Jacqueline Bisset – 18 Cinema Lane

Thank you for joining me for the second part of my Second Chance Christmas Double Feature! Unlike my review of Hallmark’s Frankenstein, this review of An Old Fashioned Christmas will contain a few spoilers. If you’re curious about why I chose An Old Fashioned Christmas for this double feature, you can check out the introduction in the link below.

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You; The Second Chance Christmas Double Feature!

*An Old Fashioned Christmas* poster created by RHI Entertainment, The Government of Ireland, Parallel Film Productions, MNG Films, Muse Entertainment Enterprises, and Hallmark Channel

1. How were you introduced to An Old Fashioned Christmas and why was it selected for this double feature?

I have declared An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving as one of my favorite Hallmark movies. Years ago, when I discovered the 2008 film received a sequel, I was eager to check that movie out. But as time went on, Hallmark gave the sequel fewer airings during their Christmas line-ups, making it more difficult to watch the film. I’ve always looked for the right time to write about An Old Fashioned Christmas. I even included it on two lists; 2022’s top ten movies I’d love to review and 2023’s top ten Christmas movies I’d love to review. On both lists, I said I found a few DVD copies of the 2010 title. But, more often than not, these DVDs were included in Christmas movie box sets, which, typically, are expensive. Fortunately, An Old Fashioned Christmas was uploaded on Youtube, which is how I watched it.

2. You’ve mentioned An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving being one of your favorite Hallmark movies. Did An Old Fashioned Christmas contain any elements that made you like the 2008 film?

One of the reasons why I love An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving is how immersive the production is! The attention to detail and historical accuracy created the illusion of taking the audience to another time and place. This same strength was found in An Old Fashioned Christmas! One simple, yet effective, example were the props. Anytime Tilly and Isabella shared a meal with the Shannon family, the table was covered with fine china dishes, crystal goblet-style glasses, and even a shiny silver teapot. These specific props reflected the story’s time period, which appears to be the late 1800s. They also symbolized the prestigious family history of the Shannons.

3. Is the theme of “second chances” incorporated in An Old Fashioned Christmas’ story? If so, how?

One of the reasons why Tilly wanted to travel to Ireland was to meet her father’s side of the family. After she gets to know her paternal grandfather and uncle, Tilly writes a letter in the hopes Isabella will make amends with Sean (Tilly’s grandfather). So, in An Old Fashioned Christmas, not only is Tilly given a second chance to connect with her father’s side of the family, Isabella received a second chance to build a bridge between herself and Tilly’s grandfather.

4. Was there anything about An Old Fashioned Christmas you liked or didn’t like?

Similar to Young at Heart, the dialogue was one of the best parts of An Old Fashioned Christmas! Because of the thought and effort put into this film-making aspect, conversations between characters sounded intelligent and eloquent. During breakfast one morning, Lady Shannon asks, “Wouldn’t it be lovely for Americans to have titles”? This question relates to how her son, Cameron, will become an Earl someday. Isabella responds by saying, “Actually, we do. We all share the same title: American”. The way Isabella answered Lady Shannon’s question carried a sense of confidence and grace, simply stating a major difference between her world and the world of the Shannon family. I also thought Isabella’s response to Lady Shannon’s question was pretty clever.

Speaking of Lady Shannon’s son, Cameron, I found him to be the worst character in An Old Fashioned Christmas. He always acted like he had something to prove. Plus, Cameron attempted to get the last word in every argument or conversation. The longer I watched An Old Fashioned Christmas, the more annoying Cameron became. I recognize the film’s creative team was trying to create a male character different from Gad (Tilly’s fiancé). However, this goal can be achieved without making that male character completely unlikable.

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5. On 18 Cinema Lane, you’ve covered plenty of Christmas films. How is An Old Fashioned Christmas similar to or different from other Christmas pictures written about on your blog?

As I answered for question number three, meeting her father’s side of the family was the reason Tilly wanted to travel to Ireland. Like I also answered for question number four, Isabella responded to Lady Shannon’s question by stating Americans share the same title: American. The story of an American protagonist traveling to Ireland to learn more about her father’s side of the family felt very reminiscent of Christmas at Castle Hart. Another similarity these films share is how a majority of their stories take place in an Irish castle.

6. Did you develop any thoughts and/or questions while watching this film?

What makes An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving such a great movie is how the story embraces the Thanksgiving holiday. The film boasts a Thanksgiving dinner and showcases themed decorations, like a handmade blanket. But the 2008 picture also weaves the messages and themes of the holiday into the story and dialogue, truly making An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving feel like a Thanksgiving movie. An Old Fashioned Christmas definitely looked like a Christmas movie, as decorations and themed activities were sprinkled throughout the film. However, it did not feel like a Christmas picture. That’s because the majority of the story emphasized the love triangle between Tilly, Gad, and Cameron. An Old Fashioned Christmas is a Hallmark presentation where the protagonist says they are going to do something, but spends the majority of the film not doing what they said they were going to do. One of the reasons for Tilly and Isabella’s trip to Ireland was for the Earl of Shannon to mentor Tilly in her writing, in the hopes of getting Tilly’s work published. But throughout the one hour and fifteen-minute movie, Tilly barely accomplishes any writing goals. In fact, the only writing Tilly does is composing letters to her mother.

7. How would the story of An Old Fashioned Christmas change if it revolved around another holiday?

I just mentioned for question number six how the majority of An Old Fashioned Christmas’ story emphasized the love triangle between Tilly, Gad, and Cameron. Other stories, such as the Earl of Shannon mentoring Tilly, didn’t really have anything to do with the Christmas holiday. Therefore, changing the plot of An Old Fashioned Christmas to another time of year wouldn’t make a difference.

8. Did An Old Fashioned Christmas deserve a second chance? If so, why?

Now that I have seen An Old Fashioned Christmas, this is, honestly, a tough question to answer. On the one hand, I received some closure for how the story continues after An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. I also developed my own, honest opinion about the sequel. But, on the other hand, An Old Fashioned Christmas, kind of, let me down. The Christmas holiday almost seems like an afterthought in the 2010 title. There were underutilized aspects of the story, like Tilly pursuing her writing dreams. So, to answer this question, I’m thankful I received an opportunity to check out An Old Fashioned Christmas. However, I don’t think it was worth the wait.

9. After watching An Old Fashioned Christmas, is there anything you can take away from your movie viewing experience?

If you ignore the fact An Old Fashioned Christmas was created as a sequel to An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, this is an ok film. The attention to detail and historical accuracy create a visually immersive experience. The dialogue was also well written and delivered. But if you intend to watch An Old Fashioned Christmas as a sequel to An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, you will be underwhelmed. With Tilly, Gad, and Isabella as the only returning characters, the family dynamic between Tilly’s family and Isabella is absent. Like I said for questions number six and seven, the majority of An Old Fashioned Christmas’ story emphasizes the love triangle between Gad, Tilly, and Cameron. It did not help that Cameron was such an unlikable character. Honestly, this movie will likely be a one-time watch for me. Since I still love An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, I’ll just stick with the 2008 picture.

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Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

October’s theme for MovieRob’s Genre Grandeur is French New Wave Films. Because I’m not as familiar with this particular genre as I am with others, I had to look up potential titles for this review. One of the films that appeared in my internet search was the 1973 French film, Day for Night. When I read the movie’s tagline, “A movie for people who love movies”, I felt it was the perfect choice for the movie blogger I am! MovieRob’s Genre Grandeur is not the only reason why I’m reviewing this film. Day for Night is also my choice for Pure Entertainment Preservation Society’s 4^th Annual Great Breening Blogathon! When I participated in this specific blogathon last year, I reviewed Vampyr, a movie released before the Breen Code was created. As I already said, Day for Night was released in 1973, two decades after the Breen Code era. Like my Vampyr review, this current article is going to be a blog follower dedication review. Last week, 18 Cinema Lane received 250 followers!

Day for Night poster created by Les Films du Carrosse
PECF, Produzione Internazionale Cinematografica, and Warner Bros.

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: I’ve said before one of my favorite Hallmark films is An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. The acting performances are a great part of it, especially Jacqueline Bisset’s portrayal of Isabella. In Day for Night, Jacqueline portrayed American actress, Julie Baker. Her on-screen persona was a pleasant surprise, as it was down-to-earth and kind. This was very different from the “diva” attitude that some lead actress characters are given in stories of this nature. Valentina Cortese is another actress that gave a memorable performance in Day for Night! She portrays Severine, an older actress looking for a come-back. One scene shows Severine turning to drinking as a way to get through the scene and cope with personal issues. Valentina effectively showed the emotional transition her character was experiencing; starting out confident but slowly turning to sadness as the scene continues. Jean-Pierre Léaud portrays Alphonse, a fellow actor who works alongside Julie and Severine. His performance came across very natural on screen, making it look effortless. A scene that shows Alphonse having a bad evening is a good example of this, the look on his face appearing defeated and his body language showing the audience how he was walking aimlessly in a hotel hallway.

The film-making process: The story of Day for Night revolves around a director making a movie alongside his cast and crew. A behind the scenes lens is how the film is presented, with the production process being the primary focus. As someone who loves movies, I found this part of Day for Night fascinating! Seeing the different ways film-making related problems were solved was interesting to watch! The director of the film’s movie, Ferrand, is looking for a car for an upcoming scene. Because of the movie’s budget, he ends up using a car from one of the crew members. Later in the production of “Meet Pamela” (the movie being filmed in Day for Night), the cast and crew are struck with a tragedy. Ferrand decides to cut some scenes from the movie as a result of this event. He discusses these decisions with a script writer named Joëlle, as well as talking with investors.

The cat scene: While filming “Meet Pamela”, the cast and crew want to include a cat drinking milk from a food tray. At first, a kitten is placed in the scene. However, the kitten doesn’t take direction very well. After several failed attempts, the director decides to use a “studio cat” instead. To me, this scene was hilarious because it was a good use of the “comedy of errors” style of humor. It also highlights the idea of animals being difficult to work with in film.

The 4th Annual Great Breening Blogathon banner created by Tiffany and Rebekah Brannan from Pure Entertainment Preservation Society.

What I didn’t about the film:

Thinly written characters: Day for Night features an ensemble cast, showing their audience how multiple people are responsible for the creation of a single movie. However, all of these characters are thinly written, as they were defined by the main issue they were dealing with in the film’s story. For example, Julie experienced a breakdown prior to the events of Day for Night. Because of this, Julie is known as “the woman who experienced a breakdown”. Throughout the movie, she does talk about her marriage to her doctor and her working hours as an actress. But her personal situation is highlighted the most.

Too much going on: As I just mentioned, this movie has an ensemble cast. This means there are a lot of characters involved in the overall story. It also means Day for Night contains several subplots. Personally, I found it difficult to keep up with the characters, as I thought there were too many to focus on. Even though this happened briefly, there were moments when I forgot who was who. The subplots were not interesting to me, as they revolved around situations I just didn’t care about. It felt more like a bland soap opera than a compelling part of the behind the scenes of “Meet Pamela”. Honestly, I wish this movie had put more emphasis on the film-making aspect of the narrative.

The director’s dreams: On three separate occasions, the dreams of the director, Ferrand, are shown. These scenes are filmed in black-and-white and contain no dialogue. I thought the inclusion of the dreams were random, as they didn’t seem to have anything to do with the overarching story. It also doesn’t help that no explanations are provided for what these dreams could mean. If anything, they were simply there to satisfy the run-time.

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My overall impression:

Like I said in the introduction, the tagline of Day for Night is “A movie for people who love movies”. While I do love movies, I did not love this film. Sure, there were things about it I liked, such as the acting and the film-making process shown. But if you’re going to make a movie, you need to provide your audience with interesting characters worth watching. The characters in Day for Night were thinly written, defined by their personal situations. Even though it can be intriguing to see how characters overcome their obstacles, they have to have other qualities about them. Because of the poor writing for the characters, their subplots were not interesting. Issues among them were basically at a stand-still, not really getting resolved to a satisfying degree. What would have helped this story is if it were presented in a mockumentary format, giving more emphasis to the behind the scenes aspect of film-making. Before I end this review, I want to thank all 250 of 18 Cinema Lane’s followers! The success this blog has received would never have happened without you!

Overall score: 6.2 out of 10

Have you seen Day for Night? Are there any movies about film-making you’ve seen? Please tell me in the comment section!