Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Simple Gifts - Part I

This time of year those of my visitors who own televisions are not doubt inundated by seasonal specials - Rudolph, Frost, Peanuts et al.  It seems the same things turn up every year.  But there were some wonderful Christmas specials out there that made one or two appearances and then disappeared from sight.  Two years ago I mentioned A Child's Christmas in Wales but I also remember A Gift of Love, a gentle, touching TV movie with Angela Lansbury, Lee Remick and the much under-appreciated Polly HollidayPeeWee Herman's Christmas Special (the Christmas special to out special any special) and Simple Gifts, Six Episodes for Christmas.

Created for PBS in 1977, Simple Gifts was produced by illustrator, cartoonist and graphic novelist R. O. Blechman.  The premise was a simple one: actress Colleen Dewhurst offered us six "gifts" in the form of spoken word, music and animation vignettes with the hope that we would open our hearts and receive them in the spirit they were being given.

As well as contributing a segment himself, Blechman called on fellow artists Maurice Sendak, James McMullan, Seymour Chwast, and Charles B. Slackman to create graphics  to match words by writers as varied as Sendak, Virginia Woolf, a young Teddy Roosevelt, Moss Hart and Sir Edward Hulse.  The stories were voiced by Hermione Gingold, José Ferrar, Paul Dooley; amongst the musicians was the familiar name of Willian Bolcom.

Fortunately a broadcast by PBS Cleveland has been preserved and posted on YouTube by David Hansen - a big thank you to David for giving us this gift. And in the spirit of the piece I'd like to share that gift with you over the next few days.


The style of Maurice Sendak is unmistakable in the Prologue that introduces the episodes. 




During what is referred to as the "Little Ice Age" winters in England reached the coldest in the country's recorded history and the Thames River froze over 26 times between 1408 and 1814.  Though it was known that Queen Elizabeth enjoyed target shooting on the frozen river in 1564 and other sports were played on it's ice bound surface, the first Frost Fair was held in 1608.  In Orlando Virginia Woolf sets the episode of the young nobleman and his Russian Princess during this great event.  In adapting it for Simple Gifts Chwast and Blechman change the period and soften some of the social aspects of Woolf's tale - said to be based on the love life of her own lover Vita Sackville-West.
 




It's a remarkable series of short films and I'm at a loss as to why it hasn't become a holiday tradition. Well perhaps by posting them here I can start one.

A left click on the Gift Tag will open the next gifts:



December 10 - 1884: Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published.

1 comment:

yvette said...

Last night I read it all here and listened to two stories. It is new to me and I will try to share with the girls next week when they are around. I saw a crèche in Dresden Cathedral which is the illustration of 'No room at the inn'. Willym, you know how to share 'simple gifts' all year round really. Thanks a lot.