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Cast
Colleen Dewhurst
as Self - Host
Hermione Gingold
as Narrator (segment "The Great Frost") (voice)
José Ferrer
as Narrator (segment "A Memory of Christmas") (voice)
Dean Wareham
as Narrator (segment "My Christmas") (voice)
David Jones
as Narrator (segment "December 25, 1914") (voice)
Paul Dooley
as (segment "Lost & Found") (voice)
Claudette Sutherland
as (segment "Lost & Found") (voice)
Movie Info & Details
Release Year1977
Runtime1h 00m
LanguageEnglish
CertificationNR
GenresAnimation, TV Movie
Votes1
DirectorR.O. Blechman, Phillip Schopper
WritersR.O. Blechman, Maurice Sendak
TypeFeature Film
Rating10.0 out of 10
Cast7 credited
Also Known AsSimple Gifts
About Simple Gifts
A collection of animated Christmas shorts: An original Maurice Sendak piece about a boy with nothing to give for Christmas -- An excerpt from the early part of Virginia Woolf's "Orlando" set in a time of extreme cold in Tudor England -- A short based on the Toonerville Trolley -- A bittersweet excerpt from Moss Hart's autobiography "Act One" narrated by Jose Ferrer -- A reading from the Christmas day entry from the diary of 11-year-old Teddy Roosevelt -- A reading of a letter by Captain Edward James Hulse describing the surprising Christmas Truce of 1914 -- An animated version by R.O. Blechman of his own book "Tutto Esaurito" (No Vacancy) about the travels of Mary and Joseph.
Directed by R.O. Blechman, Phillip Schopper, Simple Gifts leans on a strong ensemble — Colleen Dewhurst, Hermione Gingold, José Ferrer — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about animation titles of 1977.
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