In Australia, Christmas comes in the middle of the summer-and this is the hottest one anyone can remember. The O'Day family's sheep farm is ravaged by drought and wildfires and it looks like a year without presents for eight-year-old Ned and 16-year-old Sarah. That is, until Ned catches sight of an old man with a long, white beard! Based on a popular feature film that has become a holiday classic, this is the heartwarming story of a family overcoming the worst of odds-and a little boy's dreams that bring a whole community together in the true spirit of Christmas.

Film plays a vital role in the celebration of Christmas. For decades, it has taught audiences about what the celebration of the season looks like – from the decorations to the costumes and to the expected snowy weather – as well as mirrors our own festivities back to us. Films like It’s a Wonderful Life and Home Alone have come to play key roles in real-life domestic celebrations: watching such titles has become, for many families, every bit as important as tree-trimming and leaving cookies out for Santa. These films have exported the American take on the holiday far and wide and helped us conjure an image of the perfect holiday. Rather than settling the ‘what is a Christmas film?’ debate – indeed, Die Hard and Lethal Weapon are discussed within – Analyzing Christmas in Film: Santa to the Supernatural focuses on the how Christmas is presented on the deluge of occasions when it appears. While most Christmas films are secular, religion makes many cameos, appearing through Nativity references, storylines involving spiritual rebirth, the framing of Santa as a Christ-like figure and the all-importance of family, be it the Holy family or just those gathered around the dining table. Also explored are popular narratives involving battles with stress and melancholy, single parents and Christmas martyrs, visits from ghosts and angels, big cities and small towns, break-ups and make-ups and the ticking clock of mortality. Nearly 1000 films are analyzed in this volume to determine what the portrayal of Christmas reveals about culture, society and faith as well as sex roles, consumerism, aesthetics and aspiration.

From Crocodile Dundee to Strictly Ballroom , from Breaker Morant to Mad Max , Australian film has delighted and moved audiences the world over. Now in a new edition, Australian Film makes available all the essential statistics on over 340 beloved feature films from leading film writers of the last seventeen years, including Jane Campion, Jocelyn Moorhouse, Keith Connolly, Philippa Hawker, and Adrian Martin. This comprehensive and meticulously edited volume includes at least one superb still for each film covered, revealing a surprising number of local and international movie stars including Mel Gibson, Rachel Ward, Meryl Streep, Anthony Hopkins, Mia Farrow, Bryan Brown, Judy Davis, Sam Neill, Greta Scacchi, and Paul Hogan. The most in-depth look available at this important era in film-making, Australian Film is accessibly arranged with one film to a page. Each entry gives technical and cast credits which correct many factual errors and offers a succinct article covering the film's content and significance. For this second edition Scott Murray and his contributors assess the forty-two Australian films released in 1993 and 1994, detailing such international successes as Pricilla, Queen of the Desert , Sirens , and Muriel's Wedding . Also examined are films such as Mel Gibson's first and little-known movie Tim , box office hits The Year of Living Dangerously , Green Card , and the Mad Max movies, and critically acclaimed films such as Strictly Ballroom , The Black Robe , My Brilliant Career , Breaker Morant , Gallipoli , The Man from Snowy River , The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith , and An Angel at My Table . The most comprehensive reference to the films of the past two decades, Australian Film will both delight and edify all serious movie-goers and film buffs.

From Crocodile Dundee to Strictly Ballroom , from Breaker Morant to Mad Max , Australian film has delighted and moved audiences the world over. Now Australian Film makes available all the essential statistics on over 300 beloved feature films from leading film writers of the last fifteen years, including Keith Connolly, Philippa Hawker, and Adrian Martin. This comprehensive and meticulously edited volume includes at least one superb still for each film covered, revealing a surprising number of international movie stars including Meryl Streep, Anthony Hopkins, Mia Farrow, Judy Davis, Sam Neill, Greta Scacchi, Paul Hogan, and Mel Gibson. The most in-depth look available at this important era in film-making, Australian Film is accessibly arranged with one film to a page. Each entry gives technical and cast credits which correct many factual errors and offers a succint article covering the film's content and significance. The films examined include Mel Gibson's first and little-known movie Tim , box office hits The Year of Living Dangerously , Green Card , and the Mad Max movies, and critically acclaimed films such as Strictly Ballroom , The Black Robe , My Brilliant Career , Breaker Morant , Gallipoli , The Man from Snowy River , The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith , and An Angel at My Table . Australian Film will be an essential addition to the library of every serious movie-goer and film buff.

The respected expert in video sales and rentals offers an extensive reference guide of every film available on video--from new releases, classics and golden oldies to made-for-TV and foreign films. More than 20,000 entries, cross-indexed by title, director, celebrity, category, and more.

At last, a truly comprehensive look at Christmas and all of its customs with its long history around the world. The World Encyclopedia of Christmas contains articles on the history of Christmas baking, drinking, and merrymaking, and Christmas dramas, music, literature, art, and films. It includes entries on the evolution of the Christmas tree and the Christmas card, gift-giving, and decoration of church and home. There are profiles of the many gift-bringers, from Santa Claus to Babouschka, and miraculous tales of the numerous saints associated with the season. And there are histories of seasonal celebrations and folk customs around the world, from the United States to Japan, from Egypt to Iceland. Who, for example, knew the links between the Punch and Judy show and Christmas? That the medieval Paradise tree hung with tempting apples was the forerunner of the Christmas tree? About the Peerie Guizers, who terrorized the Shetland Islands, going door-to-door for Christmas charity? Or what Freudians make of our interest in Christmas stockings and Santa’s entrance through the chimney? There are detailed accounts of Wren Boys and Star Boys, mumming and wassailing, the Feast of Fools and the origins of eggnog. And of course stories of the Nativity and legends of the Magi. With beautifully illustrated accounts ranging from the pagan roots of Yuletide, through the birth of Christ, and the long and fascinating history of the festival ever since, The World Encyclopedia of Christmas, is a rich and continually surprising array of religious and secular history, trivia, literature, and art. This wonderful book deserves to find a home with every family that celebrates Christmas.