Beware, this film may creep up on you, it can be so easily dismissed but any viewer infused with the passion of humanity and what makes us tick will be enthralled.Some reviewers missed the point (or simply didn't want to see it!) The insightful will relish the final outcome. Writer Wynyard Brown brings to mind the intensity of Eugene O'Neal, but somehow makes it easier to take. Brown's collaboration with Producer/Writer Anatold De Grunwald offers the discerning viewer a true gem. Pity writers and Producers of this quality were given over to the bleak grittiness of the 'kitchen sink' movement (who managed to leave us a somewhat limited legacy)Performances are quite remarkable, especially the principal characters (Richadson is a standout) The stories search for faith in life over self pity is solid.Sure, it was written as a play (as was O'Neill) but unlike some others, I felt the coupling of an astute Director, and Cinematographer, has fashioned many subtle, but smart cinematic moments.D.O.P Ted (Edward) Scaife an amazing all rounder, often associated with outdoor action spectaculars (Outcast of the Islands, Dirty Dozen, Tazan's Greatest Adventure/The Magnificent, Night of the Demon, to name just a few) gives this mostly indoor film a unique look and feel, allowing the personalities of the characters to speak directly to us.If you enjoy a film to think about and feel, this could be for you. Malcolm Arnolds well arranged Music score adds greatly. I would like to buy it on DVD but don't know if the original 83min vers has been transfered or only the inferior 74min (sadly the one usually run on TV) is all thats on offer. The full running time is moderate anyway, but in this case, the longer is the better. Its rare, so find either and enjoy....

For a while there, in Canada - in the eighties and nineties, when the television landscape was forever expanding - I could be guaranteed of seeing this movie; there was always some new station looking for filler, particularly during the Christmas season. What a treat!This movie is not just a great film about the real meaning of Christmas, it is also a relic of a period that is not so long ago in terms of years, but is eons away in terms of social convention, manners, etc.Even better, although the film was made in a gentler, more genteel time, serious issues (illegitimacy, alcoholism, reckless self-sacrifice) are explored with depth. If this had been a lesser movie, it would have come off as something to be shown in a religion class, but the extremely talented cast runs with the story and helps create a film that is magical and meaningful.I have a tape of this somewhere, and am always on the lookout for a DVD version. I only hope The Holly and the Ivy makes it to digital transfer soon, and is rediscovered as the Christmas classic that it is.

I recently acquired a DVD copy of this film from a rare video dealer and agree that availability is a problem for connoisseurs of this genre.I heartily agree with the post of Rosalind Jane and would much prefer films like this at Christmas rather than watching the usual modern boring obsession with " the cult of celebrity" by TV companies.Trouble is today, there are too many vested commercial interests keeping mediocre talent in active employment in films.As I am 61 years old I am not in the right socio-economic group for profit hungry advertisers/TV companies (and even the ratings conscious BBC), as they are too obsessed by the 20/30 year old market with its higher spending potential.Most of the time us older viewers do not get much of a look in so must resort to seeking out and collecting advert free dvds of our favourite films. "Writers Reign" post "The Last Noel" effectively deals with the plot so I won't embellish further on that but provide my own comment.The most emotional scene for me was Margaret Leighton telling her father, Ralph Richardson, about her 4 year old son Simon, who then died of meningitis, whom she bore out of wedlock.Post war Britain was indeed in a rather depressing,impoverished state and the mores and customs very different from the present day.Why on some council estates its almost something to be proud of and de rigeur for teenage pregnancies and "going on the social".Of course "The Holly and the Ivy", made in 1952, depicts a very middle class family so the stigma and social disgrace would have been all the more than would have been the case for say a working class family.This film was based on the play so beloved of amateur dramatic societies in the late 40s and early 50s.Indeed my late parents appeared in this play with their society.During this time there was still great pressure on unmarried daughters to look after their elderly parents.This play was set long before women had equal legal and social rights as men and society expected women to fill the social breach when necessary.If this play had been about a working class family, it would not have been quite so shocking to sensitive middle class eyes.Unfortunately working class playwrights were still some years in the future so one is left with the middle class writing for the middle class.I rated it 7/10.

It's too bad that this film is unavailable in the United States. Many years ago it was given to me by a friend who taped it off some obscure broadcast station. I've shown it every year since and have never grown tired of it. There is much truth in this film, and all of its characters reveal something of themselves that we can all identify with. And what a cast-- Ralph Richardson, Celia Johnson, Margaret Leighton, Denholm Elliot, and Hugh Williams! Richardson's parson is one, regardless of one's faith, we would all love to know. And Johnson and Leighton display acting of the highest order. Elliot is superb as the restless son, and Williams as a world weary but understanding and compassionate friend of the family has never been better. This is a film that deserves wide attention and should be a Christmas staple. It is not only my favorite Christmas movie, but also one my ten favorite films of all time.