Santa Claus (1925) User Reviews

imaginative and Alaskan footage

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 22 December 2023]

It's Christmas Eve. Two kids sneak down to the living room to find Santa Claus delivering the presents. They ask him what he does in the other times of the years. He describes the wonderous other-worldly frozen North which includes footage filmed in Northern Alaska.

Some of the footage was probably used in a nature documentary, but they do have Santa in the shot. The Easter bunny is ridiculously cute. The toy workshop is fun although that one elf is way too tall. They could have used some kids and a really tall Santa. I love how Santa is getting info on the kids. That in itself is worth the price of admission. Finally, I didn't realize that some had domesticated reindeers in Alaska. I assumed that they only do that in Finland.

Pleasant Fantasy With Some Very Good Visuals

[Snow Leopard · 27 March 2006]

This pleasant fantasy feature is particularly worth seeing for the very nice visuals it contains, combining outdoor footage from Alaska with interesting depictions of 'Santa Claus' in his workshop. Despite its age, the relatively unchanged nature of the material allows it to hold up rather well, and it could almost work as a holiday feature for today's audiences.

The story starts with two children sneaking out of their bedroom on Christmas Eve, so that they can talk to Santa when he comes. Most of the movie simply shows Santa's descriptions of his home and activities, and most of his leisurely explanations are entertaining to watch.

The main titles prominently call attention to the location footage in Northern Alaska, and with good reason, since these sequences contain some beautiful arctic scenery plus some enjoyable views of arctic animals. The indoor sequences also have some high points, in their depictions of toy-making and toy delivery. These sequences are rather old-fashioned, yet sometimes quite detailed.

By the nature of the material, the feature has a noticeable nostalgic feel, and in this case it works quite well due to the resourceful photography and the interesting settings.

Just adorable

[preppy-3 · 9/10 · 27 December 2003]

Two children wait up Christmas Eve to meet Santa. They do and quiz him on where he lives, what he does when it's not Christmas, etc etc. Santa answers all their questions and we see his answers.

Some scenes were actually shot in Northern Alaska (the North Pole). Those scenes are just beautiful and there are trips to Santa's workshop and how he finds out if children are naughty or nice.

A fun little holiday film--perfect viewing for the whole family. Adults will enjoy it as well as kids. Recommended.

The Rules

[boblipton · 5/10 · 22 December 2020]

A couple of children wait up so they can chat with Santa Claus. They fall asleep, but wake when he arrives, and ask him about where he lives.

The presenter of this short subject, F. E. Kleinschmidt produced a couple of other movies, one of them about a hunting expedition he took to the far north. So it's fair to figure that a lot of those shots were taken by Santa's.... I mean Kleinschmidt's crew.

The rest is showing Santa's workshop, with some elaborate items: electric trains, gear-powered carousels, even simple automata.

A Little Christmas Charmer

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 2 January 2002]

On Christmas Eve, SANTA CLAUS beguiles two children with stories of what his life is like the rest of the year.

This is a delightfully charming little film, an adroit mixture of nature photography & fantasy. With scenes actually filmed in Northern Alaska, we get to see St. Nick visiting his Eskimo neighbors & surveying his vast reindeer herd. Segments in the Workshop with the Elves are also well done and we finally get the lowdown on how Santa knows who's being naughty or nice. A lot of thought & finances went into creating this Holiday gem.

Al Kryszak provided the score for the video compilation A Christmas Past, in which this film appears.

A nice holiday film for the family

[SkippyDevereaux · 24 December 2000]

Very cute film about what Santa Claus does on his other 364 days of the year. Shows cute scenes from how they make the toys to how Santa can tell "who has been naughty and nice". All in all, a very homey type movie, suitable for the whole family.

Some amazing locations make this one pretty exciting to watch.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 23 December 2021]

"Santa Claus" features a lot of amazing location shoots and really wowed me. You see Santa at his home in the North Pole and this includes seeing a guy dressed as St. Nick out playing with real reindeer and walking about in what appears to be northern Canada or Finland or Alaska.

The story begins with a couple children awakening and sneaking downstairs to wait for Santa. Amazingly, they do meet St. Nick and he sits down with them and talks to them at length...and regales them by talking about his life in the North Pole.

Overall, a very charming film and one of the better silents of the era. Sweet and worth your time. The location shoot is pretty amazing.

The location shoot is pretty amazing.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 22 December 2021]

"Santa Claus" features a lot of amazing location shoots and really wowed me. You see Santa at his home in the North Pole and this includes seeing a guy dressed as St. Nick out playing with real reindeer and walking about in what appears to be northern Canada or Finland or Alaska.

The story begins with a couple children awakening and sneaking downstairs to wait for Santa. Amazingly, they do meet St. Nick and he sits down with them and talks to them at length...and regales them by talking about his life in the North Pole.

Overall, a very charming film and one of the better silents of the era. Sweet and worth your time.