Charlie
Brown finds himself depressed at Christmas time, searching
for the true meaning of the holiday amidst the glitz and commercialism
of the modern age. He finds his answer in the passage below:
"And
there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel
of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone
round about them! And they were sore afraid ... And the angel
said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings
o great joy, which shall be to all my people. For unto you
is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
Christ, the Lord."
"And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly,
there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host
praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and
on Earth peace, and good will toward men."
"That's
what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." -
Linus Van Pelt
Click the play button above to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas!
The
Songs: (Click For Lyrics, MIDI Files, etc.)
The
score for "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was anything
but traditional. Vince Guaraldi's jazz renditions of traditional
Christmas melodies have become synonomous with the Peanuts
characters.
Video
Review: This
half-hour Christmas show is one of the truly lovable animated
specials in TV history, a status proved by its annual network
telecast since 1965. A Charlie Brown Christmas was the first,
and best, of a series of programs based on the Charles M.
Schulz cartoon strip "Peanuts." Hapless hero Charlie
Brown finds himself depressed at Christmastime, searching
for the true meaning of the holiday amidst the glitz and commercialism
of the modern age. Appointed director of the school holiday
pageant, Charlie Brown ventures out with Linus to buy "a
great, big, shiny aluminum Christmas tree." Instead they
bring back a miserable tree--a real one. A Charlie Brown Christmas
shows off the "Peanuts" gang doing what they do
best: Lucy is bossy, Snoopy is crazy, Linus is sweet, and
Pig Pen is, well, filthy. Instead of using adult actors trying
to sound like kids, the production features real children
providing the voices, an endearing effect. The jazz music
score, composed by Vince Guaraldi, has become a classic in
its own right; like so much about this program, it's an unexpected
but perfectly right choice. --Robert Horton
