CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (1944)

Imagine for a moment that you are a movie fan in the year 1944. Now imagine that you've just heard of a new film from Universal Pictures called CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY starring Deanna Durbin, one of the most popular musical personalities of the day, and Gene Kelly, the dancing sensation of FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942) and COVER GIRL (1944). Because of the title and the two stars, the average movie goer would most likely be expecting a pleasant, sentimental musical. The very last thing that same movie goer might be expecting is a moody, downbeat Film Noir about obsessive relationships and murder.

Of course, movie fans might get a clue that this isn't your standard musical when they learn that the story is based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, and that the director is Robert Siodmak, the German Expressionist who had also directed SON OF DRACULA (1943) and PHANTOM LADY (1944) at Universal. What's more, the film was released during the summer, not at Christmas time.

Deanna Durbin was Universal's top box office star at the time. The operatic prodigy had signed with MGM in 1935 for a specific film that ended up not being made. The studio, not knowing what else to do with a fourteen year old girl who sang like an adult diva, cast her in a short subject called EVERY SUNDAY. Her co-star in this little epic was Judy Garland, another child prodigy with a big, adult singing voice. EVERY SUNDAY showcased the two youngsters beautifully, with Durbin singing opera and thirteen year old Garland singing swing. For some reason, MGM decided to drop Durbin and keep Garland, an action that some credit to a misunderstood directive from studio mogul Louis B. Mayer. Durbin was immediately signed by Universal and became an overnight star in a picture called THREE SMART GIRLS (1936). A series of similar pictures continued to showcase that extraordinary voice as well as Durbin's warmth and sincerity as she grew from a fetching teenager into a lovely young woman. But by the mid-1940's, the star was eager to do a different kind of role other than "Little Miss Fix-it who bursts into song", as she herself would describe her screen persona. So Universal gave their musical darling her big chance at drama with CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY, and, while she has real talent as an actress, the results are mixed.

The novel by Maugham had been substantially reworked by screen writer Herman J. Mankiewicz. The story begins with Lt. Charles Mason (Dean Harens) on his way to San Francisco for Christmas leave when his plane is forced to land in New Orleans. He is invited to visit a night club/brothel where he meets singer and "hostess" Jackie Lamont. She asks him to take her to a Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. While there, Jackie is overcome with emotion and falls to her knees, weeping. After the Mass, the two go to a coffee shop where Jackie begins telling Lt. Mason her story. Her real name is Abigail Manette. Her husband, Robert (Gene Kelly), is in prison for killing a bookie. She tells Mason how she and her husband met, got married, and lived with his mother (Gale Sondergaard), and how her marriage began to fall apart when Robert refused to give up his gambling habit. When he was convicted of murder and sent to prison for life, his mother blamed Abigail. Alone and filled with grief and despair, Abigail went to work at the brothel. Robert breaks out of prison and intends to kill his wife for what he calls her "unfaithfulness". Abigail tells Robert she went to work at the brothel so that she, too, would be in a kind of prison. The police shoot and kill Robert, and Abigail is finally free from her past.

Since this was 1944 and the Motion Picture Code was in full force, the place where Jackie/Abigail works is simply called a night club and the women are called hostesses. This little trick of terminology had been used in other films, notably the 1937 Bette Davis classic MARKED WOMAN at Warner Brothers. Since Jackie is a singer, it isn't clear what the rest of her job description might include. The owner of the club, Valerie de Merode (Gladys George), acts more like a den mother than a madam. But the film's introduction to the night club leaves little ambiguity as to what kind of "club" it is, with women sitting around tables being approached by men, women seen going upstairs, and the overall sleazy atmosphere. Durbin's fans were shocked to see her in a movie like this. Surprisingly, it was a financial success. But Miss Durbin would never get a chance like this again.

There are many good things going on in this film. The black and white cinematography by Woody Bredell is sensational. Bredell had shot some of Universal's best films, such as GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942) and the aforementioned PHANTOM LADY. He also worked with Deanna Durbin several times. Bredell imbues the film with a strong Noir sensibility. When we first enter the club, it is shrouded in a moody darkness that contrasts with the opening scenes of the film that are lit in a normal, innocuous manner. Our entrance into the nightclub signifies our emergence into a Noir universe. The camera prowls through the darkness until we reach a table where several women are seated. One of the women, who has her back to us, gets up and walks to the stage. She turns around to face the microphone, and only then do we realize that the women is Deanna Durbin. A very interesting way for a film to introduce such a major star.

The film's climactic ending also takes place at the club. After Robert is shot, the focus is completely on Abigail.As she looks up at the stars, the lovely, tear-stained face of Miss Durbin is bathed in an increasing amount of celestial light, showing us that Abigail's dark obsession, i.e., her love for her no good husband, has ended. As she gazes heavenward, there are two shots of the night sky, with the clouds parting so the light from the stars can shine through. I assume these were stock shots that Universal kept available for other movies. I couldn't help wondering if these shots had been used for The Wolf Man series, with Lon Chaney, Jr., and not Deanna Durbin, looking up to see if the moon was full. In any other Durbin movie, one would have expected her to start singing. In this movie, I half expected her to turn into a werewolf. She does neither.

Miss Durbin does sing in CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY, however. When she is first introduced in the club scene, she sings a song called "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year". She also sings the Irving Berlin tune "Always", first in a situational setting at the Manette home, and later at the club.

The problems with the film are not the fault of the actors. Everyone does a good job with their roles. Gene Kelly is completely believable as the weak, flawed, but handsome and seductive husband. There was always a slightly roguish edge to the characters Kelly played in his film career, and he is perfectly cast here. Gale Sondergaard is sublimely over dramatic as Robert's possessive mother. In fact, when her character is introduced, we suddenly enter into a different movie. Robert brings Abigail home to meet Mother and we soon learn that the handsome, cheerful man Abigail has fallen for is actually a very messed up individual. Mother Manette uses a cryptic tone while telling Abigail about "certain traits" Robert has, and her hope that together she and Abigail can "save" him.

And therein lies the biggest problem with the film. Robert Manette is really the central character, since his misdeeds, and everyone's reactions to them, are the source of all the drama. But the heart of the character, as written into the novel, has been cut out. I haven't read the novel, but my understanding is that Robert had homosexual tendencies, as well as an obsessive, almost incestuous connection with his mother. Since neither of these ideas could be explored in the cinema of the time, the script reduced his "certain traits" to a weakness for gambling and violence. That particular weakness could certainly be used to generate drama and tragedy in a Film Noir. But a propensity toward gambling doesn't seem to warrant the overwrought emotion of the mother or the moral descent of the wife.

Something else happens after Mother Manette is introduced. Abigail, having been accepted by Robert's mother as the daughter-in-law who will join her in "saving" her wayward son, is immediately recast as Robert's second mother.From this point on, Durbin is almost as matronly as Sondergaard. It's easy to understand Robert's growing frustration. In one amazing scene at the Manette home, when everything is still going alright with the marriage, we see a perfect display of domestic bliss. Robert is at the piano and Abigail is standing behind him singing "Always". She folds her arms around his neck. From the angle of Robert's head and the look on his face, she seems to be strangling him. Mother Manette, sitting close by, knits furiously as she looks on with approval. Poor Robert doesn't stand a chance.

There are other problems with the character of Abigail. And I don't necessarily blame Miss Durbin. Some of Abigail's dialogue simply doesn't come off as believable. In her early scenes, Durbin is convincing and terribly moving. But when she begins to tell her story, leading into the classic Noir flashback segment, her lines seem contrived and unnatural. As for directorial mishaps, there is a later scene that, I feel, plays quite badly. When Robert's trial has ended with him being found guilty, Abigail and his mother leave the courtroom together. For some strange reason they look like two soldiers marching swiftly in perfect cadence. Then, suddenly, Mother Manette stops, whips Abigail around, and slaps her hard across the face, proclaiming: "You killed him!!", and walking away. I can't help thinking this scene should have either been redone or left on the cutting room floor. To be fair, though, this awkward scene does help to prove what a delusional monster Mother Manette really is.

Contributing to the look of the film is the use of locations. The authentic footage of the beautiful Latin Mass is followed later on by a classical music concert in a large hall. The sets designed to look like old New Orleans, especially the decaying elegance of the Manette home, are done very well.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY is definitely worth seeing. As a serious drama filmed in the Noir style, it has much to offer in the way of atmosphere and cinematography. Film buffs interested in the work of Robert Siodmak will certainly appreciate it. As for Deanna Durbin, she went right back to musicals after this movie. In 1945 she would star in the marvelous LADY ON A TRAIN,  a perfect mixture of music, comedy, and mystery that showcased the very best of her talents.