I'll Be Home For Christmas (1988)

Star Birthday... Eva Marie Saint

Eva Marie Saint was born on 4 July 1924. After appearing on television, she made her screen debut in 'On the Waterfront' (1954) opposite Marlon Brando. She has had a prolific career over the past 50 years, and continues to act today in her 80s.

Recommended viewing

• On the Waterfront (1954)
• Raintree County (1957)
• A Hatful of Rain (1957)
• North by Northwest (1959)
• Exodus (1960)
• All Fall Down (1962)
• 36 Hours (1965)
• Grand Prix (1966)
• Superman Returns (2006)

For my blog, I have selected a film from Eva Marie Saint's later career,

I'll be Home for Christmas (1988)

**please note, this blog contains spoilers if you have not seen this film**

 

I'll Be Home for Christmas is a 1988 TV movie directed/produced by Marvin J. Chomsky and starring Eva Marie Saint, Hal Holbrook, Nancy Travis,  Peter Gallagher, and Courtney Cox, before she was famous.


Set in Massachusetts in 1944, it is five days before the last Christmas of World War II, and the Bundy family are anxiously waiting the return of son Mike from the war. On Christmas Eve they receive a knock on the door with a telegram informing them Mike was just killed in a plane crash.

Closing remarks

Good, well written drama about although no a happy ending, which is unusual for a Christmas movie. Given the entire premise revolves around the anticipation leading up to Mike's return, his death at the end makes watching the film a waste of time.  For those of you that enjoy blue Christmas films, (Christmas films which are not happy and joyous), then it's worth watching. 
This may also be of interest to fans of Courtney Cox and the 'Friends' TV series to see Cox in an early role as pregnant Nora Bundy.