VOICES OF CHRISTMAS is the treasured production that originally debuted on Sight & Sound’s very first stage at the Living Waters Theatre. Come along as a talented cast arrayed in vibrant costumes presents a series of captivating segments depicting the significance of many beloved Christmas traditions. Rediscover the treasures of the season through toe-tapping melodies, favorite carols, and bright instrumentals, filmed both on stage and on location throughout the Lancaster County region. From and enchanting Victorian village to snow-swept landscapes to a whimsical toy shop and more, each heartwarming scene will inspire you to fully celebrate the birth of the Savior!
Fozzie Bear surprises his mother on Christmas Eve by bringing the entire Muppet gang to her farm to celebrate the holidays. Doc and his dog Sprocket, who had planned a quiet Christmas, end up joining the Muppets in their holiday activities and preparations. The Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock regulars join the festivities, but to Kermit's dismay, the only one missing is Miss Piggy, who has been caught in a snowstorm.
A destitute, crippled child and his mother are visited late one night by three traveling strangers who claim to be following a star so that they may bring gifts to a newborn king. The yearly live telecasts of Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors were a cherished Christmas tradition throughout the 1950s. In addition, since its premiere in 1951, Amahl has been performed regularly by community groups and small opera companies throughout the US, making it the single most popular American opera. This production, staged by the composer himself and originally telecast on Christmas Day, 1955, is a testament to the work’s enduring power to move the heart and stir the soul. Starring Rosemary Kuhlmann as the Mother and Bill McIver as Amahl. Members of the Symphony of the Air are under the direction of Thomas Schippers.
Taping at the iconic Joe’s Pub inside the historic Public Theater in downtown Manhattan, Joe’s Pub Presents: A Holiday Special will feature a variety of holiday themed performances from acclaimed comics, singers and actors including Bridget Everett, Jo Firestone, Jen Kirkman, Nick Thune and many more. Funk and soul group THE DAP-KINGS will serve as the house band for the evening.
Surrounded by his children, his wife Ethel, and Sammy Davis, Jr., RFK visits schoolchildren around the city, and is every bit the good patriarch and dutiful public servant. But it’s the films’ fleeting, in-between, moments where Pennebaker most precisely hits the mark, offering reflection on the possibilities that Robert Kennedy’s all too brief life foreclosed. Set against the pageantry of a long ago Christmas, the film speaks to tragic contingencies of history lying far beyond the ken of politics that continue to circumscribe the tortured destiny of our country.
Set in Prohibition era Chicago, bootlegger Robbo and his cronies refuse to pay the greedy Guy Gisborne a cut of their profits after Guy shoots mob boss Big Jim and takes over. When Big Jim's daughter, Marian, gives Robbo a large sum, believing he has avenged her father's death, the gangster donates to an orphanage, cementing his reputation as a softhearted hood.
The Wiener Staatsballett performs Rudolf Nureyev's world-famous choreography of "The Nutcracker." Recorded live at the Vienna State Opera, 7 October 2012.
Philomena Cunk is on a festive mission to track down the true meaning of Christmas, and find out exactly what it wants. It's an insightful documentary which takes her on a journey from pagan winter festivals and the nativity story, via 'Sir Charles Dickings', all the way up to today's obsession with Santa. Along the way Philomena will be grilling a variety of experts, trying to expose the truth about Christmas, such as why people still put up with 'brussels sprouts'.
LeAnn Rimes plays herself from her childhood in Nashville to her performing around the country as a country-western singer, until she has to make a choice: Does she perform at the Grand Ole Opry, following her dreams? Or does she not go to the concert, and stay at her dying grandmother's bedside? The made-for-tv film is based in part on LeAnn's autobiographical novel.
Annabelle - a calf who has a special wish for Christmas - wants to be a reindeer and help Santa Claus drive his sleigh as he delivers his presents! Annabelle's friends tell her not to get her hopes up, but to everyone's surprise, Santa does indeed meet up with Annabelle, and the calf gets to help Santa make the holiday special for one young boy.
The film tells the story of the experiences of Major Syrtis during the first Christmas on a newly-colonized Mars. Coyne has described the film as "Maybe Eraserhead or Dead Man crossed with some kind of fantasy and space aspects, like The Wizard of Oz and maybe A Space Odyssey, and set at Christmas-time. The story that unfolds is intended to hint at childlike magic within a tragic and realistic situation."
Two talented song-and-dance men team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business. In time they befriend and become romantically involved with the beautiful Haynes sisters who comprise a sister act.
Francois the Tree Man is far from his wife and three small children in Quebec, selling Christmas trees and living in a van on the streets of New York City. He does it for them. But this is home, too. Like the hundreds of Christmas tree sellers who descend upon the city from Canada, New England and even Europe, Francois delivers the magic of the season over a grueling month in his adopted neighborhood. He's a star, a storyteller, a Santa Claus in a sap-stained coat, a confidant, a friend, and a father figure to the local characters who are his New York family. They also need him. TREE MAN is the story of Francois's journey, how he arrived here, what holds him, and the conflict that will cause him to leave. As one of Francois' long-time customers says: "This has nothing to do with the trees anymore."
In this recording, from the Christmas concerts held on historic Temple Square in Salt Lake City, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square present the story of George Frideric Handel’s life through song. On the verge of being broke, Handel struggled to write his celebrated oratorio, Messiah. The story behind Messiah celebrates freed debtors, charitable giving, rescued children, and the Messiah's mission to save God’s children from spiritual death. With its Christ-centered focus, Hallelujah! invites listeners to feel the true meaning of Christmas. The music includes favorites such as “Do You Hear What I Hear?” performed by Osnes, “Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” and many more, including a breathtaking rendition of “For unto Us a Child Is Born” from Handel’s Messiah, performed by the Metropolitan Opera soloists. The Christmas story, as told in the book of Luke in the New Testament, is poetically narrated by Jarvis.
On Dec. 5, 1944, American soldiers, led by Harry Stuts, put their guns down for one day and organized a party celebrating the town's centuries-old Saint Nick tradition. Soldiers made hot chocolate from their D-rations, company cooks made donuts and cookies for the children, and 22-year-old corporal Richard Brookins from Rochester, NY played the role of Saint Nick. An emotional and heartfelt story, THE AMERICAN SAINT NICK illustrates how American soldiers and residents of the hamlet were able to bond over a moment in time, creating a tradition that continues to this day.
Aria Inthavong is visited by a whole host of BuzzFeed's most popular personalities to celebrate the holidays in a vibrant live special streamed to audiences worldwide.
Scenes on an ostrich farm, filmed in Natal during the Boer War.
The Nutcracker is Mikhail Baryshnikov's breathtaking and critcally acclaimed Emmy nominated production. The thisspectacular performance is danced by the magnificent team of Baryshnikov, one of the greatest classical dancers of the century, and Gelsey Kirkland, both chowcased at the peak of the their careers, with members of the American Ballet Theatre.
Each year, the Christmas concert presented by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square is seen by more than 85,000 people live and by millions more via television broadcast. This year the Choir was joined by none other than multiple Grammy-award winner Natalie Cole and Pulitzer prize-winning author David McCullough.
Several Puerto Rican Christmas tunes are performed on screen by Juan Rivera, Juan Ortiz Vargas, José Ramón Morales, and the Morgado Brothers.