If there’s one time of year that begs for cinematic swan songs, it’s the holiday season.  Filmmakers from Stanley Kubrick to Arnaud Desplechin have found ways to weave some yuletide into their respective narratives and, like Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman famously used Christmas as the backdrop for his final theatrical feature film.  FANNY AND ALEXANDER, a semi-autobiographical epic, illuminates the splendor of a happy childhood and the importance of a family sticking together. As protean as the subject of family can be, Bergman, ever sensitive to beauty, manages to find the delicate moments from childhood stored in the mind of a reminiscing adult and conjures their wonder with all the aplomb of an elder statesman of film.  Astonishingly photographed by Bergman regular Sven Nykvist and winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. (Davis Rivera)

ABOUT THIS SERIES

The holidays are a period of travel for many of us as we venture to far-off homes and hearths. For some of us though, Austin is our home, and we are staying home for the holidays. With that in mind, we are presenting some of our favorite holiday classics on the big screen.