Mr. Krueger’s Christmas: 25th Anniversary DVD

A simple 25 minute film featuring Jimmy Stewart as a lonely old man on Christmas Eve became something of a classic amongst Latter-day Saints after its 1980 release. While marking a shift in outreach to the public from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its importance is more than that. It is the simple message at the end that says it all about the holiday.

I had originally planned to review something completely different for Christmas, but was hit by a moment of inspiration. Having had difficulty getting into the feeling of the season, I realized it had been a few years since I last watched this. So along with purchasing Christmas with the Rat Pack from Amazon’s MP3 service, it was time to make an active effort. By the way, I’m listening to that superb compilation while writing this review.

Mr. Krueger’s Christmas begins with the title character working as a custodian of an apartment building. It being Christmas Eve, he sets out for a tree to put up in his basement apartment. Attempts to interact with people on the street are ignored or barely acknowledged. It is cold outside in more ways than one.

Along the way, he looks at a suit in a shop window, much like a child looking at toys would. In no time he is lost in a fantasy of being fitted with a new suit and being treated like a man of status. It is only the beginning of fantasies which Willie Krueger succumbs to out of loneliness.

Upon returning to his apartment, we find out Mr. Krueger is a widower whose only companion is his cat. It is a quaint apartment, filled with memories. Setting the tree on a table, the old man puts a record on. No surprise here, it is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and soon he drifts off into a dream where he is conducting the choir. It is all an excuse to show playing in the snow, from sleigh rides to throwing snowballs while hearing excellently sung Christmas music.

A chance encounter with carolers singing outside the apartment building introduces Willie to Clarissa, a cute little moppet who bonds with him instantly. That does not go over too well with her mother and the carolers are very uncomfortable with the hungry for company senior citizen.  Once again alone, Mr. Krueger slips into imagining being with people for Christmas and we hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

But it is his contemplating the Nativity Scene on a small table that leads to a surprisingly powerful scene where Willie finds himself at the Nativity. The heartfelt words of the simple and devout man as he sees the Savior are perfectly portrayed by Stewart. What an amazing actor he was and so wonderful in this short, sweet performance.

The whole question of being alone and whether we ever are truly alone is addressed here, but what about Christmas Eve for Mr. Kreuger?

Thoughts

This is an old fashioned story and reflects a more innocent time. While formulaic, Jimmy Stewart makes it work and prevents it from overdosing on being hokey. The ending has genuine emotional impact and delivers the message of what Christmas is really about: Love.

I do not think people can be reminded of that enough.

This is an endearing short film and I can see why it has become an annual tradition for many families in the Church. It is short, sweet, and to the point. More jaded people will probably not be impressed, but I think if you like this you prove that you still have a heart in an increasingly heartless time.

Also included on the 25th Anniversary DVD are three other videos:

The Restoration which is a retelling of Joseph Smith’s early life as he was seeking to understand God’s will and what Church was true. This led to what is called the First Vision in my church and is subject of the film. Very straight forward and showing the higher production values 25 years can provide, it is very well done for a 20 minute film.

The Nativity is a short five minute depiction of Joseph and Mary entering Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus Christ. All the dialogue is in Hebrew with no subtitles, though I did not try Close Captioning.  I found it to be very good, especially in the depiction of the three wise men. Sadly, the quality of the video is terrible and looks like it came off of VHS.

God So Loved the World: Carols of Christmas by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

This is a collection of performances of a wide variety of Christmas songs and fills 26 minutes with superb singing. The songs are:

1. God So Loved the World
2. Joy to the World
3. Whence Is that Goodly Fragrance Flowing?
4. The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy
5. What Shall We Give to the Babe in the Manger?
6. Ding, Dong! Merrily on High!
7. The First Noel

All are great, but the calypso infused fourth track is a blast. It is obvious the choir and musicians were having way too much fun with that one.

I recommend the DVD to anyone who likes the true spirit of Christmas and to Jimmy Stewart fans who want to have a complete collection of his works. There are no other actors as endearing as the late Mr. Stewart.