The best aspect of this adaptation of Capote's classic is how it reminds us why the first filmed adaptation starring Geraldine Page resonates so effectively. When sharing memories of childhood, we usually tell our stories by sticking to a particular event or person and only the relevant details which left the greatest impressions in our memory. The first film adaptation focused mainly on the relationship between Buddy and Sook and their fruitcake and Christmas adventures. It is Capote's story about his relationship with Sook and really nothing else. You feel like you're watching a story that you, yourself would tell about someone from your past. In this adaptation, the other relatives in the house, the neighbor, the maid, and most unfortunately, the military academy all become significant plot points. You don't get the feeling of someone sharing a fond memory, you get something more akin to an itemized police report compiled from several eye witnesses. The storyteller's voice is lost, and the nostalgic, dreamlike transport which pulled at and warmed our heartstrings watching the first adaptation is nowhere to be found in this one. It's still a good story, but it doesn't feel like witnessing a memory.
Review of A Christmas Memory
