By Lubna Abdel-Aziz "Tis the season to be jolly" by all means! 'Tis also the season to go to the movies. Traditionally this holiday season is when the film industry rakes in its profits for the year. The best of productions are saved for release at this precious time, with the added bonus of becoming "Oscar" eligible. The publicity is intense, the competition fierce. With schools out and families getting together for some holiday cheer, the favourite and most common form of entertainment, as well as the cheapest, is the cinema. There is no more magical time for tiny tots, "with their eyes all aglow", captivated by the familiar Christmas lore, sucking it all in like sweet lollipops. "Visions of sugar plums dance in their heads", they see nothing improbable about a burly old man, with a long white beard and flowing red robes, driving a sleigh pulled by eight reindeers, delivering presents in the still of the night. An abundance of festive film offerings are usually custom-made for family viewing, particularly for children, but this season offers none with specific Christmas themes. Some features however, will draw children and their parents to their neighbourhood theatres, post-haste. With such an unusually lacklustre year at the box office, filmmakers have one last chance to compensate for some of the year's disappointments. Not since 1994 has the output been as diverse and as prolific, making it one of the most crowded seasons ever. One or more of this season's offerings will likely satisfy your viewing taste buds. Steve Martin presents a sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen-2, and Jim Carrey is back with a remake of the 1977 comedy Fun With Dick and Jane. The Ringer, another comedy, is aimed at young teenage boys, while the romantic comedy Rumour Has It, targets mothers and daughters. Memoirs of a Geisha is splendidly brought to the screen in grand aesthetic style by director Rob Marshall ( Chicago ); Steven Spielberg's controversial drama Munich is already creating Oscar buzz, and the film version of Broadway's hit musical The Producers is sure to repeat its stage lustre. Brokeback Mountain, nominated for seven Golden Globes, is a Western drama from director Ang Lee, about an affair between two cowboys, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire has already amassed $700 million worldwide, and Casanova woos and wins once again for the holidays. King Kong is reserved for older children, but the number-one winner on every child's list is the Disney production of the Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Children are running to theatres in droves for a heavy dose of special magic provided by the C S Lewis's children's classic. Adapted from the Complete Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, finds its way to the screen for the first time. The popular fantasy began with the author's mental image, at age 16, of a snowy wood with a little goat-footed fawn, scurrying along, carrying an umbrella and a pile of parcels. Then by age 40, he decided to make a story of it. During WWII children from London were being evacuated to the country, and four came to live with writer Clive Staples Lewis. Surprised to find how few imaginative stories his young guests knew, he decided to write one for them. It took him several years to complete the story of the four children who find their way into another world, called Narnia. Visions of "a queen on a sledge" and a "magnificent lion" came to his mind. "I don't know where the lion came from, or why he came, but once he was there, he pulled the whole story together." He drew his inspiration from books he had loved as a child, the wicked queen from a Hans Christian Andersen story, the talking animals of Beatrix Potter, old myths and old legends from Germany, Ireland and ancient Greece. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was first published in 1950. Lewis thought that would be it, but the stories kept coming to his mind about how the children found their way back into Narnia, and he kept going from one enchanting fantasy to another, seven in all. "People won't write the books I want, so I have to do it for myself." The Chronicles show no signs of losing their magical hold over the imagination of generations of children. Lewis and J R R Tolkien, creator of The Hobbits, and Lord of the Rings, both Oxford professors, were good friends who enjoyed a smoke and a drink together. Tolkien created Middle Earth, a universe down under, Lewis created Narnia a universe next door, where the events, fantastical as they are, seem more human, more earthly than anything on Middle Earth. Director Andrew Adamson ( Shrek I, II ) transforms Narnia into a charming world where fearsome things sometimes happen. The lion "Aslan" is skilfully conceived through computer imaging, indistinguishable from a real lion. The film is a happy marriage of reality and unreality of "the traditional family entertainment and the newer action-oriented family films". We applaud the Brits' elegance, propriety, and spirit in writing. They keep digging into their bottomless treasures of deep-rooted traditions, of mystery and magic, ghouls and ghosts, witches and wizards, fairies and elves, continuing to fascinate us with other worldly mystic creatures from Middle Earth, Narnia, Alice in Wonderland and Beatrix Potter, and of course that other Potter, Harry, keeping alive their enchanting literary tradition. Narnia has already made $127 million and some predict it may well overtake the king of the apes, King Kong, at the box office. We develop a strong attachment to past pleasures. One of them is the ultimate Christmas fantasy, Charles Dickens's durable, A Christmas Carol (1951) , written over 150 years ago (1843). A powerful drama of moral worth, it endures as a delightful yuletide tale. Its charm and message, a mix between a social polemic and a religious parable, have been pertinent and appropriate, resonating throughout the years. The tale of the three ghosts, Past, Present and Future who visit the old miser Ebenezer Scrooge, and show him the errors of his ways is just simply, a timeless classic. Numerous versions have been made, for the big and the small screens, but in order to view it this holiday season, you need to scan your TV sets, or rent a VCR or DVD and enjoy it in the comfort of your living room, or all cuddled up under a warm blanket. Other Christmas delights both refined and tasteful, include A Christmas Story (1983) voted best festive movie of all time. Home Alone (1990) about an adventurous boy and his antics, when mistakenly left alone during the Christmas holidays, has quickly become a family favourite. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is one of the sweetest Christmas movies that just wants you to believe in Santa Claus. A viewing family ritual, with spiritual significance, It's a Wonderful Life (1946), is the story of George Bailey and how he learns what the world might have been like, had he never been born. To the long list of Christmas classics, we can now add the tale of a child, who opens a Wardrobe and enters into a magical world of a Witch and a Lion in a land called Narnia. While home viewing may have its appeal, taking the family to the movie theatre goes a long way in fulfilling a need to share a common memory. Part of the holiday enchantment is this shared sense of joy and expectation of a family outing. Within the world of cinema the viewers sit side by side, awaiting the fulfilment of their fantasy. The lights are dimmed, the theatre is dark; the spectacle begins. The adventure of movie going, combined with the wizardry of film and the magic of the season, casts a spell that is irresistible. "'God bless us, Everyone!' said Tiny Tim, the last of all". -- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
