MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Nine years after the Yuletide slasher flick Black Christmas, Porky's director Bob Clark once again took on the holiday genre, switching from gasps to laughs with A Christmas Story. Adapted from a memoir by humorist Jean Shepherd (who narrates), the film centers on Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), a young boy living in 1940s Indiana, desperately yearning for a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas. Despite protests from his mother (Melinda Dillon) that he'll shoot his eye out, Ralphie persists, unsuccessfully trying to enlist the assistance of both his teacher and Santa Claus. All the while, Ralphie finds himself dealing with the constant taunts of a pair of bullies and trying to not get in the middle of a feud between his mother and father (Darren McGavin) regarding a sexy lamp. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard), 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Pan and Scan, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English, Spanish, French
• Features:
  • • cc Disc 1:
    • All-new digital transfer in both full-screen and widescreen formats
    • Feature-length audio commentary by Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, and director/co-writer Bob Clark
    • Languages: English and Français
    • Subtitles: English, Français, and Español
    • Disc 2:
    • Original readings by Jean Shepherd, voice narrator of A Christmas Story
    • "Another Christmas Story" documentary with cast members and director Bob Clark, narrated by Peter Billingsley
    • "Get a Leg Up" and "A History of the Daisy Red Ryder" featurettes
    • Triple Dog Dare interactive trivia
    • Decoder match challenge
    • Hidden Easter eggs
    • Original theatrical trailer

AWARDS

• Genie Awards

•     Won Best Director - 1984 (Bob Clark)
•     Won Best Screenplay - 1984 (Bob Clark)
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1984 (Reginald Morris)
•     Nominated Best Costume Design - 1984 (Mary E. McLeod)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 1984 (Stan Cole)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1984
•     Nominated Best Sound - 1984 (Dino Pigat, Dave Appleby, Ken Heeley-Ray)
•     Nominated Best Sound Editing - 1984 (Steven Cole, Ken Heeley-Ray, David Evans, Wayne Griffin)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 1984 (Tedde Moore)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Bob Clark

• Producer:

  Bob Clark, Rene Dupont

• Screenwriter:

  Bob Clark, Jean Shepherd

• Book Author:

  Jean Shepherd

• Screenwriter:

  Leigh Brown

• Cinematographer:

  Reginald Morris

• Composer (Music Score):

  Paul Zaza, Carl Zittrer, Carl Ziffrer

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Alan Bernard

• Editor:

  Stan Cole

• Production Designer:

  Reuben Freed

• Art Director:

  Gavin Mitchell

• Co-producer:

  Don Carmody

• Associate Producer:

  Gary Goch

• Set Designer:

  Mark Freeborn

• Costume Designer:

  Mary E. McLeod

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Ken Heeley-Ray, Dino Pigat, Dave Appleby

• Sound Mixer:

  Alan Bernard

• Casting:

  Marci Liroff, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg

• Sound Editor:

  Ken Heeley-Ray, Steven Cole, David Evans, Wayne Griffin

REVIEW:

• Marketed somewhat confusingly as a family film by the director of Porky's, Bob Clark's A Christmas Story took a while to catch on. But video and cable have conspired to boost its reputation into that of a latter-day holiday classic, and deservedly so. Its secret may be its ability to appeal to both children and adults. Clark wonderfully captures both Jean Shepherd's period detail (that's not just any BB-gun, it's a Red Ryder BB Gun) and, even more importantly, his ability to tell the story from a child's point of view. The film is plenty nostalgic, but it also captures the frustration and occasionally the outright terror of childhood and the absurdity of adult behavior. Of course, the earthy, bawdy humor doesn't hurt nor does the fact that Shepherd himself provides the near-constant narration. ~ Keith Phipps, Rovi