Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "The Night Before Christmas" is probably a title that is known to many and actually even back in 1905, so over 110 years ago, this already existed in film. The director is Edwin S. Porter and he brought Clement Moore's poem to the screen here. of course, it is a bit tough looking at how this is a silent film and they could not recite the poem audibly, but this is not a major problem here. I did not really care for the scenes of the kids playing on the bed for example, but it was all about the moments during which we see Santa and also his reindeer occasionally. I think this can be a really good watch during the holidays. Certainly worth checking out again when the snow falls. I give it a thumbs up, 11 minutes worth seeing.

ackstasis It is the night before Christmas, and an always-busy Saint Nicholas is outside in the snowy fields of the North Pole feeding his beloved reindeer, before returning to his workshop to place the finishing touches on his toys for the children. Meanwhile, the children in their homes are excited about his imminent arrival, carefully hanging their stockings above the fireplace and retreating to bed with no hope of ever falling asleep with such excitement in the air. The children feign sleeping as the nanny passes their bedsides, suddenly springing to their feet as soon as she departs, before ducking back under the covers when she returns to check out what all the commotion is. Observe how the youngest daughter deviously initiates a frenzied pillow fight among all the siblings, before sneaking off to observe the spectacle from safer quarters. Throughout all the action, the intertitles recite extracts from Clement Clarke Moore's beloved 1823 poem, 'A Visit From St. Nicholas,' upon which this film is based.The extended model shot that forms the centrepiece of the film shows Saint Nicholas' reindeer prancing over the mountain tops, before taking off into the open air, and coming to a halt on the rooftop of the children's home. Though perhaps inferior to the stunning model work of George Méliès in his "Le Voyage à travers l'impossible / The Impossible Voyage" (1904), this elaborate shot nonetheless involved a lot of tireless work from all involved, and retains much of its original charm.After descending the chimney, Saint Nicholas empties the contents of his sack onto the floor, waves his arm once, and the room is miraculously transformed, a huge, beautifully-decorated Christmas tree and a multitude of presents now decorating the room. Just as Saint Nicholas disappears into the chimney again, the children and their parents stride into the room, the children's eyes suddenly widening at the sight of all these gifts. To be young again, eh? More than a century after it was originally produced, 'The Night Before Christmas' remains every bit as magical as it must have been in 1905.

MartinHafer Okay, all of you that CAN'T or WON'T look at an early silent film without immediately dismissing or laughing at it can stop reading this review. The likelihood you would even try watching this film or stick with it is absurdly low, so this review is more for lovers of historically important cinema. For 1905, this is an incredible picture in so many ways. The sets for the time were extremely expensive and complex. The special effects, though surely out of date, also took a lot of imagination and planning. So for a 1905 production, this film screams 'quality' from start to finish.The movie is the poem THE NIGHT BEFORE Christmas and as the lines are written out on inter-title cards, the action takes place on the screen. Because of this, the film is short and relatively simple, but compared to the other films of the era, the movie is still very engaging today and worth seeing from an historical and curiosity standpoint. About the only negative, and you can't blame the film's producers, is that the version I watched online had a soundtrack from a much later sound cartoon in the public domain. It just didn't match the film and I had to turn the volume down since it was so annoying.

DLewis This film was made by Edwin S. Porter for Edison in a style consistent with "The Great Train Robbery", though not containing quite as many setups. It is loosely based on Clement Clark Moore's original poem, and only includes brief snatches from the text in the form of titles. The opening scenes are short and deal with Santa's activities at the North Pole, as he feeds hay to his reindeer, works with his elves and updates his "list". Then it cuts to a rather long scene in a household with several children getting ready for Christmas and being sent up the staircase to bed. The most remarkable sequence in the film follows, as it consists of an elaborate turntable diorama portraying Santa, reindeer and sleigh traveling from the North Pole's icy wastes to the bright lights of the city. Some of the reindeer seem not to gallop quite consistently, but it is still an amazing achievement for a 1906 film. Then, in a scene well-known via an oft reproduced still, Santa is seen on rooftop, dropping his sack into the chiminy and going down it himself. The next scene is set in the same household as before, with Santa installing presents, stockings, decorations; he even puts up the tree! (This is followed by a title which is either misplaced or once led to scene which is now missing). The title is followed by another long scene where the children run down the stairs, open presents, jump around and generally involve themselves in the merriment and joy of Christmas. The film closes with a close-up shot of Santa with the caption "Merry Christmas To All." While "The Night Before Christmas" is not cut of quite the same ground-breaking cloth of the "The Great Train Robbery", it is still immensely charming as an early Christmas film, and the diorama constructed for Santa's journey is quite an impressive special effect for this era.