie's magical appeal that you'll forget sound quality as
you are immersed in the quest to obtain that oh-so-beautiful rifle.
Looking at the recent 2-disc DVD special edition of A Christmas Story it appears that
some
of the extras from that disc have been ported over to this Blu-ray version, and there are a few
new
features to be found here. Omissions from the 2003 2-disc DVD set include 'Original
Readings' by Jean
Shepherd, voice narrator of 'A Christmas Story' featurette, 'Triple Dog Dare' Interactive
Trivia, and a Decoder Match Challenge.
The main attraction is a commentary track with Peter Billingsley and 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
especially
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 quarter-century, 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 the day and the days leading up to it, it all comes down
to the family sharing Christmas together being the best gift of all. This Blu-ray edition, sadly, is not
much to brag about. The video is a slight upgrade
from the most recent DVD and the audio track remains the same. Some supplements from the
DVD version are absent here as well. The movie itself receives my highest
recommendation, but the Blu-ray disc is only recommended if you do not have the most
recent 2-disc DVD edition. If you only have a pan and scan DVD or VHS of this film, or regardless of
how often the movie is on television, the upgrade to
the Blu-ray for your library is
a given.
Warner Home Video has announced that they will re-release the holiday film 'A Christmas Story' for Blu-ray on November 4th. This will be the same disc that will be found in the previously announced 'A Christmas Story: Ultimate Collector's Edition', which due to ...
Warner Home Video has announced that they will release 'A Christmas Story: Ultimate Collector's Edition' for Blu-ray on November 4th, day-and-date with the DVD re-release. No specs have been announced for the release, but being that it is coming on a BD-25, you ...
