|
Mr. Krueger's Christmas
 Mr. Krueger's Christmas is worth seeing, if for nothing else, because Jimmy Stewart is in it. However, it is really the Mormon Tabernacle Choir which is all this short film has going for it. If you really like Jimmy Stewart, then you might want to (or not) watch this film.
Mr. Krueger's Christmas is a re-release of an LDS film that first appeared in 1980. Given that VCR's were just coming out in 1980, I am inclined to think that this film actually aired on television. The 26-minute movie looks like it contains breaks where commercials once went.
As far as content goes, this film is short on depth. Basically, Mr. Krueger is an old widower who is very lonely. He goes on dementia driven head-trips were he imagines himself palling around with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Seriously, it is sad; oh, how Jimmy has fallen from It's a Wonderful Life. The only part of this film that attempts any depth is where Jimmy approaches the Christ-child and gives an emotionally driven speech. A small plug for "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" is given at the end of the movie.
The DVD, though, is not over as it includes The Restoration (about 20 minutes long), The Nativity (5 minutes), and songs by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (25 minutes). The Restoration is definitely the "meat" of this DVD. However, it is sandwiched between a whole bunch of Christmas fluff. Obviously, The Restoration is about the (LDS) restoration of the gospel and God's one "true" church.
The video collection that comes on the Mr. Krueger's Christmas DVD is worth getting, but only because the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is in it. The Restoration is merely historical revisionist propaganda. The Nativity is so short I wonder why it was ever made. Mr. Krueger's Christmas is a betrayal of Jimmy Stewart's legacy. But the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is always worth seeing.
To order a copy of Mr. Krueger's Christmas, click here.
David Whitsell
[email protected]
May 1, 2006
| 
