A classic British festive treat, THE HOLLY AND THE IVY is released as part of Studiocanal’s Vintage Classics Collection on 2nd December 2019, beautifully restored and featuring brand new extra features. Starring British acting royalty Ralph Richardson, Celia Johnson, Margaret Leighton, Denholm Elliot and John Gregson, THE HOLLY AND THE IVY was adapted for the screen by Anatole de Grunwald (Queen of Spades, The Winslow Boy) from the play by Wynyard Browne and directed by George More O’Ferrall (The Heart of the Matter and the first ever producer of drama at the BBC). Set amid the austere atmosphere of post war Britain, this touching story of a family gathering together at Christmas and facing up to their demons is one of the very best classic British Christmas movies.
On Christmas Eve, the Gregory family descend on a snow-covered rural Norfolk vicarage, the home of their recently widowed patriarch Martin, the local Parson. This year though, family tensions and misunderstandings threaten to ruin the holiday, as his three children battle with personal issues and are unable to confide in a father that they consider unapproachable, judgmental and out of touch. Martin must confront some familial and spiritual truths in order to affect a family reconciliation.
THE HOLLY AND THE IVY poignantly and perfectly captures an England on the cusp of dramatic social, economic and cultural change, and deftly examines the generational gap in a family at odds over matters of faith and what the future may hold.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- New Interview with Melanie Williams, Reader in Film & Television Studies at the University of East Anglia
- New Interview with Professor Mark Connelly, author of Christmas: A Social History and Christmas at the Movies,
- New Audio Commentary with Jeremy Arnold, the author of Turner Classic Movies’ Christmas in the Movies
- Stills gallery
THE HOLLY AND THE IVY is released as part of the ‘Vintage Classics collection’ which showcases iconic British films, all fully restored and featuring brand new extra content. The collection includes KIND HEARTS & CORONETS, THE DAM BUSTERS, BILLY LIAR, DON’T LOOK NOW, DEATH ON THE NILE, FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, THE WICKER MAN, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, THE RAILWAY CHILDREN, IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY and many more
