For December, Criterion Channel unwraps classic screwballs, holiday darlings, and some of the best movies ever made

Films from the likes of Howard Hawks, Robert Altman, and Whit Stillman are all on tap this month

By Gabrielle Sanchez | December 18, 2022 | 4:00pm

Film Features Alfred Hitchcock

For December, Criterion Channel unwraps classic screwballs, holiday darlings, and some of the best movies ever made

Irene Dunne, Asta, and Cary Grant in The Awful Truth Photo: Getty Images

The crowning jewel of December on the Criterion Channel has to be the platform’s collection of early screwball comedies featuring legendary performances from Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, Irene Dunne, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, William Powell, and more. But there are also select titles from BFI’s once-in-a-decade Sight And Sound poll, which counts down the greatest of all time according to hundreds of critics and directors. Many of the films that made the cut in the latest poll can be found on Criterion Channel, and we’ve picked out a few favorites. And finally, we’ve selected a few holiday films for viewing throughout the upcoming yuletide.

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

Jeanne Dielman - Veal Cutlets

This month heralded the release of , which memorializes the best films ever made. Citizen Kane held the top spot on the critics’ poll for 50 years, until it was dethroned in 2012 by Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. This year, an unexpected film swooped in to claim the No. 1 ranking: Chantal Akerman’s slow cinema classic . Ackerman is the first woman director to place in the top 10—for a film she made when she was just 24. Jeanne Dielman is uncompromising in its vision, which patiently pulls apart the monotonous life of a lonely Brussels widow (Delphine Seyrig) who earns her money through sex work. Ackerman invites us to live amongst Jeanne for a while, as she goes about her daily routine. It’s a simmering work purely about the feminine, and the inner workings of one woman’s life.

The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1927)

The Passion of Joan of Arc - Has God Made You Promises?

There are few performances from the silent era which rival Renée Falconetti’s work as the divinely blessed yet legally damned Joan Of Arc. It’s harrowing beyond comprehension at times, as we see a young girl suffer for her God, and for her country. Carl Theodor Dreyer’s use of intense close ups throughout the film disorients the viewer and dials up the emotionality as Falconetti’s expressive face fills the frame. To watch The Passion Of Joan Of Arc is to watch a master at work, and a crucial viewing to anyone interested in Film.

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Ali: Fear Eats The Soul (1974)

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In 1974, Rainer Werner Fassbinder paid homage to a fellow master of melodrama with his reworking of Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows, which follows the romance between a lonely, older widow and a younger, Moroccan mechanic. Like the original film, hits themes of ageism, while integrating timely social commentary on race. As Emmi and Ali grapple with the pushback against their marriage from family and friends, the strength of their wills and devotion to one another is proven time and time again in this stunning reimagining.

Chungking Express (1994)

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Wong Kar Wai’s 2002 powerhouse In The Mood For Love is an unabashed favorite of this writer. While it landed at No. 5 on the S&S poll, the director’s 1994 film also made the list—and for good reason. Starring Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, as well as the legendary Hong Kong pop singer Faye Wong, Chungking Express tells the story of a policeman falling in love to the tune of “California Dreamin.” The film exudes life, capturing the urban hustle and bustle and swirl of neon lights and bodies pressed against one another. Despite the closeness of the urban structures through which the characters move, Chungking Express exudes heartache and melancholic isolation.

To Be Or Not To Be (1942)

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In the midst of World War II, director Ernst Lubitsch released the cunning satirical film , a bold undermining of the Nazi regime with touches of romance, slapstick, and thrilling suspense. Carole Lombard and Jack Benny are riotous as the great, great Polish actors Maria and Joseph Tura, who find themselves caught up in the war effort and must take on their most challenging roles yet. While its playful tone and fearless approach to mocking Nazis was seen as inappropriate upon its release, it’s since been revered as a standout in Lubitsch’s filmography. To Be Or Not To Be marks Lombard’s final appearance on the silver screen, as she died in a plane crash a month prior to the film’s release at the age of 33. Under the screwball comedy classics collection, you can also view her in Howard Hawks’ 1934 classic, .

The Awful Truth (1937)

A Scene from THE AWFUL TRUTH

Upon watching Leo McCarey’s a few months ago, it quickly became one of my favorites of all time. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne crack and sizzle as Jerry and Lucy, a married couple who file for divorce due to their mutual suspicions of infidelity. As the divorce proceedings march forward, the two pursue new relationships, only to realize it’s not what either truly wants. The film is absolutely marvelous, showcasing some of Grant’s best physical comedy and Dunne’s natural warmth and wit. You can follow up The Awful Truth with ’s Theodora Goes Wild, in which Dunne makes her comedic debut as the title character. Theodora lives a simple life in a small, conservative town with her two controlling, judgmental aunts. As a way to channel her desires, she publishes salacious novels under the name Caroline Adams, which turn out to be very, very popular.

His Girl Friday (1940)

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Pair The Awful Truth with Howard Hawks’ , and you’ve got a wonderful Cary Grant double feature. Grant’s at his best when playing a man who simply wants his wife back, and he goes to great lengths in His Girl Friday to achieve this goal. It may take your ears a few minutes to adjust to the mile-a-minute dialog in His Girl Friday, but the film quickly sweeps you off your feet with its humor and magnetism.

The Lady Eve (1941)

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One of Barbara Stanwyck’s finest performances comes in Preston Surges’ . She leads this dynamite film as the conniving Jean Harrington, who hatches a plan to pin down the nerdy (and wealthy) snake researcher Charles Pike (Henry Fonda). However, the con artist gets duped herself as she falls in love with Charles, who dumps her when he learns of her scheming ways. Determined to get back in his life and win his affections once more, Jean reintroduces herself to Charles as the Lady Eve Sidwich. From there, things get a little wacky, and even a little confusing.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)

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Tucked away under Criterion’s Snowy Western’s collection is Robert Altman’s revisionist McCabe & Mrs. Miller, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. The two play newcomers to a Pacific Northwest mining town who hatch a plan to run a successful brothel, much to the chagrin of the Harrison Shaughnessy Mining Company. McCabe & Mrs. Miller was radical in its subversion of Western tropes, and remains a gem of New American Cinema.

Brazil (1985)

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In Terry Gillam’s , it’s Christmas every single day, and watching this film for the first time truly felt like a gift. Jonathan Pryce gives a staggering performance as the bureaucrat Sam Lowry, who despite expressing external satisfaction with his monotonous life as a cog in the machine, frequently escapes to a dreamland where he’s a winged hero rescuing a mysterious damsel in distress. Brazil is a razor-sharp satire on the surveillance state, capitalism, the pitfalls of bureaucracy. Gillam invites viewers into his dazzling yet absurd world, and manages to craft something outright hilarious, romantic, and thought-provoking all at once.

Metropolitan (1990)

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A group of snobbish young Manhattan socialites traipse through the bustling holiday season in Whit Stillman’s savvy comedy of manners . After debutante soirées, they gather in an Upper East Side apartment to ponder philosophy and society and share romantic affections. Edward Clements leads the film as outsider Tom Townsends, who rattles his well-to-do peers with his expressed distaste for their lifestyle. Metropolitan scooped up an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, which is imbued with Stillman’s signature wit and charm.

Three Wishes For Cinderella (1973)

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What It’s A Wonderful Life is for many Americans this time of year, is for viewers across Europe. The Czech feature from Václav Vorlíček is broadcast throughout December in countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, and Norway. As indicated by the title, the story is a wintry, magical retelling of the Cinderella fairytale that stars Libuse Safránková and Pavel Trávnícek.