By Arwa HaiderFeatures correspondent
Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/Alamy
You’d better watch out: Father Christmas has appeared in various guises in films over the years. Arwa Haider reveals some very bad Santas.
‘Tis the season for festive movies – and Father Christmas has seized the spotlight in countless films around the world. Santa’s on-screen looks have been fairly standard (red robe and hat, white beard, often portly, nearly always Caucasian), but his film sets have varied (from snowy Lapland to city grotto, and even outer space), and his character has certainly shape-shifted across genres. Santa has been played as a jolly good guy, an unhinged killer, a romantic lead, and of course, an anti-hero, with the return of Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa 2. Here are 12 Santas of Christmas movies, past and present.
The debut appearance
The Visit of Santa Claus, 1898
BFI/YouTube
Cinema was in its infancy when Father Christmas made his first trail-blazing appearance on screen in this magical silent British short. The hypnotic black-and-white scenes depict a mysterious, rather meticulous Santa arriving in style via the fireplace, to leave goodies in stockings for two snoozing children. (Credit: YouTube)
The wartime enigma
The Killing of Father Christmas (L'assassinat du Père Noël), 1941
Continental Films
Christmas miracles happen – but so does murder in the snow – in this Gothic thriller with a festive backdrop. A globe-maker (Harry Baur) plays Santa Claus for the close-knit community in a rural French village, and a shadowy whodunnit ensues when his body is found in the snow. Pere Noel’s fate has an even darker edge when you consider that this was the first film to be produced in Nazi-occupied France.
Grotto fabulous
Miracle on 34th Street, 1947
20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection/Alamy
English actor Edmund Gwenn portrayed the original cuddly and gentlemanly department store Santa with this iconic New York movie role, blending realism, feel-good family drama, and a spirit-lifting fantasy twist. The film – and Gwenn’s persona – have inspired numerous remakes and homages over the years, with Richard Attenborough taking the starring role in the 1994 remake.
Killer Santa
Silent Night, Deadly Night, 1984
TriStar Pictures
Although 1974 Canadian horror Black Christmas is credited as an influential slasher film, Santa himself didn’t turn murderous until a little later. The first appearance of Saint Nick as serial killer was arguably this gory movie, in which a tormented youth goes on the rampage while dressed as a store Santa. From here, Santa developed a taste for blood in a spate of holiday horrors, including the spooky Dutch folklore of Sint (2010) and 2015 anthology A Christmas Horror Story.
Down-and-out Santa
Trading Places, 1983
Alamy
When his former bosses subject him to a cruel bet, rich Philadelphia broker Winthorpe (Dan Aykroyd) loses everything – and he’s reduced to crashing the office Christmas party (and raiding the buffet) in a ragged Santa Claus outfit. Impressively, he manages to conceal an entire salmon inside his filthy beard.
The blockbuster name
Santa Claus: The Movie, 1985
Moviestore collection Ltd/Alamy
This big-budget, brand-heavy family movie turned out to be a box-office flop, though it does feature US actor David Huddleston as a larger-than-life Santa who flies his sleigh over New York landmarks, and must adapt to an era of mass production. Dudley Moore shares the spotlight as an ingenious elf helper.
The animated figure
The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993
Alamy
Tim Burton’s stop-motion dark festive fantasy has macabre/cute anti-hero Jack Skellington hijacking Christmas as the self-styled “Sandy Claws”, who even has his own coffin-sleigh pulled by skeletal reindeer. A showdown with the bemused real Santa Claus ensues.
The everyman
The Santa Clause Trilogy, 1994-2006
Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/Alamy
US comedian Tim Allen plays a regular guy and divorced father who is contracted to stand in for the real Santa Claus in this family comedy film series. The 2002 sequel has Santa searching for a new “Mrs Claus” (female characters invariably play support roles in Santa films), but the response to follow-ups suggested that this series was not the gift that keeps on giving.
Santa on the run
Divine Intervention, 2002
Arte France Cinema
Nazareth-born film-maker Elia Suleiman sets the surreal tone for his award-winning Palestinian black comedy/romance with an early scene where a wounded Santa (George Ibrahim) struggles to flee a group of children, with presents falling from his sack, before revealing that he has been stabbed.
The love interest
The Perfect Holiday, 2007
Yari Film Group/Alamy
It’s notable that despite numerous appearances in film and TV, there is little deviation from Santa as white guy. Black American cinema has produced a few examples, from the Blaxploitation flick Black Santa’s Revenge (2007), to unabashedly feel-good modern romance The Perfect Holiday. In the latter, Morris Chestnut plays a handsome department store Santa and aspiring musician, who makes divorced mom Gabrielle Union’s Christmas wish come true.
The eco warrior
X-mas, Inc., 2008
Warner Brothers
A kindly Santa (late Latin American screen icon Pedro Armendáriz Jr, in one of his final roles) takes a stand against global warming and consumerist greed in this Mexican comedy, as the North Pole ice caps are melting, and a greedy elf-entrepreneur aims to turn Christmas into a capitalist fiesta.
Naughty, not nice
Bad Santa, 2003 and Bad Santa 2, 2016
Alamy
Unshaven, uncouth and strangely charismatic… Billy Bob Thornton’s anti-hero Santa is more concerned with mall heists than goodwill, though a kind heart sometimes glints beneath the sleazy exterior. The conman returns unreformed, and with an equally no-good Mother Christmas (Kathy Bates) for a movie sequel this season. Eminem also took on the guise in the video for his 2004 hit, Just Lose It, including a cameo from Bad Santa’s helper co-star, Tony Cox.
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Father Christmas in Films
Father Christmas, also known as Santa Claus, has appeared in numerous films over the years, showcasing different interpretations and characterizations. From jolly and kind-hearted to dark and unconventional, the portrayal of Santa Claus in movies has varied across genres. Here are some notable examples:
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The Visit of Santa Claus, 1898: This magical silent British short film depicts the debut appearance of Father Christmas on screen. In the black-and-white scenes, a mysterious and meticulous Santa arrives via the fireplace to leave goodies in stockings for two sleeping children [[1]].
-
The Killing of Father Christmas (L'assassinat du Père Noël), 1941: This Gothic thriller set during Christmas revolves around a globe-maker who plays Santa Claus in a rural French village. When his body is found in the snow, a shadowy whodunit ensues. Notably, this film was produced in Nazi-occupied France [[2]].
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Miracle on 34th Street, 1947: English actor Edmund Gwenn portrayed the original cuddly and gentlemanly department store Santa in this iconic New York movie. The film blends realism, feel-good family drama, and a fantasy twist, and it has inspired numerous remakes and homages [[3]].
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Silent Night, Deadly Night, 1984: Considered one of the first slasher films featuring a killer Santa, this gory movie follows a tormented youth who goes on a rampage while dressed as a store Santa. It sparked a trend of holiday horror films with Santa as a central figure [[4]].
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Trading Places, 1983: In this comedy film, a down-and-out Santa Claus is portrayed by Dan Aykroyd. After losing everything, his character crashes an office Christmas party in a ragged Santa Claus outfit, managing to conceal an entire salmon in his beard [[5]].
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Santa Claus: The Movie, 1985: This big-budget family movie features US actor David Huddleston as a larger-than-life Santa Claus who must adapt to an era of mass production. Dudley Moore co-stars as an ingenious elf helper [[6]].
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The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993: Tim Burton's stop-motion dark fantasy film features Jack Skellington, who hijacks Christmas as the self-styled "Sandy Claws." A showdown between Jack and the real Santa Claus ensues in this macabre yet cute animated film [[7]].
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The Santa Clause Trilogy, 1994-2006: US comedian Tim Allen plays a regular guy and divorced father who becomes the new Santa Claus in this family comedy film series. The sequels explore Santa's search for a new "Mrs. Claus" [[8]].
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Bad Santa, 2003 and Bad Santa 2, 2016: Billy Bob Thornton portrays an unconventional and morally ambiguous Santa Claus in these films. The character is unshaven, uncouth, and more concerned with mall heists than spreading goodwill. The sequel features Kathy Bates as Mother Christmas [[9]].
These are just a few examples of the diverse portrayals of Santa Claus in films. The character has been reimagined in various ways, reflecting different cultural and cinematic contexts.
I hope this information provides a glimpse into the different interpretations of Father Christmas in movies. If you have any more questions or need further information, feel free to ask!
