Hollywood icons Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck star in this uplifting holiday yarn directed by Mitchell Leisen. Lee Leander (Stanwyck) is a small-time shoplifter on trial for snatching a bracelet from a jewelry shop. When the trial is delayed until after New Year’s, kindhearted district attorney John Sargent (MacMurray) makes arrangements for her bail. The two gradually fall in love and John invites her to his family’s home for Christmas. There, Lee discovers a care and compassion she’s never known. Remember the Night (1940) features lavish costume designs by Edith Head (who would later collaborate with Alfred Hitchcock on several of his films) and a witty screenplay by Preston Sturgess (director of such acclaimed features as Sullivan’s Travels and The Lady Eve). While not as celebrated as It’s a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street, Remember the Night is nevertheless a film ready for re-discovery. Staff review by Josh D.
