Christmas in the Movies (Revised & Expanded Edition) - (Turner Classic Movies) by Jeremy Arnold (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Now revised and expanded with more beloved films and loads of special features and photos across 70+ pages of new content, this is the must-have viewing guide for the holidays, showcasing the greatest and most beloved Christmas movies of all time.

Nothing brings the spirit of the season into our hearts quite like a great holiday movie. Turner Classic Movies' Christmas in the Movies showcases the very best among this uniquely spirited strain of cinema. Each film is profiled on what makes it a "Christmas movie," along with behind-the-scenes stories of its production, reception, and legacy. Complemented by a trove of full-color and black-and-white photos, this volume is a glorious salute to a collection of the most treasured films of all time.

Among the 35 films included: The Shop Around the Corner, Holiday Inn, Meet Me in St. Louis, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Die Hard, Home Alone, Little Women, The Preacher's Wife, Love Actually, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and many more.

Review Quotes

"Christmas in the Movies is a keepsake treasure perfect for gift giving. Beautifully designed. Reading about each of these movies taps into the pleasure that the films themselves provide. I really enjoyed Arnold's narrative voice, which is very welcoming. This new edition boasts 70 pages of additional content including several really great thematic essays. These include: Christmas movies of 1947, Christmas and Film Noir, Christmas Cartoons, and essays on different adaptations of Little Women, A Christmas Carol, and Three Godfathers."
--Raquel Stecher, Out of the Past blog

"A savvy roundup of seasonal films, with sharp observations about such perennials as Holiday Inn, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, and Elf. Stalwart film buffs will be especially pleased to find essays and rarely-seen photos covering unexpected choices like Miracle on Main Street, Beyond Tomorrow, Trail of Robin Hood, and We're No Angels, among others. (Any book that includes a tribute to Roy Rogers scores points with me.) Like all the books in Running Press's ongoing series of TCM tie-in books, this one is handsomely laid out and the photos look great on coated paper stock. Arnold's writing is graceful and knowledgeable."

--Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian

"A welcome television table companion."
--Booklist

"Full of wonderful photographs, this book will delight any film or Christmas fanatic throughout the year."
--Elizabeth Hoyle, The Register-Herald

"If you thought the first edition was great, this edition surpasses it in every way."
--Brandon Davis, Front Row Classics podcast

"It's a hard feat to compile a book suitable for Christmas movie dabblers and dedicated cinephiles alike, but Christmas in the Movies pulls it off."
--Stacey Osbeck, Moviejawn

"Readers will have themselves a merry little Christmas with Arnold's revised and expanded edition that includes additional content and gorgeous photographs. Each write-up in this delightful volume is stuffed like a stocking with fun facts. Readers are sure to learn something new about the movies they've seen dozens of times. For instance, the 1994 adaptation of Little Women was only approved by Columbia Pictures when it was pitched as a Christmas movie. Sections on classic Christmas cartoons and movies of the 21st century complete the package, and the book's bibliography and index ensure that it's as useful as it is beautiful. Verdict: A holiday treat about Christmas films that will make the perfect reading gift year-round."
--Library Journal

"This is a beautiful, high-quality book sure to delight not only serious classic-film lovers but more casual fans who cherish the annual tradition of watching Christmas movies. The new chapters add quite a bit of interesting material to the original book. I particularly enjoyed the film noir chapter which includes mentions of personal favorites such as Lady on a Train and Cover Up. Film historian Arnold knows his stuff. An excellent book is now even better."
--Laura Grieve, Laura's Misc. Musings blog

"Author Arnold, a film historian and TCM commentator, provides enough background, offscreen anecdotes, and justification for his picks to satisfy the most critical movie buff. Christmas in the Movies is comprehensive, informative, and fun."
--Raymond Benson, Cinema Retro

"Like all of the Turner Classic Movies books published by Running Press, Christmas in the Movies is loads of fun to leaf through and enjoy the gorgeous photographs. Arnold always zooms in on the most relevant details of these films from a critical perspective [and] reveals interesting things about the making of the movies... You may not be able to stuff this book into a Christmas stocking (unless it's a really big stocking), but this is a good one to put under the tree for your loved one who is a movie nut."
--Lee Sobel, Greasy Kidstuff Magazine

About the Author

Jeremy Arnold is a film historian, commentator, and author of Turner Classic Movies' The Essentials and The Essentials: Vol. 2. His writing has appeared in Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, Moviemaker, and the Directors Guild of America magazine, and he has recorded audio commentaries for the Blu-ray or DVD releases of numerous vintage films. He lives in Los Angeles.