Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
DVD9 | ISO+MDS | NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Black & White | 01:36:19 | 8,04 Gb
Audio: English AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps; French, Spanish - AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subs: English, Spanish
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family | Won 3 Oscars | USA
DVD9 | ISO+MDS | NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Black & White | 01:36:19 | 8,04 Gb
Audio: English AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps; French, Spanish - AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subs: English, Spanish
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family | Won 3 Oscars | USA
The holiday season is in full swing when a cultured gentlemen with twinkling eyes, and ample belly, and a snowy beard is hired as Macy's department store Santa. He claims his name is Kris Kringle, and soon fills everyone with Christmas spirit - except for his boss, Doris Walker, who's raising her daughter Susan to not believe in Santa but when Kris is declared insane and put on trail everyone's faith is put to the test as old and young alike face the age old question: Do you believe in Santa Claus?
IMDB
The great thing about the original “Miracle On 34th Street” is that it not once comes out and says that Kris Kringle, the kind old man who insists that he is Santa Claus, actually is Santa Claus. It offers no magic, no bending of logic, nothing that does not exist in our own modern world. Everything that happens here can be explained away with the cold light of reality. And yet I doubt there’s a single person who has ever seen this film who walks away doubting Kris’ claims. This movie is not about proving that this man is Santa. It’s about getting us to have faith.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
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It’s certainly easy to believe in Kris, as played by Edmund Gwenn (he won an Oscar for his performance here, the only movie Santa to do so). Gwenn plays Kris as the embodiment of goodwill and kind-heartedness, the kind of person that makes you smile just by seeing him. He is perhaps the perfect movie Santa Claus; others have played up the ho ho hoing and the bowl full of jelly, but here, Gwenn takes a quieter, simpler approach. He’s merely a man who lives for the joy of helping others. He knows that goodness is a better remedy for the world, and he lives every minute with an aim to watch goodness spread.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
![Miracle on 34th Street (1947)]()
The story, for those still somehow unfamiliar with it, follows Kris, a mysterious old man who’s hired by Macy’s to be their in-store Santa. His employer is Doris (Maureen O’Hara), who’s raising her daughter, Susan (a very young Natalie Wood), to understand reality, not the fantasy of childhood. Susan doubts the existence of Santa Claus - heck, she doesn’t even know how to play make believe like a normal kid.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
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Meanwhile, their neighbor, Fred (John Payne), doesn’t understand why Doris insists on bringing her daughter up in a matter-of-fact world, when childish wonder is what she really needs. But where Fred fails, Kris succeeds: the old man and the young girl become friends, and maybe he can get her - and her mother - to have faith, to believe in something unprovable, such as, just maybe, Santa Claus.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
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The memorable scenes of the film come in its final act, when a quack psychiatrist tries to have Kris committed to the loony bin. The whole thing goes to court, with Fred taking the case for the defense, going so far as to hope to prove that yes, Kris is Santa. It helps a little that the judge (Gene Lockhart) sees only the political angle of such a case (if the New York Supreme Court declares that there is no Santa Claus, it may kill not only the national economy, but also his own re-election chances), and that the D.A. (Jerome Cowan) has a son at home who believes in Santa, and how do you handle that sticky situation?
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
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Again, the genius of the screenplay (written by George Seaton, who also directed) is that no one ever authoritatively declares Kris to be Santa, nor does it prove in any way that Santa even exists. Just as Doris and Susan slowly begin to gain faith in the unprovable, so does the audience. Sure, the movie drops hints and suggestions in Kris’ favor (how did he know that Dutch children’s song?), but nothing is ever solid. It’s up to us to believe, and believe we certainly do.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
![Miracle on 34th Street (1947)]()
And yet the film refuses to get mushy on us. The sentiment is genuine, but never forced. Seaton’s script is quite sharp, deftly mixing sly comedy (it’s actually a very funny movie) and pointed commentary (the movie remains a memorable attack on the commercialism of Christmas) into its tender drama. This isn’t some cornball effort that uses the holiday backdrop as a way to cheaply jerk a tear. No sir, it’s just a simple story of how kindness and decency will win over even the most cynical hearts. Quite plainly, it’s the Christmas spirit put on film.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Special Features:
- Feature Commentary By Maureen O'Hara
- AMC Backstory: Miracle On 34th Street
- Fox Movietone News Footage: Hollywood Spotlight
- Miracle On 34th Street TV Version
- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Floating In History Featurette
- Promotional Short
- Poster Gallery
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Note! This is Disc 2 from 2-disc Special Edition. See The Cover :).
Many Thanks to tater44.
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