We delve back in time to 1944 next with Christmas Holiday, directed by Robert Siodmak. Here, New Orleans nightclub singer Abigail (Deanna Durbin) recounts to a handsome soldier (Dean Harens) the depressing tale of her doomed marriage to cruel aristocrat Robert (Gene Kelly). Despite its moniker and being set on Christmas Eve in The Big Easy, this one is actually really rather un-Christmassy. Still, it’s interesting and has Kelly and Durbin playing against type, almost as if they’d decided to prank ‘40s audiences drawn in by the supposedly feelgood title and musical comedy stars. Kind of like when Robin Williams started paying creeps for a bit.
Harens is Mason, a soldier preparing for festive leave when he receives a telegram from his beau letting him know she’s married someone else. Whooft! He was just about to propose as well. Stuck in New Orleans for the night, fate sees him cross paths with Durbin’s melancholy lounge singer Abigail.
We flash back to happier times where Abigail was married to Kelly’s smooth-talking Creole grandee. It all goes pear-shaped when she discovers Robert’s hidden dark side and sinister obsessive relationship with his mother (Gale Sondergaard). It transpires that Robert’s killed someone for a roll of cash and their happy life comes crashing down around them.
Kelly is remarkably convincing as a scary bastard, giving a cool, layered performance, using his natural charisma to mask a festering propensity for violence. I also appreciate that he makes a cracking little in-joke about being crap at dancing.
It’s fascinating to see Kelly and Durbin stretch themselves here but this one’s filled with too much tragic melodrama. Things get more gripping in the final act when (SPOILER!) it turns out Robert has escaped from prison on Christmas night and is on a collision course with his wife and her new ‘friend’.
It’s quite daring but also frustrating that they decided to name this one Christmas Holiday as there is very little reference to Christmas at all. I suppose the festive season itself is the catalyst for Mason being drawn into this whole mess but don’t go in expecting happy endings and romantic kisses under the mistletoe.
Comments