It's not at all worth it. Bataille's novel, which I eagerly devoured after seeing "The Christmas Tree" the first time on CBS' The Late Show in December, 1975, is an OK read, but not too much better--or more interesting--than Terence Young's maudlin filming, in which there is little, if any, emotional involvement. William Holden, as the multi-millionaire dad, looks completely embarrassed. He has "I just wanted to work with Terry because he did such a good job on the Bond flicks and 'Wait Until Dark' written all over his fake expressions of concern. The best thing about TCT without question is Brook Fuller. Contrary to previous opinions, IMO he was a very talented young man - if you check him out on IMDb, you'll note his career was cut short early on; recovering from this dirge must have been difficult for him. But he gets the best line - "Live happy - Every day a holiday!" (That's certainly advice we can all use, but that's as good as it gets; meanwhile Mario Feliciani, as "Le Docteur," casually, nonchalantly reminds us that we're all mortals. Ho hum......) The alarm about nuclear accidents is hammered home repeatedly. From the beginning of the film, we spend the whole time waiting for poor Pascal to expire. When he does, it's more than just an anticlimax; it's hollow and catatonia-inducing. He has made a plaque for Daddy wishing him "Good Luck" - to me, it was "Good luck trying to get this sticky, pointless drivel out of your mind." Final note: Georges Auric wrote some of the incidental music, but the pseudo-sad guitar that weaves its way in and out of the soundtrack is clearly lifted from Les Jeux Interdits by Rene Clement - a much, much better example of how to get viewers to cry.
Review of The Christmas Tree
