Video Holy Grail #1: The Day Santa Claus Cried

There are some films that one learns about and wants very much to find. Such searches and eventual discoveries make movie collecting fun. In the same way, those who collect records and books enjoy the same kind of quest. Over the last 10-15 years, more and more once rare or obscure films have been released to dvd and even blu-ray. Such films include Al Adamson's masterpiece of craziness, "Carnival Magic," the 1977 Japanese horror film, "Hausu," and Sam Fuller's controversial 1982 film, "White Dog." Sometimes these rare films even make it onto an American cable network such as Turner Classic Movies. Such was the case of the 1974 Marcel Marceau film, "Shanks" and the 1973 film, "Wicked, Wicked," originally filmed in an all split-screen format called Duovision.

The 1978 film, "Questo Si Che e Amore," or "The Day Santa Claus Cried," or "Last Touch of Love," has not made it yet to dvd in any country and I am not aware of it's play on television in the U.S. at any time. The film appeals to me as it contains some elements that would seem to go well together. It appears to be about a dying boy whose parents are having marital problems. The parents of the child both work in the children's television industry, hence star, Christopher George, holding a puppet in the clip included in this blog post. Thank you, You Tube. The aforementioned presence of Christopher George, a regular in Italian films of the late 1970's and early 1980's holds some interest as well. From 1969-1971, George starred on a tv show called "The Immortal" about a man who could not die, hence the name of the series.
A search on Amazon, Ebay, and various websites specializing in aiding one to find hard-to-find films has proved fruitless. Ten years ago, I thought that finding "Carnival Magic" would be a difficult proposition, however, it not only eventually aired on Turner Classic Movies, but also, a few months later, was released on dvd and the greatness of blu-ray. At one time, only one print of "Carnival Magic" was thought to exist, that being in the possession of the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas. I, along with a friend, attended a screening of this film and had a great time. It was a treat to see it on film in a theater. It was a bonus to learn of it's eventual dvd release thanks to discovery of camera negatives.
So there is hope that "The Day Santa Claus Cried" may be released on dvd or I may discover an oddball vhs copy of it that nobody online knew existed. That is known to happen. I have a copy of Al Adamson's "Sunset Cove" on vhs from an early 80's Canadian video release. The search for rare films is an exciting pursuit to engage oneself in and finding films you thought were impossible to find makes said pursuit even more interesting.