Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition)
by George Seaton
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Edmund Gwenn, Gene Lockhart, John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, Natalie WoodDirector: George Seaton
Brand: NOX
Cinematographer: Charles G. Clarke
Cinematographer: Lloyd Ahern
Writer: George Seaton
Editor: Robert L. Simpson
Producer: William Perlberg
Writer: Valentine Davies
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Dutch (Original Language); English (Original Language); English (Dubbed); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Black & White, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Special Edition
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 96 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-11-21
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition)
Movie Review: Still Santa to me
Summary: 5 Stars
I suppose I have a stronger memory of this film from childhood than of any other holiday-themed movie, save perhaps A CHRISTMAS CAROL - but there I'm probably remembering at least 2 or 3 versions all sort of mushed together. The '47 MIRACLE stands alone though, and Edmund Gwenn will forever be Santa Claus to me.
The film opens documentary-style, with the camera following an old conventionally-dressed man (Gwenn) down the street in New York, snow falling lightly. He taps on a window pane - the startled shop employee, fixing up a holiday display of Santa and his reindeer opens the door to see what he wants, only to be remonstrated pleasantly on the proper placement of the toy animals. You see, this old man knows what he's talking about. Soon he spots a drunken Santa at the Macy's parade and after upbrading him is replaced - and then hired as the department store's ambassador for the holiday season. But he's no ordinary pretending elf, as the store's staff psychologist Mr. Sawyer (Porter Hall) finds out - nor is he willing to pretend to the public that Macys is the be-all and end-all of their shopping needs, recommending that customers go elsewhere if they can't find it in Herald Square.
If you don't know the rest, well, you should, and I won't spoil it for you. Suffice it to say that Santa/Kris manages to charm lawyer Fred Gailey (the underrated John Payne) smitten with his neighbor Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), who happens to be the woman who hired him, and takes on as his special project the re-introduction of the woman's far-too-serious young daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) to worlds of myth, fantasy, and belief. When Kris's sanity is questioned, and Mr. Sawyer contrives to get him sent to Bellevue, it's up to these three to prove that he is, in fact, the magical spirit he claims to be.
Despite the whole story being essentially about belief - about whether one ought to have "proof" for everything, about whether things are always as they seem to be - one of the most interesting elements of MIRACLE is the complete lack of religious elements. Perhaps the word "God" is mentioned in passing once or twice; I'm fairly sure "Jesus" never is. Santa Claus here represents human goodness and kindness and generosity - which aren't, after all, specific to Christianity or Christmas. They're human values belonging to all peoples and all faiths, and the film doesn't reduce it's message to reflect the holiday itself even if the setting reflects it. One could, I suppose, posit that Doris and Susan's lack of belief in Santa or anything demanding "faith" is indicative of a spiritual lack, but the film wisely doesn't push hard on this notion, leaving it up to us to decide just what (besides Santa and childhood games) they might be missing in their lives.
The casting is just wonderful - Gwenn won a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscar, though I think he's closer to being the lead, and Payne and O'Hara and Wood are all quite fine as well. Gene Lockhart as the sort-of-principled judge and Philip Tonge as Doris' coworker Mr. Shellhammer nearly steals every scene he's in. The location work in New York is a pleasant surprise in a film made in this era and certainly lends an air of authenticity; like the opening scene, the Macys parade has a documentary feel to it that isn't typical for the studio-bound productions that were nearly all of Hollywood's output at this time. The only real problem I have with it is the rather too speedy wrap-up; it's always hard to pull real drama out of a courtroom scene when you know how it's got to end, and the 'evidence' supplied (by both sides) must have seemed rather silly even in 1947. But no matter - the fantasy elements are always stirring underneath this ostensibly realistic look at the myth, and I still get a kick out of the last shot. Ho-ho-ho.
Summary of Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition)
Six year old Susan has doubts childhood's most enduring miracle Santa Clause. Her mother told her the "secret" about Santa a long time ago, so Susan doesn't expect to receive the most important gifts on her Christmas list. But after meeting a special departement stare Santa who's convinced he's the real thing, Susan is given the most precious gift of all - something to believe in.Beyond Miracle on 34th Street
 Miracle on 34th Street (1994) |  Christmas Classics Box Set |  Horton Hears a Who! |
Stills from Miracle on 34th Street (Click for larger image)
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