00:00Hello, my name is Jacob Stowarty. I'm Chief Film and TV Correspondent.
00:04And I'm Patrick Swift, the Chief Culture Writer.
00:06And we're here to dive into the annual debate,
00:09Is Die Hard a Christmas film?
00:11This is John.
00:12Nice beer.
00:13He just wants to spend Christmas with the family.
00:16Is Daddy coming home with you?
00:18We'll see what Santa and Mommy can do.
00:21It's set on Christmas Eve, okay?
00:23There are a cavalcade of Christmas decorations.
00:25Everyone's saying Merry Christmas.
00:27Merry Christmas!
00:28It might be set on Christmas Eve, but a Christmas film that does not make.
00:33It's just, to me, that is a narrative convenience
00:37To kind of formulate what is an action film about the same married couple.
00:42And what better way to do that than set it on Christmas Eve?
00:47Welcome to the party, pal!
00:50Who hosts a Christmas party on Christmas Eve?
00:52A work office Christmas party on Christmas Eve?
00:55What is this?
00:56I have no point, but I could make a ho-ho-ho joke because that was funny.
01:01But obviously ho-ho-ho is integral to the point of the plot as well.
01:05Because when he puts it on that Santa's hat to the terrorist, it says ho-ho-ho.
01:09That, again, screams Christmas Eve.
01:11Ho-ho-ho-ho.
01:17For me, this is a clever, savvy, little cheat way of the writers going,
01:24How will we be watched every year no matter what?
01:28Set it on Christmas!
01:29And can I just throw it out there, this film was released in July.
01:32That is a very good point, but the screenwriter did actually say that the film was written deliberately to be a Christmas film.
01:39But released in July.
01:41Sorry, I didn't get that message.
01:42John McClane's wife.
01:43Yes.
01:44Is called Holly.
01:45It's called Holly.
01:46I don't think that's a coincidence.
01:47Okay, now this is your most convincing argument yet.
01:49With vows of Holly!
01:51The director said it's a bit like it's a wonderful life, you know, it revolves around a guy that's having a terrible day.
01:57Yeah.
01:58But he finds salvage, you know, he salvages his life.
02:00Sure.
02:01He goes back to his family.
02:02That is a Christmas miracle.
02:03That is a Christmas film.
02:04Fair enough.
02:05That is very, very convincing, Patrick.
02:08But what I will say is, again, it's a narrative framework that's convenient to highlight all of what you've said.
02:16Take away the Christmas.
02:17That film would exist and probably be a classic on its own merit.
02:21For me, you can watch that film all year round.
02:24You can watch it on April 18th.
02:27Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?
02:30Yippee-ki!
02:31Batman Returns, L.A. Confidential, Carol, Christmas films?
02:37Oh, this is a good question, Jacob.
02:39There are no accidents.
02:42There's no miracle in Carol.
02:44There's no miracle in Carol.
02:45So you're saying the miracle element is what makes it hard to Christmas films?
02:48I think that's how I've kind of landed on this, but it wasn't what I set out to say.
02:52So I've got you to admit that they've conveniently set it around Christmas and added in Christmas references.
02:57That does not mean it's not a Christmas film.
02:59Do you know who didn't think it was?
03:00Gremlins is a Christmas film.
03:02More so one, but again in the same vein as Die Hard.
03:05Yeah, it's got violence.
03:06It's got people getting really drunk.
03:08It's got people partying.
03:09It's got hedonism.
03:10It's got a Christmas miracle.
03:12Yeah.
03:13For me, though, I want Christmas to be kind of, you know, set in the home.
03:17Bit of decorations.
03:18Just a bit of cosiness.
03:19Eat it, Harvey!
03:20Yeah!
03:21Yeah!
03:22Yeah!
03:23Yeah!
03:24Set on Christmas Eve in a way that it's obviously integral to the plot.
03:29You've got so many Christmas decorations.
03:31You've got Christmas trees.
03:32You've got Merry Christmas said umpteen times.
03:35You've got a Christmas party without which Alan Rickman's crew could not have taken over the building.
03:41Yes.
03:42That's a very important part of it.
03:43You've also got, yeah, okay, maybe it's incidental, maybe it's coincidence.
03:48But, you know, that Holly is his wife, you know.
03:51That's your, that's a big one.
03:52Yeah?
03:53You think that's a good point?
03:54I like that.
03:55Alright, well, I think it's just a, you know, it's just a little...
03:57A little Christmas sprinkle.
03:58A sprinkle.
03:59A little Christmas sprinkle.
04:00Um, and then, you know, for me the fact is, it's about family.
04:04It's about redemption.
04:05Particularly, you know, in John McCrane's redemption arc.
04:09You know, it's about, you know, a Christmas miracle.
04:12The fact that he managed to somehow, miraculously, like, dodge all of those bullets.
04:17Oh, he's done!
04:18Oh, he's done!
04:19Oh, he's done!
04:20Oh, he's done!
04:21Ah!
04:22You are done!
04:23I guess the film's about him wanting to kind of, like, kind of be okay with his wife.
04:28Yeah.
04:29And I guess the framework of it being around Christmas is like...
04:32And that's the parallel to So It's a Wonderful Life.
04:35Very true.
04:36So you've got me, because I do love that film, that it's very Christmassy.
04:38And, you know, you could argue for a long time that film is not very Christmassy.
04:42No.
04:43Because it's flashback and stuff.
04:44Look, I will grant you that if the screenwriters wrote this film, tending it to be a Christmas film,
04:51I could maybe go out on a limb and get in the festive spirit of this debate,
04:56and agree that, in my head, I could class Die Hard as a Christmas film.
05:02I could.
05:03Okay.
05:04If I was feeling festive, and I guess it's Christmas, I'm feeling festive.
05:06Merry Christmas.
05:07Merry Christmas.
05:09When has A
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