- Some of the most beloved Christmas films of all time might not be made today
- Films like Love Actually and Scrooged feature some rather controversial scenes
- Does Mark in Love Actually's obsession with his best friend's wife go too far?
- Billy Murray movie Scrooged pokes fun at sexual harassment in the office
By Molly Rose Pike For Mailonline and Emily Chan For Mailonline and Martha Cliff for MailOnline
Published: 08:02 EST, 27 December 2017 | Updated: 16:19 EST, 27 December 2017
There's nothing better than snuggling up on the sofa watching Christmas films with our loved ones over the holidays – particularly the old classics.
But many of our favourite festive movies feature moments that would be unlikely to make it past script editors in the politically correct world of 2017.
Earlier this year Hollywood was rocked by the allegations of sexual harassment and assault against director Harvey Weinstein.
The claims exposed the misogynistic attitude towards women which had been allowed to prevail off screen for decades – and on screen.
The backlash faced by Weinstein reflects the changing attitudes of the public towards the treatment of women.
Here FEMAIL takes a look at some Christmas classics of yesteryear that include scenes many would consider highly offensive towards women.
In black and white classic It's a Wonderful Life, George Bailey silences Mary during an argument by kissing her – a controversial approach in light of the current conversation around consent.
And in Love Actually, it could be argued that Mark's obsession with his best friend's new wife – from filming close ups of her face throughout their wedding day to showing up on the couple's doorstep in the middle of the night to confess his love – strays into stalker territory.
The classic musical Oliver! has a series of bar-room scenes in which Nancy the thief is slapped on the bottom by male punters, in an approach that would see any man given short shrift on a night out in 2017.
LOVE ACTUALLY
A prime minister seducing his secretary might not play so well to the public in 2017
It's many people's favourite Christmas film, but Love Actually has come to be regarded as very problematic by some.
The movie sees the Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) use his power to seduce his tea lady Natalie, (Martine McCutcheon), a junior member of staff.
Meanwhile, Andrew Lincoln's character Mark is in love with his best friend Peter's wife Juliet, played by Keira Knightley, and struggles to suppress himself from acting on it.
Tasked with filming their wedding video, viewers later learn that Mark spent the entire ceremony with the lens trained solely on Juliet's face.
He then shows up on the couple's doorstep in the middle of the night to confess his love
Love Actually's Mark is in love with his best friend's wife Juliet, and spends their entire wedding filming close up footage of her face
He later turns on his doorstep with a series of signs declaring his love for Juliet. Despite many considering his actions to be romantic, others have declared his behaviour to be akin to that of a stalker.
In another scene we see unlucky in love Colin (Kris Marshall) manage to take home not one, not two, but three American girls after charming them in a bar with his British accent.
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
George Bailey shouts in Mary's face in It's a Wonderful Life and kisses her passionately just seconds later
The original Christmas film has been criticised for a fiery scene between its main character George Bailey (James Stewart) and his wife Mary (Donna Reed).
The scene in question from It's a Wonderful Life shows George shouting in Mary's face after an unpleasant phone call.
In the middle of ranting at her he grabs her and gives her a passionate kiss as a visibly shaken Mary falls into his arms.
Mary in no way consents to being kissed and is overpowered by her husband – essentially forced into the act unwilling.
In light of the current global conversation around consent, it's difficult to imagine a scene like this getting past editors in a family film.
SCROOGED
A secretary at the Christmas party in Scrooged photocopies her bottom and hands out copies to men in the office, who leer at it
The classic Bill Murray movie Scrooged was a 1980s spin on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
And while the film has stood the test of time, some of the scenes certainly place it in a less enlightened era.
In one scene we see Murray's character Frank Cross shown an office party by the ghost of Christmas past, at which some very questionable workplace behaviour unfolds.
One of the secretaries in the company is drunk and photocopies her bottom, pictures of which she then hands out to her male co-workers.
This demeans the women's position in the office, taking her from an equal co-worker to a sex object.
At the same party Frank sees his married boss attempt to flirt with the same secretary, which a cheerful Frank regards as behaviour to aspire to while a modern day audience may consider this an abuse of his powerful position.
OLIVER!
Nancy gets her bottom slapped by a stranger during a dance number in Oliver!
Nancy pulls her dress up to dance while the leering men around her try to peek up her skirts
In another scene Nancy's friend Bet gets grabbed by a stranger in the pub who looks at her chest
The Harvey Weinstein scandal and sexual harassment in Hollywood
Since October, at least 75 women have come forward in the media to detail accounts of assault, harassment and inappropriate conduct by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Among the first two women to go public with their allegations were actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd.
Following that, a raft of other allegations followed, including from Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, who both said they were harassed by the producer.
The Harvey Weinstein scandal has shone a spotlight on a culture of sexual harassment within the film industry, as well as sparking the #metoo movement online.
Other Hollywood A-Listers have since faced allegations of sexual harassment, including Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman and Ben Affleck.
Though not strictly a Christmas film, the 1967 musical Oliver! has become a festive favourite.
Now 50 years old, some of its scenes have become dated – and occasionally controversial.
In one scene thief Nancy is seen leading pub punters in a singalong to famous song Oom-pah-pah, and after a dance with a stranger has her bottom slapped in a move that would see any man given short shrift on a night out in 2017.
Later she is seen standing on a table hitching up her skirts to reveal her ankles, at which point a peeping Tom tries to see up her dress even further – inappropriate then, and especially so 50 years on.
And she wasn't the only female character in the movie to have to tackle such bawdy behaviour – Nancy's friend Bet is grabbed by a lascivious man openly leering at her breasts.
We also see plenty of bottom slapping and unsolicited kissing, sandwiched in between cheery singalongs in pubs in what is supposed to be a family film.
THE HOLIDAY
Starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz The Holiday quickly became a Christmas classic upon its release in 2006 thanks to its heartwarming story of two women unlucky in love, finally finding romance.
However, among the merriment, one plot line has a rather sinister undertone.
In The Holiday Iris (Kate Winslet) asks former flame Jasper Bloom to stay out of contact while she travels to LA to 'get over him'
Just hours after arriving she receives a phone call from Bloom and just a few days later a package, though it remains unclear how he got her address
Iris (played by Winslet) is seeking solace after her former flame and colleague, Jasper Bloom announces her engagement.
While travelling to the home of Amanda (Diaz) in LA as part of a house swap to get away from her problems, she kindly asks that Bloom (Rufus Sewell) doesn't contact her while she tries to get over him.
However, within hours of her arrival Iris receives a phone call on Amanda's home phone from Bloom despite not giving out her number. He also proceeds to question her about what she is wearing asking 'have you put on that little red bikini yet?'
After not hearing from his estranged lover, Bloom turns up unannounced at the house she is staying in having bypassed front gate security
Just a few days later Iris receives a package from Bloom containing his written work, however, once again she had not provided an address to her former flame.
In perhaps the most unnerving scene, having received no reply from Iris, Bloom calls her once again, asking for her to check her front door for a 'surprise'.
Upon opening the door Iris is met by Bloom who has somehow tracked down her address, flown to LA uninvited and bypassed the heavy security on the front gate (which we see Iris struggling with earlier in the film).
Bloom's behaviour in the narrative holds parallels with that of a stalker thanks to the unwanted attention and the obsessive and calculative ways in which he tries to contact and manipulate his target.
BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY
In Bridget Jones' Diary we see the leading lady fall under the spell of her charming boss, played by Hugh Grant, who indulges in some inappropriate workplace behaviour
Bridget Jones is seduced by her lothario boss in the first Bridget Jones movie
The hapless love life of the eternally single Bridget Jones struck a chord with many single women when it came out in 2001.
But certain scenes in the romantic comedy haven't stood the test of time.
Bridget is seduced by her boss Daniel Cleaver, who sends her flirty emails from his work account describing her 'naughty little skirt', and telling her how great her breasts look.
Aside from the clearly inappropriate workplace language, Cleaver could be seen as abusing his position, using his authority to manipulate Jones.
They later get together before he cheats on her with another co-worker.
It's hard to imagine a film in 2017 that depicts a high powered man seducing a junior employee as romantic – or acceptable.
ELF
Buddy the Elf goes and waits in the women's bathroom while his co-worker has a shower
The adventures of Buddy in New York City became an instant Christmas classic when Elf was released in 2003.
And while the film is supposed to be light-hearted and festive, there are a few scenes that are likely to raise a few eyebrows.
In one scene Buddy creeps into the women's bathroom while his colleague Jovie is singing in the shower because he loves the sound of her voice. This would qualify as creepy behaviour from anyone in an office – even someone dressed as an elf.
Jovie's choice of tune is also notable, in that it's lyrics have been called into question on more than one occasion.
She warbles along to Baby It's Cold Outside, a call and response classic which tells the story of a woman trying to leave after a date – while her over-zealous suitor insists she stay for one more drink and 'give it up, give it up, give it up'.
The lyrics have come into question over the past few years with one article in 2012 asking 'Is Baby It’s Cold Outside a date rape anthem?'
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION
In this 1989 film, lead character Clark Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, makes a series of sexual innuendos as he ogles at the shop assistant's breasts.
While masked as a comic scene, the remarks he makes to the young woman are in actual fact highly inappropriate.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation sees main character Clark Griswold ogling at a shop assistant's breasts while making a series of sexual innuendos
He remarks that he is 'just smelling' instead of 'smiling', before saying it is 'nipply' instead of 'nippy' – adding 'What am I saying, nipple?'
Clark then drops in the word adultery, before making a crude reference to his genitals.
His son Russ is seen shaking his head disapprovingly at the end of the scene.
SUSAN SLEPT HERE
This 1954 film sees a 35-year-old Hollywood screenwriter Mark, played by Dick Powell, marry 17-year-old Susan, played by Debbie Reynolds.
Susan Slept Here tells the story of a 35-year-old Hollywood screenwriter, played by Dick Powell (left), marrying a 17-year-old teenager, played by Debbie Reynolds, (right) that he takes into his home
It begins with the teenager being brought to Mark's apartment by a police officer after she was abandoned by her mother.
Mark then makes the drastic decision to marry Susan on finding out she would be put in a juvenile detention facility, after she was arrested for vagrancy.
Later on in the movie, he confesses that she is in love with the teenager, despite his concerns about the age gap.
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