A Christmas Without Snow (1980)

People are voting emotionally.

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Had this been a movie just about a church choir coming together to produce Handel's Messiah, it could have been something notable and watchable. But "A Christmas Without Snow" has so many mini-plots and diversions that they detract even from the music. This film is a hodgepodge. It's slow moving, and we get just snapshots of the myriad characters – all of whom seem to have problems, if not pathos in their past. The dull, aimless plot kills this movie. It tries to include everything, and thus does little justice to anything. So, while the acting is OK, the story seems forced. Was CBS trying to make a politically correct – for the time – Christmas story? By putting too much in and trying to be all- inclusive, CBS wound up with a film that gives so little. But for the music – the singing that the film does have, it wouldn't earn even the four stars I give it. I fell asleep three times watching this on DVD. I can't imagine it holding the interest of children at all. While there aren't that many great Christmas films, many good ones have been made over the years. "A Christmas Without Snow" is a film best forgotten.

Zoe is a divorced woman who moves to San Francisco to start a new life. She's left her son with her mom while she gets situated. Zoe decides to join a very small church choir. They have just hired a strong minded choirmaster. Even though they are just amateurs, he demands perfection from the members. They are a quirky group, who we get to know as the movie progresses. After going through personal issues with members and the choirmaster, a broken organ and other small dramas, she isn't sure its worth staying in the choir. She hopes she made the right decision to stay. Their performance of the Messiah, looks like it may not happen when and unfortunate incident happens just before Christmas. The movie is a little slow, but if you enjoy a nice little movie, with an interesting story line, good acting and enjoy listening to Handel's Messiah (which is sung throughout the movie), you will enjoy it.

I have to admit I wasn't expecting much from this 1980 TV movie. However, "A Christmas Without Snow" is a nice little film to put on in the mood for the Christmas holiday. It is about a church choir getting ready to sing Handle's "Messiah" for the Christmas concert at their church. There are some trials and tribulations along the way, but I'm not going to spoil the movie for others. I'll give you a hint, the hardships are overcome with the spirit of Christmas. There are two standouts in this movie. One is James Cromwell as Reverend Lohman. Mr. Cromwell makes one believe he truly is the pastor of this San Francisco church. The other standout is the late Ramon Bieri, he was typically cast in tough guy, villain, or corrupt official roles. In this film Mr. Bieri plays a "salt of the earth type of man." In fact, Mr. Bieri portrays a man one would like to have as his next door neighbor/friend. Clearly James Cromwell and Ramon Bieri stand out in this Christmas TV flick. Check it out and you will enjoy it.

I just watched this movie again, must be my fourth viewing, and it really holds up. It just never fails to get to me emotionally.The story is simple, but it is the characters and their backgrounds that engage the viewer. There are no simple solutions to the problems presented, unlike the emotionally manipulative movies of today.A young widow grieves for her dead husband, someone suffers a stroke, a father and son resolve a tremendous difficulty with a very slow smile at each other and no words are spoken.Each story stands on its own. A microcosm of life. One does suffer, there is sometimes no magic solution, just a choir and an ambitious undertaking of "The Messiah" to get your mind off the same old, same old.Michael Learned, what has ever happened to her, a great performance. Also John Houseman being John Houseman, a delight. Not one jarring note from the large cast.An 8 out of 10. Catch this one if you can.