“White Christmas” 4K UHD Review

A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general. (from IMDb)

 

I count myself lucky to have been exposed to classic films at a young age. My grandfather’s love for old movies was shared with my mother, who blessed me by having us watch classic after classic together through the years. But with holiday movies, it seems more widely accepted by those usually opposed to older movies to revisit Christmas classics. Among them is one that has become, not just an annual, but a perennial favorite — White Christmas. I can’t tell you how lovely it’s been to see older movies from the golden age of cinema being given the HD treatment. White Christmas was one that never truly sparkled until it was given the high-def Blu-Ray treatment a few years ago. Even as Netflix claimed to stream the movie in “HD,” no streaming service came close to the transfer that could be found on the Blu-Ray disc. Now, in 2024, 70 years after its theatrical debut, we’re given a 4K UHD transfer of White Christmas. 4K! White Christmas is such a colorful movie, so the mere thought of it getting the 4K UHD treatment genuinely excited me.

When I popped the 4K disc of White Christmas into the player, I jumped quickly to the opening scene of Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye performing for the troops in an undetermined war-torn town. I was immediately surprised at how not much better the distant shot of the guys on the stage looked. But then it cut to a close-up of General Waverly in a jeep and my jaw dropped. The detail. The color. It’s so crisp. I continued on to favorite sequences: singing “Snow” on the train, Vera-Ellen’s introductory dance with Danny Kaye… her dress positively glistened in the light, virtually leaping off the screen. I actually felt emotional, thinking “I really wish my grandparents could have seen this.” It’s gorgeous.

Now, White Christmas as a film… It’s a Christmastime favorite of mine. In fact, it’s one I usually save for much closer to Christmas when I try to soak up and soak in that Christmas feeling as much as possible. Is it a perfect movie? Actually, no, but I do love it. I would never say I have a love/hate feeling towards the story, but I do tend to find it frustrating at times. A huge point of conflict and tension in the story is entirely caused by someone eavesdropping on a phone conversation and only hearing part of it, causing the piece of conversation taken out of context to make the person on the phone seem downright scummy. Each time I see the movie, I wanna slap the eavesdropper for not giving the person the benefit of the doubt or talking them directly before causing their relationship to crumble. (Christmastime can cause all kinds of family drama already; it’s not something we need to experience in our festive entertainment, too.) There’s certainly a lesson about communication in relationships to learn from here, but again, I wouldn’t really think a festive Christmas movie is the best vehicle to convey this.

That nitpick aside, it’s truly a wonderful film. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye have great buddy chemistry as a musical song-and-dance duo, and Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen are quite wonderful as a sister act, as well. (Fun fact: Vera-Ellen doesn’t do any singing of her own in the film, however, that’s her voice when the gang step off the train in Vermont and join in one last little impromptu chorus of “Snow.”) Dean Jagger is truly charming as the General who retires to Vermont as an innkeeper. Everyone has great chemistry among the cast, and it helps bring out the best of every scene. The movie is chock-full of musical numbers and dance routines – not all of which have a Christmassy flair, but plenty of them are exceptionally memorable: The title song, “Snow,” “Sisters,” “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing,” “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep,” “What Can You Do with the General” and “Choreography.” From Crosby’s crooning to Kaye’s light-on-his-feet dancing, it’s really a great flick to return to each December.

Content-wise, it’s pretty squeaky clean. In the opening scene, Phil gets hurt when some debris falls on him, but there’re no details shown in his injury (just a torn sleeve). There’s a lot of flirting between the guys and girls, and Phil begging Bob to settle down with a wife and have a couple of kids, but the romance is kept pretty innocent. There is a hilarious gag where the guys dress up in parts of the Haynes’ sisters’ costumes and lipsync to their song “Sisters” to allow the girls to make a quick getaway from the club. At the time, it was especially silly and funny, about on the same level as Bugs Bunny dressing up as a lady to get a laugh, but in today’s warped society, it’s a different story. However, in the context of 1954, it’s all in good fun, and the sequence is a highlight of the film. Other than some women shown in mildly revealing dance costumes, that’s about it. There is a brief World War II scene at the beginning that shows a decimated town getting bombed further, but there is no shooting or graphic violence.

If you’re a fan of White Christmas and have 4K watching capabilities, this release is a must. This will be my go-to viewing option for this movie going forward. It’s truly fantastic. If you’ve yet to see the film, and you’ve been curious to, I urge you to give it a chance. And, if 4K UHD tickles your fancy, you can’t go wrong with this release.

– John DiBiase (reviewed: 11/5/24)

 

White Christmas Ultra HD Blu-ray disc does not come with bonus features, but it does come packaged with a Blu-ray disc containing the following previously released special features:

• A Digital Copy of the film
• Commentary by Rosemary Clooney
• WHITE CHRISTMAS Sing-Along
• Classic Holiday Moments
• Assignment Children
• Backstage Stories from WHITE CHRISTMAS
• Bing Crosby: Christmas Crooner
• Danny Kaye: Joy to the World
• Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS
• Rosemary’s Old Kentucky Home
• WHITE CHRISTMAS: From Page to Stage
• WHITE CHRISTMAS: A Look Back with Rosemary Clooney
• Photo Galleries
• Theatrical Trailers

 

 Sex/Nudity: We briefly see Bob in his white boxers as he’s getting changed while talking to Phil; The female dancers show a lot of leg in their costumes and some cleavage as well.
 Vulgarity/Language: None.
 Alcohol/Drugs: There is some drinking in the film, but it’s not really focused on. For example, drinks are poured on the train during the “Snow” song sequence, but no one is shown drinking them.
 Blood/Gore: None.
 Violence: The movie opens up during World War II and we briefly see a wartorn town get bombarded with bombs. Phil knocks Bob out of the way of a falling building and some debris lands on Phil, tearing his sleeve and causing a minor injury to his arm; Phil pretends to have fallen and hurt his ankle and we see the General helping Phil “walk it off” as he howls, pretending to be in pain.