Customer Reviews

CHRISTMAS MOUNTAIN: THE STORY OF A COWBOY ANGEL

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This really is a GREAT family film! It offers a unique, and dare I say, "multicultural" Christmas perspective that's not the least bit heavy-handed or contrived, but rather an engaging portrait of one man's much needed change of heart. In general, this movie is a good old-fashioned "feel good" film reminiscent of the warmth and spirit of Little House on the Prairie.

Christmas Mountain (a.k.a The Cowboy Angel), starring the late and wonderful Slim Pickens and Mark Miller(Savannah Smiles,various TV series) was made in 1981. It is an absolutely charming holiday film about the true meaning of the spirit of Christmas. Slim Pickens stars as The Cowboy Angel who comes to the cowboy character played by Mark Miller (Pickens' old cowpoke friend), in the middle of the night not unlike Marley in A Christmas Carol. The drifting cowpoke wanders into a mountain town on the border where Mexicans tend sheep. He gets caught in a blizzard.It is nearly Christmas. He eats a sumptuous meal and then can't pay for it. He is thrown in jail but is later bailed out to do the bigoted town peoples' dirty work for them. They press him into service to deliver some pathetic hand-me-down gifts of clothing and stale food to a "poor" family in order to assuage their own guilty conscience over being fat, dumb, comfortable and warm in their little village while those "Mexican Sheepherders" are up on Christmas Mountain alone. The Spanish family is a recently widowed young mother, pregnant and due any minute, her young son and old mother. The towns' people celebrate Christmas service patting themselves on the back for the good deeds they have down during the past year which of course are delusions of the real truth of their selfishish and money grubbing. The Cowboy goes to the mountain delivering the gifts and stays over night in the shed because "Cow Folks and Sheep Folks" don't mix. Of course his Cowboy Angel appears to him in the night telling how he must mend his past sinful ways if he is to get his own wings someday and get into heaven. Slim himself is almost there, and all he needs to graduate is to save his old buddy by putting him on the right path, and then Slim will finally get his wings.

It is a complelely charming and delightful story though on a parallel course of so many other classic holiday films, with one soul helping another to see the right and virtuous light. THIS IS MOST DEFINITELY A FAMILY FILM FOR ALL AGES and will warm anyone's heart who enjoys nice happy endings. Despite its obvious low budget, it blends wonderful acting with beautiful western vistas, and a real feeling that we are all the same afterall, under the skin and in our beliefs, feelings, hopes and dreams. I have watched this film every year at Christmas beginning from when my daughters were young over 25 years ago right up to the past Christmas when my old VHS tape wouldn't play any longer and I gratefully found the DVD on Amazon.

Christmas Mountain is a wonderful family movie...a movie for all ages. It has a wonderful message of love and caring, a little action and the acting is well done. Slim Pickens is fun to watch as a Christmas angel. This is not an academy award winning film by any means but it is enjoyable for holidays.

I really enjoyed this movie. It was what Christmas is really all about.
The scenery was quite beautiful also.

We first saw this movie on SHOWTIME in 1983 and fell in love with it. We have been searching for it everywhere for over 25 years!!! It is one of the best family Christmas movies ever made. Slim Pickens is a riot to see in this movie. If your looking for a movie the whole family will enjoy, this is it.

the movie was ok but the picture was of poor quality and difficult to see.

the movie is an excellent movie with very good morals, the only problem i have with this movie is the reproduction of it is very low quality.

great movie. my hisband watched in 1981 and it never was shorn agaoin on t.v. to our knowlegde. Ws happy to get to purchase.

An old but very heartwarming Christmas story that is worth watching over and over again.

Item was as advertised. prompt service.