The dreamy colour palette of these gentle vignettes of affluent upper-middle class life provides the film with lavish interiors, elegant balls, a string of romances and (naturally) accompanying singing and dancing that moves from the energetic (Clang, Clang, Clang, goes the trolley…) to the poignant (Have yourself a Merry little Christmas).
This is an infectiously charming Christmas joy, subtly imbued with notes of reflection and melancholy arriving, as it did, towards the end of World War II (1944). For fans of Judy Garland, devotees of the musical, or anyone craving a cosy time capsule of swooning song and dance, this is the film for you.