clanciai This is much more than just sentimentality. Maria Ouspenskaya has the key role as the one who sees through the dimensions and feels what's going on outside reality. It's a great story about three old men working together since many years, who get the idea of throwing out their wallets in the street with some money in them for Christmas, just for kicks. Two young people, a boy and a girl, happen to be honest enough to want to restore the wallets to their givers. They are invited for a Christmas dinner, and there it all starts.There are many various turns of the tale, the three gentlemen even have some interesting experiences after death, and the young couple don't go too easy along either. It's a perfect Christmas story warming your heart and morals with a lot of feeling good about it afterwards, but the real meaning is rather serious and almost sinister. Maria Ouspenskaya would not have the wisdom and insight which is her endowment without some gruesome experience in the past of losing everything, and the motto is important: "I believe that the soul of man is immortal and will be treated with justice in another life, respecting its conduct in this." - Benjamin Franklin.It's pure karma and worth remembering.

SimonJack Modern audiences are used to horror films in which the dark side of the afterlife comes back to haunt houses and torment people. A few films deal with love and redemption, and some have been comedies. But, in the first three-fourths of the 20th century, films about the afterlife most often were stories with a deeper look at what happens after we die. These usually touched on Judeo-Christian beliefs in heaven and hell. Such is "Beyond Christmas" (aka, "Beyond Tomorrow"), a 1940 RKO movie that purposely did not have a cast with top stars. Indeed, the cast includes half a dozen actors who share the lead. Among them are some very new faces and some very old ones. The latter – including the three male leads by top supporting actors of Hollywood, are one very good reason to watch this movie. Charles Winninger as Michael O'Brien, C. Aubrey Smith as Allan Chadwik, and Harry Carey as George Melton give excellent performances. These three gents played some of the finest supporting roles in major films of the Hollywood golden years. Then, add Russian-born supporting actors Maria Ouspenskaya and Alex Melesh, and one has a film with real talent appeal. I agree with other reviewers about the poor quality of this film. However, I watched the colorized version and enjoyed it as well. I also watched the deleted scenes at the end, and agree with those who think the film was too choppy and loosely connected. Inclusion of a couple of those scenes would have helped greatly. I can't understand why they were cut in the first place. A quotation from Benjamin Franklin at the start of the film sets the stage for the audience to understand that the film would involve the afterlife, faith and belief in God. That quotation reads, "I believe … that the soul of man is immortal and will be treated with justice in another life, respecting its conduct in this." Indeed, that is an aspect of eternity that plays heavily in the film, especially with the character of George, who apparently killed a person in the past. A couple of very good lines stand out. At one point, George says, "To be born innocent is natural, but to die pure of heart – that's a gift." Michael says to James, "Sometimes we have to go through the darkness alone, before we can see the light." At times, Christian beliefs seem muddled. Michael says to George, "George, no matter what you did, if you're sorry for it, no power of darkness can touch you. If you'll only say you're sorry, George." George replies, "While I didn't mean to do it, I have no remorse. I never did have. And, I'd be a hypocrite to say I'm sorry now." In this scene, he goes off into the darkness. In the afterlife, Michael is called last to heaven. But he wants to remain and try to help reunite the young couple, James and Jean, played by Richard Carlson and Jean Parker. Christian belief from the earliest times is that the dead in purgatory and heaven can and do pray for those still on earth. Just as living people ask one another to pray for them in illness, or personal or family problems, Catholics and others pray to ask deceased parents, friends and other loved ones to pray for them. The Catholic belief on this, with Biblical sources, is referred to as the communion of saints. Toward the end of the film, Michael quotes scripture when he says, "There's more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repented …" (Luke 15: 7, 10). My DVD also has some bonus materials that I found interesting and enjoyed watching. One is a video of Bob Hope promoting the use of Christmas Seals. I remember very well that we used to buy these at Christmas time to help fight tuberculosis. Another is a video of Bette Davis urging people to buy war bonds as Christmas gifts for older children. In addition, last, there is a video segment with Christmas drawings and a band and chorus singing some religious Christmas carols.

utgard14 Man, this started out so well. It has this heartwarming premise that is perfect for a Christmas movie. Three rich old men (C. Aubrey Smith, Harry Carey, Charles Winninger) are lonely on Christmas. So they come up with an idea for how to get some guests for dinner. They each throw their wallet into the street with $10 and their address inside. The people who bring the wallets back they will invite to stay for dinner. Well only two of the wallets come back. They are returned by two young single people, cowboy Richard Carlson (!) and the lovely Jean Parker. So they all have dinner together, the two young people are attracted to one another, and this looks like it's going to be a great time.Then they kill off the old guys. Seriously, they kill them off. Okay, terrible decision but let's see where it goes. Now the plot is that the lovable grandpa types are ghosts who have to get Carlson and Parker together before they move on. Still a potentially great movie there. Except now Carlson is a complete douche who starts falling for a cobra lady (Helen Vinson), even though he proposed to poor Jean. What in the world is going on here? Why did they overcomplicate what started out as such a sweet, innocent film? Anyway, I don't think I'm spoiling things to tell you that it all wraps up well enough. But not before someone else dies and they tease that one of the old men might go to Hell!!! Good grief! It's a decent movie with a respectable cast but it's a little frustrating because there was a great movie in there somewhere and they blew it. If nothing else, see it for Maria Ouspenskaya. She's always great.

opusv5 I taped this around Christmas 2009 and have since made a habit of watching it on Boxing Day (Dec. 26). While it's not a great film, it's imaginative and likable, with nice performances from Winninger, Aubrey Smith, Ouspenskaya, et al. The idea of an afterlife that can be benevolent and not particularly religious seems a bit unusual for Hollywood. The spirit of generosity at Christmas and afterward is not too gooey and makes the film an overall feel-good experience. One note: when the estranged husband of Helen Vinson shoots her and Carlson, the character played by Charles Winninger is able to save the young man, who will doubtless be reunited with Jean Parker, but not Vinson. She is judged more harshly than justly. In this sense, the film could have kept within the bounds of generosity: though superficial and selfish, she didn't deserve to be killed. Nonetheless, it's a period piece nice to visit when there's snow on the ground.