Screening | 4 Short Christmas Films

Christmas Cracker (9 min., 1962) Animation and music tell three Christmas stories which are introduced by a jester: a story about jingle bells in which boy and girl paper cut-outs move to music; a story about a dime-store rodeo in which tin toys perform a ballet; and a story in which a Christmas tree trimmer builds a space vehicle in order to pluck a star from the sky for the top of his tree.

Binocular Vision (26 min., 1988) This lighthearted documentary about bird watchers and birding focuses on the National Audubon Society's annual Christmas Bird Count, the aim of which is to census the total bird population within prescribed areas. Over 40,000 people across the United States and Canada participate in the event. In this film, intrepid bird watchers are seen in New York's Central Park, Jamaica Bay Sanctuary, Jones Beach and the Brooklyn Garbage Dump.

The Big Christmas Tree (25 min., 1999) Tells the story of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and tree-lighting celebration, with footage of a tree being transported by helicopter to New York City, where it is decorated with over 26,000 lights. Also includes a man named Fred with 14 Christmas trees and over 20,000 ornaments and a visit to a Chrismas tree farm.>/br>
The Pantomime Dame (50 min., 1982) Each Christmas season, the British enjoy the ribaldry of "the dame," a larger-than-life caricature of a mother figure always portrayed by a man, specifically Britain's leading comedic actors. The Pantomime Dame uses satire, jokes, farce and exaggeration to entertain audiences and provide a release for their problems. Archival stills and footage from pantomime shows and interviews provide historical background for a style of comedy said to have begun when Queen Victoria was in her prime. Londoners reminisce about the old-time "dames" and express the importance of having the audience realize that the character is really a man dress