I remember that winter, because it brought the heaviest snow that I had ever seen. snow had fallen steadily all night long. in the morning, I woke in a room filled with light and silence. the whole world seemed to be held in a dream-like stillness. it was a magical day, and on that day, I made the snowman.
When I saw the Bowie intro years later, it really threw me, as I remembered a bearded man walking across a field at twilight sounding slightly sad. Thank you for proving I hadn't dreamt it. It's a wonderful start, a perfect balance of wonder and melancholy.
The Bowie version was for American audiences and then VHS releases. The Father Christmas intro for 20th Anniversary broadcast and DVD. I wish Channel 4 played the original on its 40th anniversary day but it wasn’t to be, I hope eventually they will play it alongside Bowies and release it on DVD/Blu-ray and Video On Demand.
Can anyone explain why only a few years ago this was included, and now I can't find a single version with it? Without the context this introduction provides, it goes from being a beautiful winter dream to something akin to Frosty.
The main feature is 16x9 but the Briggs and Bowie intros are included as extra features and are both in 4:3, as shown here. The Father Christmas intro is also included but they took the cropped 16x9 version and stretched it to 4x3.
