On a Great Christmas Film

Directed by Jeannot Szwarc and released in 1985, Santa Claus the Movie tells a story set over hundreds of years. The first half of this Christmas classic looks at how an ordinary, philanthropic man becomes, after escaping death and falling into the hands of the magical Vendicum, Santa Claus. The second half takes us to 1985 and, with Santa still going strong we see how an immoral toy manufacturer tries to corner the Christmas market with the help of an elf who has lost his way.

Santa Claus the Movie focuses on characters rather than Christmas clichés or magic. To begin, what this film offers over other Christmas films is a historical back story that feels believable. A man who has acted kindly his whole life is chosen specifically for the job and along with his wife, is given the power to deliver gifts around the world. Rather than worry about how to explain the troublesome issue of travelling round the world, we are simply informed that time travels with Santa. As time passes we slowly see the rise of commercialism and the question of relevance is subtly introduced. How relevant is Santa in a society where children’s needs and wants are met? (The issue avoided is that of non Western societies). One of Santa’s elves, Patch, is moving with the times and sees ways to revolutionise the business of Christmas, but is met with resistance by the traditionalists at the North Pole. When the elf decides he is not wanted because his ideas are passed over he travels to New York City where his innocence is taken advantage of and in the end he realises that he is missed and must be rescued by Santa; the most formulaic and uninteresting aspect of this film, which arrives only at the end.

While in New York and in additional to the issues of commercialism and identity already being examined, the director introduces questions of class. A young homeless boy finds a friend in the rich niece of the toy manufacturer and also in Santa whose isolation in the North Pole means he cannot comprehend the issue of homelessness until he meets Joe. These issues and the questions they raise are all there for the older viewer. For the younger audience and essential for the Christmas film is the magic, the humour and the Christmastime mood it creates. All the classic iconography is present and the ending is upbeat. What makes Santa Claus the Movie as good as it is, still after 25 years, is its ability to juggle believable and layered characters into a traditional seasonal story without losing any of the expected traits of Christmas films.