25 Greatest Christmas Films: #7 — ‘The Gathering’ (1977)

I was in grade school when The Gathering first aired in 1977 — right in the middle of that second Golden Era of television that within a few years produced Rich Man Poor Man, Roots, The Night Stalker, Holocaust, Jesus of Nazareth, and Salem’s Lot. And while I missed the Emmy winner for Best Drama back then, twenty years later my intense dislike for Ed Asner’s obnoxious politics almost caused me to miss it again during a rare broadcast late one evening right around the holidays when I couldn’t sleep. 

What a mistake that would’ve been (and after “Up” Asner can now do no wrong). The Gathering kept my full attention until almost dawn and made such an impact that I made sure to grab the first opportunity to catch it on VHS a couple years later. Which is a good thing because for some inexplicable reason one of the best television films ever, and most certainly the best Christmas television film ever, hasn’t been available on home video for years, was never has finally been released on DVD, and only rarely broadcasts on cable anymore.

That’s the long way of saying, keep your eye out because this one’s special and hard to find…

Ed Asner plays Adam Thornton, a stubborn small town businessman who walked out on his wife Kate (the wonderful Maureen Stapleton, who won an Emmy for her performance here) out of boredom years ago and then worked overtime to alienate his three grown children after they stopped trying to live up to his impossible standards. Adam fractured his family, exploded them with pride and a need to control every aspect of his world. The emotional damage after decades of petty grudges and harsh words appears to be beyond repair until Adam is forced to realize something he hadn’t given much thought to before: his own mortality.

The story opens a few days before Christmas with Adam being told by his old friend and doctor that he’s a sick man who probably won’t live to see the snow melt. In an understated but still affecting Road to Damascus moment, Adam immediately understands that there is no longer time for the Thornton family to eventually work things out. 

Adam’s desire to mend the broken relationships of his life is sincere, which is why he refuses to disclose his illness to anyone. A pity party is the last thing he wants.  So Adam asks Kate where the children are so he can see him. Sensing something’s wrong, she puts the pieces together, agrees not to tell the children and arranges to bring together the four winds of the family for one last Christmas at home. 

Set to a lovely, understated score, what follows is essentially a single-location play that expertly avoids mawkish sentiment and presents real people who stay true to themselves while reconciling their differences. The politics of Vietnam do come into play, creating the film’s one false note. But that’s a minor blip in an unforgettably tender and quiet story that captures the essence of the holiday: faith, family and the ability to give and receive the gift of forgiveness.

In the end, much will remain unspoken between the Thorntons, but when you’re family it’s not about finishing the arguments, it’s about the miraculous healing power found in five simple words…

“I’m sorry, I was wrong.”

Read the full countdown here.