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The big idea: why we should revive the spirit of Christmas movies past

From Double Indemnity to Women in Love, the accidental viewing of masterpieces was one of the joys of the season

Last month, I found myself with a few hours to spare on a rainy Saturday night in Antwerp, and only three movie options in the immediate vicinity: Gladiator II, which I had no desire to see; the partly Irish-language rap comedy Kneecap, which I did want to see, but it was subtitled in Dutch; and the 1988 anime Akira, in Japanese with English subtitles, which I had somehow missed all these years. This is my favourite sort of choice: Hobson’s choice, that is. Akira it was.

The experience made me think of Max Cherry, the bail bondsman played by Robert Forster in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. Asked what he is going to see at the multiplex that afternoon, he replies: “Something that starts soon and looks good.” For anyone who grew up on films prior to the streaming era, Max’s philosophy, and my Antwerp evening, may recall the days of watching movies on terrestrial television. In the UK, that meant appointment viewing, three channels (or four from 1982 onwards) and no catch-up facility. Time, tide and TV schedules waited for no one.

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