SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "The Spirit of Christmas" is a 27-minute short film from 1950, so this one is already over 65 years old. According to IMDb, it is the only effort by writer and director Mabel Beaton. The title makes clear that this is one for the festive season of course, but even if it may look like that, it is not an animated movie, but it is all about the marionettes in here. I am certainly a bit biased as this is not to my liking: the strange movements, the static face expressions etc. Admittedly, this one here handles these issues better than most others, so I was tempted to give it a better rating until eventually they included advertisement during the live action parts at the very end. Oh well, these were when the film really did hit rock bottom. The marionette parts were certainly better, also because they included some decent music and the narration wasn't too bad either. And of course the religious references (Bible) gave a bit of a purpose to the entire project, but on the one hand my subjective preference and on the other some absolute no-gos cannot be equalized by some of the better aspects. At least not for me. I do not agree with the high rating at all and give this one a thumbs-down. Watch something else instead.

Christmas-Reviewer This special was made years before I was born. Watching Christmas Theme Programming daily (From August-December) I found this Television Program produced in 1952 a delight. There have been many advancements in Animation since this was produced however there is something so elegant about seeing a story told with marionettes. In this special we get 2 stories told in just 30 minutes. The first is "The Night Before Christmas" and the 2nd is "The Nativity" Both specials are made with TLC and the makers of this film made this for children but its so well done that adults will love this as well! This Special would be perfect to watch on Christmas Eve before your children go to bed! This has a special "MAGIC" to it. Its almost like a storybook come to life. BUY IT!

kga58 I've been looking for this for years, but didn't know the title. I heard the familiar voice on a TV program and made note of the name--Alexander Scourby. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I found out the title and that it was available on DVD. Like a previous poster, I saw this every year as a child in elementary school. It was something I looked forward to each year. The puppetry was so impressive to a younger child back then--waaaaay before all the overdone CG effects of contemporary entertainment. Even now the puppet work still looks good. Both segments have such a simple charm. The puppets are costumed as live actors would be---this is far from a shoestring production! This is a timeless classic--required Christmas season viewing.

nodrogdrappehs55 I agree wholeheartedly with Tom' comments. This is what children suchas myself grew up on, not the sub adequate shows on TV today. The localstation here in Phila only shows the Spirit part of the marionetteprogram, but not the Nativity scene, which I guess is just a sign ofour times. However, it is a treat to see this, even if only for once ayear! Alexander Scourby, who starred and was the voice over for both the shows, was the perfect choice. As a bit of trivia, he appeared years later in a role as an older businessman on (I believe) General Hospital. His was a voice that, once heard, was never mistaken for another. My grandaughters now watch this show with me every Christmas season, so I guess this is a nice legacy to pass down