Dezembro aproxima-se, e é tempo para recordar como o Natal é há muito um motivo inspirador do cinema. Dos filmes infantis aos para público maduro, passando pelos chamados “familiares; da comédia ao drama; da animação aos actores de carne e osso, apresenta-se uma lista em que o Natal, os seus mitos, tradições e expectativas são o cerne ou o pano de fundo das histórias.
Estados Unidos:
• 1938: A Christmas Carol (Cântico de Natal) – Edwin L. Marin
• 1940: Beyond Tomorrow (Além da Eternidade) – A. Edward Sutherland
• 1940: The Shop Around the Corner (A Loja da Esquina) – Ernst Lubitsch
• 1940: Remember the Night (Lembra-te Daquela Noite) – Mitchell Leisen
• 1942: Holiday Inn (15 Dias de Prazer) – Mark Sandrich
• 1944: I’ll Be Seeing You (Com Todo o Meu Coração) – William Dieterle
• 1945: Christmas in Connecticut (Indiscrição) – Peter Godfrey
• 1946: It’s a Wonderful Life (Do Céu Caiu uma Estrela) – Frank Capra
• 1947: Miracle on 34th Street (De Ilusão Também Se Vive) – George Seaton
• 1947: The Bishop’s Wife (O Mensageiro do Céu) – Henry Koster
• 1949: Holiday Affair (Quando as Viúvas Querem Casar) – Don Hartman
• 1954: White Christmas (Natal Branco) – Michael Curtiz
• 1955: We’re No Angels (Veneno de Cobra) – Michael Curtiz
• 1983: A Christmas Story (Uma História de Natal) – Bob Clark
• 1985: One Magic Christmas (Natal Mágico) – Phillip Borsos
• 1986: The Christmas Star – Alan Shapiro
• 1988: Scrooged (SOS Fantasmas) – Richard Donner
• 1989: Prancer – John D. Hancock
• 1989: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Que Paródia de Natal) – Jeremiah S. Chechik
• 1990: Home Alone (Sozinho em Casa) – Chris Columbus
• 1991: All I Want for Christmas (Aventura num Natal) – Robert Lieberman
• 1994: Miracle on 34th Street (Milagre em Manhattan) – Les Mayfield
• 1994: The Santa Clause (Santa Cláusula) – John Pasquin
• 2000: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Grinch) – Ron Howard
• 2001: Christmas in the Clouds – Kate Montgomery
• 2001: ‘R Xmas (R Xmas – Nosso Natal) – Abel Ferrara
• 2003: Elf (Elf – O Falso Duende) – Jon Favreau
• 2003: Bad Santa (Bad Santa – O Anti-Pai Natal) – Terry Zwigoff
• 2005: The Family Stone (A Joia da Família) – Thomas Bezucha
• 2006: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (Santa Cláusula 3 – Natal em Risco) – Michael Lembeck
• 2007: Fred Claus (Fred Claus – O Irmão do Pai Natal) – David Dobkin
• 2007: This Christmas (Natal em Família) – Preston A. Whitmore II
• 2008: Four Christmases (Uns Sogros de Fugir) – Seth Gordon
• 2008: Christmas Cottage – Michael Campus
• 2009: Christmas Angel – Brian Brough
• 2010: Christmas Mail – John Murlowski
• 2010: The Christmas Bunny – Tom Seidman
• 2010: A Christmas Snow – Tracy Trost
• 2011: A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (Mocas Felizes, Meu!) – Todd Strauss-Schulson
• 2011: Nothing for Christmas – Sean Guess
• 2012: Switchmas – Sue Corcoran
• 2012: Scrooge & Marley – Richard Knight Jr. e Peter Neville
• 2012: A Christmas Carol – Jason Figgis
• 2012: Christmas Oranges – John Lyde
• 2013: A Christmas Tree Miracle – J.W. Myers
• 2013: All American Christmas Carol – Ron Carlson
• 2013: Christmas for a Dollar – John Lyde
• 2014: An Evergreen Christmas – Jeremy Culver
• 2014: The Christmas Switch – Paul Lynch
• 2014: A Belle for Christmas – Jason Dallas
• 2014: A Magic Christmas – R. Michael Givens
Resto do Mundo:
• 1934: Nøddebo Præstegård [Noedebo Vicarage] – George Schnéevoigt [Din]
• 1935: Scrooge – Henry Edwards [UK]
• 1940: Tante Pose – Leif Sinding [Nor]
• 1941: L’assassinat du Père Noël (Mataram o Pai Natal) – Roger Chapatte e Christian-Jaque [Fra]
• 1951: Scrooge (O Homem e o Espectro) – Brian Desmond Hurst [UK]
• 1952: The Holly and the Ivy – George More O’Ferrall [UK]
• 1961: Plácido – Luis García Berlanga [Esp]
• 1965: La vie heureuse de Léopold Z [The Merry World of Leopold Z] – Gilles Carle [Can]
• 1967: Le père Noël a les yeux bleus [Santa Claus Has Blue Eyes] – Jean Eustache [Fra]
• 1970: Scrooge (Muito obrigado, Sr, Scrooge) – Ronald Neame [UK]
• 1974: Nøddebo Præstegård [Noedebo Vicarage] – Peer Guldbrandsen [Din]
• 1984: Comfort and Joy (Tudo Bem) – Bill Forsyth [UK]
• 1983: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (Feliz Natal, Mr. Lawrence) – Nagisa Ôshima [UK/Jap]
• 1983: Vacanze di Natale (Loucuras na Neve) – Carlo Vanzina [Ita]
• 1984: A Christmas Carol – Clive Donner [UK]
• 1984: J’ai Rencontré Le Père Noël [Here Comes Santa Claus] – Christian Gion [Fra]
• 1985: Santa Claus: The Movie (Pai Natal) – Jeannot Szwarc [UK]
• 1996: I magi randagi [We Free Kings] – Sergio Citti [Ital]
• 1998: Crackers – David Swann [Aus]
• 1999: La Bûche [Season’s Beatings] – Danièle Thompson [Fra]
• 1999: En liten julsaga [A Little Christmas Story] – Mari Marten-Bias Wahlgren e Åsa Sjöström [Sue]
• 1999: Tomten är far till alla barnen [In Bed with Santa] – Kjell Sundvall [Sue]
• 2001: Mongoland – Arild Østin Ommundsen [Nor]
• 2003: Love Actually (O Amor Acontece) – Richard Curtis [UK]
• 2003: Blizzard – LeVar Burton [USA/Can]
• 2003: Opopomoz – Enzo D’Alò [Ita]
• 2005: Joyeux Noël (Feliz Natal) – Christian Carion [Fra/Ale/UK/Bel/Rom/Nor]
• 2007: Joulutarina – Juha Wuolijoki [Fin]
• 2007: The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey – Bill Clark [UK]
• 2008: Feliz Natal – Selton Mello [Bra]
• 2008: Un conte de Noël [Um Conto de Natal] – Arnaud Desplechin [Fra]
• 2009: Nativity! – Debbie Isitt [UK]
• 2009: Ho Ho Ho – Jesús del Cerro [Rom]
• 2010: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale – Jalmari Helander [Fin]
• 2010: Hjem til jul (Uma Casa para o Natal) – Bent Hamer [Sue]
• 2012: Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger – Debbie Isitt [UK]
• 2013: The Christmas Candle – John Stephenson [UK]
• 2014: Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s My Donkey?! – Debbie Isitt [UK]
Animação:
• 1951: Noch pered Rozhdestvom [The Night Before Christmas] – Valentina Brumberg, Zinaida Brumberg [Rus]
• 1976: Los 3 reyes magos – Fernando Ruiz e Adolfo Torres Portillo [Mex]
• 1986: Nutcracker – Carroll Ballard [EUA]
• 1990: The Nutcracker Prince (O Príncipe Quebra-Nozes) – Paul Schibli [Can]
• 1992: The Muppet Christmas Carol (O Conto de Natal dos Marretas) – Brian Henson [EUA]
• 1993: 1993: A Nightmare Before Christmas (O Estranho Mundo de Jack) – Henry Selick [EUA]
• 1993: The Nutcracker (O Quebra-Nozes) – Emile Ardolino [EUA]
• 1998: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie – William R. Kowalchuk Jr. [EUA]
• 2001: Christmas Carol: The Movie (Um Conto de Natal) – Jimmy T. Murakami [EUA]
• 2003: Tokyo Godfathers – Satoshi Kon e Shôgo Furuya [Jap]
• 2003: Los Reyes Magos (Os 3 Reis Magos) – Antonio Navarro [Fra/Esp]
• 2004: The Polar Express – Robert Zemeckis [EUA]
• 2006: A Christmas Carol: Scrooge’s Ghostly Tale – Ric Machin [EUA]
• 2008: Niko – Lentäjän poika (Niko na Terra do Pai Natal) – Michael Hegner e Kari Juusonen [Fin]
• 2009: A Christmas Carol (Um Conto de Natal) – Robert Zemeckis [EUA]
• 2009: The Nutcracker in 3D – Andrey Konchalovskiy [UK/Hun]
• 2011: Arthur Christmas – Sarah Smith e Barry Cook [UK]
• 2012: Rise of the Guardians (A Origem dos Guardiões) – Peter Ramsey [EUA]
A janela encantada 