25 Greatest Christmas Films: #13 — ‘Remember the Night’ (1940)
by John NolteFour years before they would make noir history teaming up to commit a sordid murder-for-profit in Billy Wilder’s “Double Indemnity,” in the first of their four cinematic pairings, Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck would find true love courtesy of genius screenwriter Preston Sturges in “Remember the Night,” a Christmas-themed romance by way of road comedy with just a dash of social statement.
Set in New York during the busy shopping season, Lee Leander (Stanwyck) might be the best dressed shoplifter you’ll ever meet when she’s busted by the cops and tossed in jail. A three-time loser, Lee is facing some real prison time and it’s the job of prosecutor John Sargent (MacMurray) to see to it she serves it. But in a crazy contrivance only a writer as brilliant as Sturges could sell, Sargent is convinced to let Lee out of jail and then offers to drop her off at her family home in Indiana for the Christmas holidays.
Besides being famous for putting his protagonists in oddball romantic circumstances, Sturges was also uniquely gifted when it came to changing the tone of his films in such a sly way you barely notice. Not soon after the story hits the road, what was light and airy turns pretty dark during an unforgettable scene where John watches Lee attempt to come home to her cold-hearted mother (Georgia Caine) who’s not at all interested in a reunion.
With no real choice and out of pity, John agrees to takes Lee to his own childhood home, and the contrast — courtesy of a warm cast of characters anchored by his understanding mother (the great Beulah Bondi) — could not be sharper. As her faith in the human species is restored, Lee and John fall in love but the reality of the trial they must both face always looms…
Clever, understated, emotionally satisfying, realistic but still uplifting, “Remember the Night” is the rare secular Christmas film from this classic studio era, but due to the faith Sturges holds for the ability in each of us to reform others with our own humanity, none of the emotional or seasonal impact is lost. Or as Sturges himself said:
“Love reformed her and corrupted him.” And the movie “had quite a lot of schmaltz, a good dose of schmerz and just enough schmutz to make it box office.”
If you can’t bring yourself to appreciate this hard-to-find gem for any other reason, keep in mind that this is the first time Sturges and Stanwyck worked together, and had they not he might not have slipped her the script for his next project — one he was set to direct.
Can you imagine a world where Barbara Stanwyck doesn’t star in “The Lady Eve?”
I don’t even want to try….
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Clyde, Big Tweeting. Big Tweeting said: BigHollywood: 25 Greatest Christmas Films: #13 — ‘Remember the Night’ .. http://bit.ly/7blBcg #BigTweet [...]
I love a director who uses gratuitous amounts of Yiddish.
John, Universal Studios and TCM have teamed up to offer DVDs on demand, titles that have never been released on DVD and are only available from the TCM website.
Remember the Night is one of these titles and can be ordered here:
http://turnerclassic.moviesunlimited.com/vault/de...
I love this movie! Excellent choice. Good call, Notle. Good call.
What a surprise! Good call. Two semi-caveats: first, the less said about "Snowflake", the better. Second, the ending took us by surprise, but it's the best ending that they could come up with that preserves the dignity of the story and their memorable characters. It improves greatly on multiple viewings.
I must lead a sheltered life as I don't remember seeing this movie and I remember
all the Christmas films I've seen. You must have a heightened sense of critical analysis
if you can find fault with these two actors. Its probably a failing of mine that some actors
can do no wrong. I also probably lack a portion of the same skill of analysis I attribute to the gentleman above
as having too much of. I must look this film up.
The ending is a shocker, but it not only preserves the dignity of the character but the integrity of the story. What it says about those times as to compare to how that story would end today is not a small thing.
I gently dissed you for not being entirely enthralled with the Stanwyck, MacMurray film here.
It was yanked by site admin. Should it be replaced it was meant in fun tho I believe you will see that.
I have had a couple of my comments refused today and not one was negative to anyone except possibly that
other political party. As you can see I am apparently overly sensitive or maybe it was just my turn.
I never saw it but it's all good.
Besides, as a veteran of Nolte's previous websites, my Barbara Stanwyck crush is already public knowledge. I just didn't enjoy this particular film but I'm willing to give it another shot.
I saw this film for the first time several years ago. I never forgot it, especially the ending. I was so happy to see it pop up again on TCM last week. The change of expression on Barbara Stanwyck's face as she realizes what Fred MacMurray' character is trying to accomplish with his rough questioning of her on the witness stand is wonderful. The final scene is lovely and very moving. Two very fine actors.
I love this movie, it and a few others are rare gems that make me wish I'd not cancelled my Directv. OTA broadcasts from here on out in Obama's economy. But my DVD collection is large. Watching "3 Godfathers" right now — MY favorite Christmas movie.
[...] “Love reformed her and corrupted him.” And the movie “had quite a lot of schmaltz, a good dose… [...]
I've written about this film before here on BH.
The film is a masterpiece and I am sorry to see it relegated to the 'Sunday section'.
FM and BS are perfect. Beulah Bondi as FM's mom is perfect.
Kudos to director Mitchell Leisen for keeping Preston Sturges in check.
When you begin this film, you can't stop. One scene leads flawlessly into another.
Stanwyck's Mom – cold and bitter and bearing a grudge, but watch as she quietly takes a softened last look at her daughter through the curtains of the front door when FM and BS cannot see her. She's not that cold.
Sturges' dialog is sensational. He keeps his people talking when they need to talk and he keeps them quiet when he doesn't need them talking. Sometimes the dialog is minimal and the scenes between Stanwyck and Beulah Bondi when BB realizes that BS is in love with FM are so wonderfully cautious and caring.
Also – getting from NYC to Indiana in pre-interstate highway days is a journey, indeed. And at night! Signage was terrible back then. You drove state, county and local roads to get from point "A" to point "B".
It's a very warm film. I think it is lesser known due to it's near generic title and because it is far too subtle a film for many viewers.
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0867560/
More than 200 films to his credit in 20 years.
In RtN, he is not too bright, funny and black.
If they had made him not too bright, funny and white…….????
"The Lady Eve" is one of my all time favorite movies. I'll have to look for this one.
How about making him black and funny ? Like the maid in "It's A Wonderful Life." "Snowflake"'s schtick perpetuates awful racist stereotypes (of the Amos & Andy era), and there are no other black characters to counter-balance the negativity. I get it that it's of its time, that doesn't mean it doesn't mar an otherwise awesome film, perhaps being one of the reasons why this film hadn't gained as strong a following as, say, It's A Wonderful Life.
You want it all, don't you? Why does the film have to be made to your 2009 sensibilities?
You wouldn't be ragging on the film or condemning the actor if he had been white.
He doesn't perpetuate anything since the film is near 70 years old and most people will never see it anyway.
Films are filled with stereotypes. People only complain about the stereotypes they don't like.
I most certainly WILL rag on the film if the actor had been white… and the rest of the cast were black (in an alternate universe, obviously). I also would NOT have ragged on Snowflake's performance if there was another black actor/actress in the film to counter the negative stereotype. That Hattie McDaniel had just won the Oscar the year before, and that Wonderful Life would come out a mere six years later, means that Hollywood was not averse to creating nuanced, likeable characters where their lack of intelligence didn't force the plot.
I don't even have as big a problem with the notorious Holiday Inn blackface sequence. That film had black characters who could beat the snot out of Snowflake.
I agree. Everything about this film is wonderful. Another performance which needs to be mentioned is that of Elizabeth Patterson as the spinster Aunt Emma. Wonderfully sweet.
I;m sorry, but you are being ridiculous by setting up all these variables in which you would or would not have criticized the actor and his performance.
So if there had been a 'positive' black character, Snowflake's inclusion in the film would have been alright? If it was a negative performance, it was a negative performance. You can't balance it out with a 'positive' performance and make it 'right'.
You;re just freaked in some old style pc way b/c the guy was black, kind of dumb and funny. Guy was a flipping valet. What do you want, a college schooled valet? Give the guy some credit – he has a full time job, he is neat and clean, he doesn't steal from his boss, he makes good food, but he gets flustered under pressure from Fat Mike. What? White people don't get flustered like that? It was funny as hell, perfectly executed and it it had been a white guy, we would not be hearing from you now.
Odd that you cite Hattie McDaniel who gave a screaming stereotypical performance and portrayal of a maid in GWTW. She's no learned in that film. And there's Butterfly McQueen in the same picture. She's no braintrust, either.
Citing Capra films : Compare the maid in IAWL with the black guy washing the floor in MEET JOHN DOE. You'll freak out. One stereotype vs another. but one is 'positive' and the other is a dumb guy fearful of being caught smoking on the job.
In any event – the Snowflake character in RtN – rather have him around than hundreds of other people I can imagine or have met.
Oh, L.B….
Actually, it is you, who are drawing this out. All I'm saying is that Snowflake, the character, by being a racist stereotype of its day, fails to be funny in our present day. You are also trying my hand, saying that if it was a white character, I wouldn't have minded, but I already proved to you differently. As somebody who studies comedy, the balance of different characters is a subtle but important distinction, one which can create comedy out of two natural characters playing off each other. That's what Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen had–they were able to show nuances and dimensionality in their respective characters, for the respective time that the story took place. In this case, we're talking about then-modern day cosmopolitan New York–and I'm supposed to believe that they still said "Yessum, Nosssum"? Nossum.
I'm not expecting Hollywood to be perfectly sensible in every single film from the dawn of time to present day. (cont..)
(part two)
Snowflake is the black hole of the story–no pun intended–that draws attention from MacMurray and Stanwyck (how DARE he!) and creating his own racially charged universe. I'm willing to bet that he's the same character in every film he played. I'm willing to bet that he didn't exist in the original version of Preston Sturges' fine script, but was pushed into the script by the casting directors at the studio. I'm also willing to bet that it was this sort of tampering that encouraged Sturges to strike out on his own, directing his own scripts. His own movies are timeless in a way that this film is not, even though this film comes very very close.
Leave it to you to take a single caveat, one which will never be overruled, and draw it out like this. Snowflake is only funny to postmoderns who play out how terribly unfunny he is in the first place, and the absolute tone-deafness of the studio system that forced him to go on for 200+ films. David Chapelle, you can come out of retirement, now.
Miss P. is also first rate, When she unwraps her never used wedding dress from 1898 or whatever and reflects upon what might have been, it gives you pause.
FM at the piano playing his 'show piece' "Swanee River" and doing that silly piano fill is marvelous.
BS playing the piano while Sterling Holloway sings "When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day" in his unique voice and then little by little the others quietly join in – very special.
BS realizing that FM has invalidated a major part of her life by 'agreeing' that her plan to defraud an innkeeper out of a big meal to keep from starving is 'better' than his willingness to stealing a loaf of bread to keep from staving is an epiphany for her.
FM and BS dancing to "Easy Living", the tune from the Sturges film of the same name from 1937. Is it commentary or just the reuse of the song?
So many great moments in this little gem of a film.
Too bad this film hit the list on a Sunday. I would have liked to have read more comments.
Bet you're fun at parties.
Yessum.
I noticed the "Easy Living" reference, too. There's so much cleverness in this plot: The re-route through Canada obviously is only necessary for MacMurray's character to maintain his upstanding position with the law. And, it delivers the two of them to Niagara Falls (another multilateral message), and of course he willingly compromises all of his rectitude in order to save her from her fate.
I've been a longtime fan of this movie, maybe because it goes through a lot of "business" in order to get us back to where we started, or should have started, ie., to reaffirm those things we believe – or want to believe – even as we struggle through a world that demands compromises at every level… legal, social, emotional, moral.
I loved this movie! Saw it for the first time this year, and it was a pleasant surprise to see a "new" Christmas movie. The casting was terrific, and both mother roles were very memorable. The love of all of FM's family members for him came across as genuine, and he obviously reciprocates, but also takes it for granted in a way that is not obnoxious. You can really see why Stanwyck's character is transformed by it all.
I never appreciated Fred MacMurray till I saw this for the first time in the 90s thanks to TCM–this was quite a surprise. I just didn't think I would like it.
Good post. Thx. Wish we could keep these active, but…….
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