Contents
About The Spirit of Christmas
The Spirit of Christmas is a 1995 American romantic movie. Jen Lilley and Franco-Canadian Thomas Beaudoin lead the cast as Kate and Daniel, respectively. The film also starrs the makes for an incredibly convincing Robert Walsh as Rafferty, the beautiful Kati Salowsky in the role of Lilly, Christopher Tarjan as Oliver, Brett Leigh as Harry, Joanna Herrington as Molly, the pub owner and ghost house neighbour and Steven A. Miller as Daniel’s brother, Charles. But The Spirit of Christmas is also a 5-star rated movie, at least on Amazon Prime. As you will see soon, this is going to set the bar of expectations high from the first second of my viewing. But for now, let’s introduce the movie and of course the warnings. This movie stars. As per most reviews and definitely mine, Beware spoilers.
The Spirit of Christmas
From the first second of this movie, I waas expecting to be wowed. A man was spying what looked like the reenactment of a period drama and got hit in the back falling in the snow. Maybe that was the mystery side of this romance that got it such a high rating? A girl got dumped at a bar and took it like a champ with a side of her date’s leftover. She might just have given us all a lesson, I guess. Maybe that was this subversive breakup that rose the stars for this movie? Maybe it is the presence of subtitles so often absent from romantic movies on Amazon Prime that gained this one our gratitude (definitely mine)? My expectations were set so high by a 5-star rating from over 1000 people on Amazon and my mind was set abuzzing waiting to be given reasons why. What is so special about this movie?
The not so cold, not so translucent Ghost of Christmas, or Spirit Of Christmas
Oh ok. 6 minutes or so into the film and we know that the spirit in the title might just be the ghost that makes up this story. And what a ghost. I don’t know if the translucent stereotype makes us think a ghost cold but damn this one is hot! And don’t you want to nurse his wounded pride upon the revelation of his sweetheart’s possible betrayal! Oh yes, that is how he speaks, just as if his charm was not enough, it had to be strengthened with language only found these days in literature. And many times in profile, he looked like no less than Superman Henry Cavill himself.
An unflapable leading female leading The Spirit Of Christmas
So back to our lawyer who welcomed being dumped and meeting a ghost with the practicality and sang-froid of a human of reason. Oh she is our heroin alright. She might be startled but she is not frightened. She might be tiny but she is tenacious. She tells things like they are. We wish we had that no-nonsense attitude if it was not so tied with the attitude of someone who has nothing to lose. With love, well there is something to lose and while she is not there, she can afford to behave this way. And we love the way that she gets into it slowly but surely, letting go slowly and surprising herself in the aftermaths of her evolving reactions. It becomes even a little comical to see her put him in his time and place would he dare to make a comment about her female status.
How does the Spirit of Christmas handle the romantic movie formula?
The traditional unsubtle exposition of the beginnings is suddenly either treated with subtlety or so very quickly and swiftly ran/acted that you only notice it for a review. Molly and her serependitous pub issue and dare to our ghost are respectively our exposition medium, cause and the means to our movie denouement. It is intricate enough to feel natural enough for the genre although we will comment more on the expositional nature of some of the parts a little later.
The mystery part of it all
The mystery part of the movie is really well handled. We are invested in finding out what happened to the ghost alongside the two protagonists. The timing of the reveal is ok as well. The imagery is subtly wonderful. When she hears the voices and opens the door, the camera is at the perfect angle for mystery, thrill, suspense and fear. Her reflection slightly moving and distorted with barely a light and among the shadows is a perfect shot.
The language
Although the presence of Rafferty showed this a little, earlier, it is when Molly, the owner of the pub, arrives, that the differences between three types of tongues are truly showcased. The way that the script handled the different vernaculars became clear (she talks more than her love interest). We have three dialects separated by time, place and function. Brilliant. Exposition goes on but it has been set within believable parameters. The pub owner likes the inn owner so it is just a natural albeit slightly precipitated set of new information.
Exposition in The Spirit Of Christmas
You may think that Daniel opens up for the first time in 95 years because we are watching the movie, pure exposition. However, X sums it up, it is the pleasure of a beautiful woman and one who not only is not afraid of a ghost but also stands up to him and wants to find the truth. And that is where the beauty of the romance lies. He only had to wait 95 years but he eventually found a match. In that sense, there are so many ways this romance is grounded despite its ghost story. Its lead actress, the script, the fact it is hard to improbable to meet the one and that he had to wait 95 years makes it plausible.
The forming chemistry in The Spirit Of Christmas
I have no doubt that men then were like men are today, human, i.e., prone to fault. But there is nothing more charming than a language with more vocabulary, the respect for a woman’s strength when it is earned, and the care nevertheless for a woman’s vulnerability enveloped in a side of courtesy and good manners. I have seen that in a few humans of my period but this one comes with a unique.
Nothing is left to chance here. We can see his reaction when she first touches him (they have just revealed that he is a ghost and his palpabillity keeps her in doubt), Then she resists his usual scare tactics. Then
Verdict on The Spirit Of Christmas
So yes, this is romance like we have dreamt to see, through hundreds of formula-molded romantic movies. The mystery keeps unveiling gracefully rather than. The Spirit of Christmas gets an 8. the clashes of time, gender, opinion even without the time and gender, the mystery, the. A 7 for me. The Spirit of Christmas movie is streaming on Amazon Prime on the day of the review. I personally don’t like to watch trailers for romantic movies before watching the movie but here is this movie’s for those of you who do like that.