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Oh boy, was this good! The suspense was so great, I wanted to hit the fast-forward button to relieve the tension. I'm glad I didn't succumb because I didn't want this to be even a minute shorter.

After loving The Cranes Are Flying

and then being disappointed with The Nail in the Boot

this, I had no idea what this would be like. Even though the Italian was dubbed into English while the Russian was left subtitled, I'm still impressed. Go see it!

Krasnaya Palatka (1969)

aka The Red Tent

directed by Mikhail Kalatozov

cinematography by Leonid Kalashnikov

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If I become a famous artist only to suffer from an undisclosed but known-to-be-fatal respiratory ailment, I want to be sent here:

Doesn't it seem that in Hollywood only famous artists are ever sent to sanitariums? I guess its because the average PPO won't cover it. I mean really, check out those snowy views.

Sadie McKee (1934)

directed by Clarence Brown

cinematography by Oliver T Marsh

art direction by Cedric Gibbons

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Spellbound (1945)

directed by Alfred Hitchcock

cinematography by George Barnes

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In The Cut (2003)

directed by Jane Campion

cinematography by Dion Beebe

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The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

directed by Alfred Hitchcock

cinematography by Curt Courant

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Yet another Stanwyck snow-ladened spectacle - in a sanitorium no less! She will make her appearance later this month, so keep checking back.

For right now, just follow the rolling snow ball....

The Other Love (1947)

directed by Andre de Toth

cinematography by Victor Milner

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Snow Creature (1954)

directed by W. Lee Wilder (Billy's big brother)

cinematography by Floyd Crosby

art direction by Frank Sylos

It's really hard to make blowing snow look like more than just a smeary lens, but I like how this one seems sparkly and magical.

If you like, you can watch this bizarre, less than sparkly and magical film here.

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Dr Zhivago (1965)

directed by David Lean

cinematography by Freddie Young

art direction by Terence Marsh

Aural Adjunct: On a Good Old Time Sleigh Ride by the Peerless Quartet, another of my all-time year-round favorites.

If you enjoy this song, don't bother searching out other recordings by the same group. Unfortunately, they really embraced the racist attitudes of their time and made many recordings accordingly. Disappointing, because there is so much energy and joy in this recording and the vocal parts are so complex and unusual that it makes me long for more of the same.

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Holy cats, is that the time? Then let's get on with the snowy movies....

It's hardly surprising to see Barbara Stanwyck in another wintertime setting. Christmas in Connecticut would be enough to ensure her a Queen of the Studio Snow crown but it's always a treat to find another.

No Man of Her Own (1950)

directed by Mitchell Leisen

cinematography by Daniel L Fapp

art direction Hans Drier

and Henry Bumstead

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More stunt work by our intrepid actors. Claudette on skis... 

and Robert Young allowing a troupe of professionals to swoop over his head - repeatedly:

If that isn't really Robert on the slopes, then the special effects are just as impressive.

I Met Him in Paris (1937)

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Understandably too rarely found in classical Hollywood cinema - bobsled gags.

I Met Him in Paris (1937)

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That isn't studio snow, though there is plenty of that this year, and not just stock footage either. This was filmed in Sun Valley, movie stars and all; my attention was consistently drawn to the breath-fog streaming from the actors' mouths. Sun Valley was such a beautiful location. I wonder if it still is. Anyone know?