The Holly And The Ivy (1952)

Set in post-WWII Britain, a family gathers at the home of a country parson (Ralph Richardson) to celebrate Christmas. But his three adult children, two daughters (Celia Johnson, Margaret Leighton) and a son (Denholm Elliott), are all hiding secrets from him because they fear he can't handle the truth. Based on the play by Wynyard Browne and directed by George More O'Ferrall (HEART OF THE MATTER). This lovely Christmas piece manages to keep sentiment in check and instead focus on a family torn apart by what seems misconceptions, intolerance, familial duty and lack of honesty. One can see the influence of Chekhov as each character speaks out their innermost feelings while still keeping them hidden from the people that matter most. Yes, it has a happy ending (after all it is a Christmas movie) but it's not contrived twaddle but instead a genuinely hopeful one that we can all move forward. The acting is especially fine by an ensemble cast with a particularly good performance by Margaret Leighton as a fashion writer who drinks to hide her secret grief. With John Gregson, Roland Culver, Robert Flemyng and repeating their stage roles, Margaret Halstan and Maureen Delany as two very different Aunts.