The Gathering

Along with "All Mine to Give", this is the other film my wife and view each Christmas Eve, and although I disagree in a small way with some of the commentators who precede me, if you can catch this one at Christmas time, watch and tape it--This is a film you should suspend your disbelief, and immerse your self in the story--There are few examples of great acting, except, I hasten to add, that of Maureen Stapleton--Her character has the goodness of "Miss Mellie" in GWTW, but has an era appropriate anger--The writing is equal to the acting, so maybe the actors are doing the best they can with the material given, and if viewing critically, one might think a few more rewrites wouldn't be amiss--But as I stated above, don't view it critically-(after 10+ viewings, some critique does creep in)--This notwithstanding, when viewed as a whole, especially with John Barry's evocative score throughout(I have been unable to track down a copy of the soundtrack},it's a moving tribute to the type of family Christmas some may have had, and all wish they had, but nevertheless evoke nostalgia for Christmas past--The impending death leitmotif, although essential, is not a "downing" factor--One is left with a pleasant melancholy, and an appreciation for one's family, however they define it--Merry Christmas, Everyone--

I've always been a big fan of Christmas and Christmas movies, but this television offering has to be my all time favorite. I still try to watch it every year on either my (fading) VHS copy or, most recently, on the Hallmark channel. Ed Asner is absolutely perfect as the estranged husband and father hoping for a last minute Christmas reunion with his grown children before he succumbs to an un-named disease. Maureen Stapleton matches him scene for scene as his wife. The children are all excellent as well, particularly Lawrence Pressman as the stubborn eldest son and Gail Strickland (one of Hollywood's most underrated character actresses) as his eldest daughter. Bruce Davison is also very good as Asner's put-upon son-in-law. The sequel is inferior (with two unfortunate cast replacements for the children) and Asner's presence in the second film is sorely missed but worthy of a look if you are a fan of this one. Don't miss the Gathering. It'll make you long for an old-fashioned Christmas reunion--your own gathering, whether you're dying or not.

It must have been around 1982 when I saw this film on British TV. My recollections are therefore dim of the detail but it moved me very much. A Christmas setting with sad but also happy moments, it shapes a family's trials at a time of year that is sadly not always the happiest for many people.

But do not be put off watching; this is a very good film and makes you think about what happens in families, and what can be made to happen.

Every year I look through the TV listings hoping it will be re-shown. For two years I have been e-mailing the BBC begging them to screen it again. Every month I check the video listings to see if I can buy it. I hope it will come round again.

Shortly after I wrote this several years ago, I managed to get a copy via Marta. Thank you Marta. She now says it's available on DVD via Warner Archive.

It was interesting to read the production credits of The Gathering, an extremely well-acted drama, and see the following title - Executive Producer: Joseph Barbera. When Barbera died in 2006, it was a shame that the obits never mentioned his Emmy win for this critically acclaimed TV movie. Barbera, with business partner William Hanna, produced numerous TV cartoon shows and the Tom & Jerry shorts. The Gathering was Hanna-Barbera's few non-animated projects and this Emmy-award winning drama hit the ball right out of the park with its unsentimental view of one family celebrating Christmas for a final time with their long-lost father.

Strong performances by a great ensemble cast including Edward Asner and Maureen Stapleton as the parents, an observant script by James Poe (who co-adapted Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and won an Oscar co-adapting Around the World in Eighty Days) and well-directed by Randal Kleiser (who would direct the movie Grease a year later) made The Gathering one of the better TV-movies from the 1970s.

Update: May 13, 2011

Warner Brothers Archive Collection released The Gathering on DVD in 2009.

When I first saw this movie, I cried. It is such a wonderful movie, and hit home with me and the situation with my family at the time. I knew I had to own a copy of it. But for years, I'd search the TV Guide hoping it would come back on TV,and I could tape it, but no such luck. Until a couple of years ago, TNN aired it, along with The Gathering, Part II, and I got it on tape - but with commercial interruptions!! I would dearly love to have this movie on DVD or VHS tape, as it has now become a tradition to watch it every year.