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REVIEWS
NEW YORK, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1987
Sugarplums for Youngsters
Pulling more plums out first, probably the most satisfactory all-family entertainment is the meticulous version
of Dylan Thomas's "Child's Christmas in Wales," which will be shown on Wednesday evening, Dec. 23, at 8 on
WNYC and 9 on WNET. It features Denholm Elliot as a youthful grandfather in some indistinct modern period,
chatting to his overexcited grandson and remembering back uncertain "whether it snowed for 6 days
and 6 nights when I was 12 or whether it snowed for 12 days and 12 nights when I was 6."
But he is sure of the colors of the snow, the snowballs, the aunties, the songs and gifts of that long-ago Christmas in a small
town in Wales, and he rambles on with such a persuasive confidence that the flashbacks seem to be perfectly reasonable glimpses into
his mind's eye. The program is a treat to look at, with a picture perfect town, impeccable casting and costumes,
but even more a treat to hear -- it is a pleasure just to listen to the language spoken so well.
"A Child's Christmas in Wales is a small treasure, a genuine holiday classic... it is a sweet sentimental production
that ought to become a part of the holiday film pantheon, in the order of It's a Wonderful Life..."
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