It is once again that time of year that holiday items are being brought out by retailers, decorations are being put up in and around houses, and radio stations are playing festive music that is either loved or hated by listeners. I’m speaking of course of the Christmas season. Besides these examples of what the Christmas season brings on, it also brings the onslaught of holiday movies, such as It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. These are just a morsel of classic examples of Christmas narratives, and are accepted by most to be of that genre. One movie that sparks controversy among viewers as to whether it is a Christmas movie is or not is Die Hard, a film that since its release in 1988 has been the topic of debate on if it belongs to said genre. Although primarily an Action Thriller, Die Hard also clearly holds criteria to be considered a Christmas movie.
The movie opens with the protagonist John McCain arriving at an airport in Los Angeles. Not even two minutes into the movie, the stewardess on the plane says “…have a very Merry Christmas”, setting a tone for the rest of the film as the audience now knows that it is Christmas time. This statement is then followed by nondiegetic sleigh bells that can be heard in the score, and a straight cut to Mr. Takagi (the boss of the Nakatomi Corporation) wishing his employees a Merry Christmas at their company Christmas party on Christmas eve. These events take place in succession of each other, and only three minutes of the two-hour film have passed. After the festive remarks, Holly (John McCain’s wife) is asked to dinner by a coworker, which she turns down as it’s Christmas Eve, and lists off “…families, chestnuts… Rudolph and Frosty…” as to why she’s refusing. She also tells her secretary to stop working and remarks, “you’re making me feel like Ebenezer Scrooge”, yet another classic Christmas story. She also references Santa when her daughter asks if John will be home that night. These references, all right in the beginning of the film continue to set the tone, leading to the early conclusion that it can be classified as being of the Christmas genre. All of these references to the Christmas season take place in the first eighteen minutes of the movie before the hook occurs with Hans Gruber and his men overtaking the building occurs. Up to this point in the movie, it seems crazy to think that it isn’t a Christmas film as it is loaded with such references.
A typical viewer of Die Hard might say that after the hook of the movie the Christmas references stop as the rising action is taking place and guns and violence are taking the front seat. While it is true that the rising action is taking place and the Christmas vibes decrease to being peppered throughout the film, there are still instances in which one can connect the film to Christmas. For example, John enters and crawls through an air vent as means of escape from three assailants. Although he is crawling through metal ducts, it is similar to some Christmas film’s scenes of being in a chimney. Additionally, John’s wife’s first name is Holly, which if not looking for context might go over a viewer’s head, but when noticed it is another connecting factor to the Christmas theme. Even the terrorists themselves seem to be in the holiday spirit as Theo (the hacker) states “It was the night before Xmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for the four assholes coming in the rear in standard 2 X 2 cover formation”. This of course is his way of telling his comrades that there were four SWAT members on their way to the building, but he decides to format it along the lines of Clement Clarke Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas, once again reminding the audience that it is a Christmas movie. Even Hans Gruber, the main villain states “It’s Christmas Theo, it’s the time of miracles, so be of good cheer…”. It’s pretty clear that is even the antagonists of a film are making references to the holiday season that it’s a Christmas movie, and not just a movie taking place during Christmas.
The mise en scène throughout the film also contributes to the fact that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. We see John carrying a large teddy bear as a gift for his children, multiple Christmas Trees throughout the Nakatomi building and the police precinct, Santa Clause dolls on various desks, poinsettias pinned on shirts and in vases, and string lights on the trees outside of the building. These typical decorations were carefully selected and placed throughout the scenes as a reminder of the holiday in the midst of the gunfire. After killing the the first of the terrorists, John decides to send a message to the rest by putting a Santa hat on his corpse and writing “NOW I HAVE A MACHINE GUN HO-HO-HO”. The use of the Santa hat and the message on the sweatshirt point the film further into being marked as being of the Christmas genre. Towards the end of the film when John is trying to form a plan to take out Gruber and his remaining men, he spots a cart that has Christmas presents and packaging tape that says Seasons Greetings and has mistletoe on it. This tape is then used to “wrap” his Barretta 92F on his back for use against Gruber and one of his men. At the end of the film, the bearer bonds can be seen floating down from the 30th floor, and make it look as though it’s snowing in LA. These props throughout the film all point towards belonging to the genre of Christmas movie.
The score of the film aids in pointing viewers in knowing that the film is a Christmas movie as well. As mentioned before, sleigh bells can be heard at the airport; however, this is not the only instance. If one pays close attention to the score of the film, sleigh bells are heard as John makes his way through the building and the terrorists go about what they’re doing throughout the whole movie. Sleigh bells are primarily used in Christmas music, meaning that Michael Kamen (the composer of the score) was attempting to keep a Christmas vibe throughout the action. Diegetically, Argyle (John’s limo driver) playing “Christmas in Hollis” by Run DMC, John whistling “Jingle Bells”, and Sgt. Al Powell singing “Let It Snow” as he’s walking to his car all are examples of the characters themselves being in the Christmas spirit. Additionally, when the terrorists are entering the building, an ominous version “Ode to Joy” accompanies them, revealing their sinister nature to be pulling the heist on Christmas Eve. The song then plays again in its original symphonic form when the safe is opened due to the happiness it brings to Hans. As the film ends and the credits begin to roll, “Let it Snow” plays as a final reminder that the movie is of the Christmas genre.
It should be very clear that although it won’t come up along with Action and Thriller as a genre of the film, Die Hard is clearly a Christmas movie. The movie is played along with all the other Christmas movies during the season and has more than enough evidence to back the claim up throughout the film to classify it as one of the Christmas genres. There are probably some that will say it merely taking place on Christmas Eve doesn’t make it a Christmas movie, however, there is a plethora of evidence that says otherwise. Whether or not one wants to accept it, the fact is that Die Hard is a Christmas movie will remain, and will continue to be aired alongside Rudolph, The Grinch, and all the other Christmas classics.
Works Cited:
Introduction to Film Studies - Fall 2019 