It’s no accident that at the time of year when the Earth spins into cold and darkness, and the calendar never turns away from war, we almost ritualistically flip our TVs to films that provide warmth and the possibility of personal or spiritual enlightenment.
In a time of fear and freezing, we find solace in the warm and fuzzy.
“We just have to find something to get us through the winter,” said Denver Center Theatre Company artistic director Kent Thompson. “I think we thirst for it.”
Why? Because life, he says, is bipolar.
“I think we have to be reminded on a regular basis that life has wonderful things and terrible things, be they illness, violence or war,” said Thompson, who is directing the musical extravaganza “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas” at the Buell Theatre. “As Shakespeare said: ‘Our lives are mingled yarn, good and ill together.’ ”
It’s also no accident that Christmas, which predates the still uncertain actual birthdate of Christ, comes three days after the darkest day of the year. Call it coincidence or intelligent design, but Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza all coincide with the winter solstice, which begins a cycle of renewal for the hemisphere and for anyone seeking to reconnect with their better nature.
No surprise, then, that families return to familiar movies with morals and integrity, films that offer solace, nostalgia and a respite from the real world.
We all have our rituals: For actor Dorothy Stanley, who plays Martha Watson in “White Christmas,” it’s, yes, “White Christmas.” For Thompson, it’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” For his football-loving teenage son, it’s “Remember the Titans.”
For you, it might be “The Ref” or Tim Allen’s “The Santa Clause.” No matter.
“Why are ‘Nancy Drew’ and ‘Little Women’ still really popular books? Why do we want happy endings? It’s escapism,” said a licensed clinical social worker assigned to combat veterans, whose job does not allow her to identify herself to the press. “The grim reality is that it’s not a lot of fun out there right now, and we can’t tolerate grim reality. We have to have hope, and these stories represent hope.”
And it’s no accident that the 1950s were the golden age of the uniquely American Broadway musical, a proliferation of unabashedly sentimental, family-friendly stories Thompson says could never be written today: “Guys & Dolls.” “The King and I.” “Damn Yankees.” “I think it would be hard because we don’t endorse sentiment anymore,” he said.
No surprise, then, that “White Christmas,” about a pair of crooning World War II veterans (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) who become song-and-dance men, was released in 1954, a time of peace and presumed prosperity after decades of depression and war.
“It just seemed like this was the way life was supposed to be, but it really wasn’t like that for everybody,” the social worker said. “June Cleaver scrubbed her floors wearing pearls; Harriet Nelson never had to work. But we needed to believe this was the way the world could be like.”
But Thompson says the genre was about more than escapism. All those stories involve protagonists who undergo introspection and who reject the darkness of their own souls, hallmarks of the two most popular holiday films: “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol.”
“A lot of these stories are about shedding a current identity you are kind of stuck in, and moving to a new one,” Thompson said. “That’s the opportunity of winter.”
And Thompson puts “White Christmas” right there with the rest of them.
“I think it’s much deeper than it first appears,” he said. “It’s about these people turning the mirror on themselves. It’s Bob and Betty saying, ‘I have been a little cynical and suspicious about relationships.’ And the general has the hardest transition of all. He realizes he’s been trying to still be a general, when the war is long over.”
In the 1950s, World War II was just far enough behind Americans that they could embrace its finality. But even if the war in Iraq were to end tomorrow, we will likely never enjoy that comfort again. That, Thompson said, is reflected in our darker and more cynical contemporary popular culture. There already has been a steady stream of books, films and plays on the war, but Thompson doesn’t think we’re ready for them. “I think it’s going to take another three or four years,” he said. “I think it’s too raw right now.
“That makes sense because we are still at war. The economy is in turmoil. People are losing their houses.”
As human beings, we are capable of standing almost anything, said the social worker. “But a common theme among the people I work with is this belief that, ‘If I had done everything just right, life would look just like “White Christmas,” and snow would fall at just the right time. And there would not be war, there would not be gangs, there would not be busted mortgages, the dollar wouldn’t be worth zip — if only I had done everything right.'”
All the more reason we need to reflect on happier times gone by. Something uplifting like “White Christmas,” with its litany of Berlin melodies, lush orchestrations and extended dance breaks.
“It’s an interesting musical because it’s based upon the idea that, ‘OK, we won the war, and we have all this prosperity, but we’re still not fulfilled. There is a missing link in our life,’ ” said Thompson, who believes the stage musical is more complex than the film. “If we do this well, it should bring tears to your eyes,” he said.
“White Christmas” is particularly meaningful for Stanley because her father was an Air Force general, and they too had a family farm in Vermont.
“The movie always brought out about 10 boxes of Kleenex to the family room, where we’d watch it religiously every year,” Stanley said. “We grew up in the ’50s and ’60s, when life was all about family. Now, it’s all about paradox: We have bigger houses but smaller families. We have added years to life but not life to years. We have learned how to make a living, but not a life. I miss the good old days.”
Thompson finds it particularly resonating when the character of Bob talks about his general once running 50 yards to save a guy from a burning jeep under fire. Thompson just saw a report on CNN about a real lieutenant saving two of his men, returning fire, giving first aid and being wounded in the process.
“I think right now, we especially need the reminder that people can stand up for each other,” he said. “In a way we need that more now than we need a reminder of the conflict, and the way people mistreat each other — because we see that every day.
“I think we need this kind of encouragement before we face the hard days of winter before spring comes again.”
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“White Christmas”
Presented by Denver Center Theatre Company and Denver Center Attractions at the Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex. Directed by Kent Thompson. Starring Andrew Samonsky and Benjie Randall. Through Dec. 30. Opens 8 p.m. Wednesday, then: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays (8 p.m. Nov. 30). Call for Christmas week schedule. $10-$95. 303-893-4100, 866-464-2626 (800-641-1222 outside Denver), all King Soopers or
