Christmas in Indiana: A forgotten classic (Movie: Remember the Night)

This is a spectacular movie set in Christmas time about a petty (and pretty) criminal, Lee Leander (Barbara Stanwyck) charged with theft and grand larceny is being tried by assistant district attorney John Sergeant (Fred MacMurray). John convinces the judge to adjourn the case until after New Year, knowing that a conviction against a woman during the holidays is hard. When John's conscience begins to bother him, he posts her bail and drives her to his hometown in Indiana. His mother and aunt adore her until his mother comes to know Lee's past demeanor. Initially she ignores that and recognizes that an unhappy childhood may be responsible for her delinquent behavior, but fearful of ruining her son's career, she politely asks Lee to stay away from John. When John offers to leave Lee in Canada so that she can avoid prosecution, but fearful of destroying his career, she refuses and stands trial in New York, and pleads guilty when she realizes that John has fallen in love with her. As she is lead away, John proposes to her and she promises that if he still feels that way after she has paid her debt to society, she will marry him.

The movie is strongly supported by the powerful performances of Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray who pass through an incredible odyssey to spend Christmas in peace at his home in Indiana. We see two sides of a family, where Lee's mother is harsh and unforgiving who refuses to accommodate Lee even during Christmas time, but John's family is happy and understanding. When Lee finally learns the truth about her past and present, she strongly feels that she has to pay her debt to society, but she also sees brighter future as her conscience will be clearer for a happy ending. This is a story of Christmas miracle in which we see a transformation of Lee from her past to her future.

Reference: Remember the Night – DVD