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Miracle on 34th Street: 70th Anniversary Edition
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Movie:
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Fox has been on an anniversary binge this year, as we just reviewed the 30th anniversary of Planes, Tranes and Automobiles, L.A. Confidential and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. To top off the list for the year, we get one great holiday classic to do so. There are a few Christmas movies that EVERYONE, no matter who they are, just know by heart. The Animated Rudolph films, The Peanuts Christmas specials, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol and finally, the 1947 version of Miracle on 34th Street. There are very few holiday films that can appeal to children and adults alike, but Miracle on 34th Street is one of those magical films that just seems to warm the hearts of anyone it touches. We all know the idea of Santa Clause is ludicrous on a logical, conscious level, but it’s the little fantasy of warmth and happiness that allows our imaginations to run wild that allows this little harmless to be so near and dear to the American public. The film was redone in 1994 with Richard Attenborough and the little girl from Matilda, but it can’t hold a candle to the simplistic kindness and heartfelt sense of joy that permeates the 70 year old black and white film.
The story is simplistic, but incredibly repeatable as it seems that the commercialization of the Christmas holiday has been a sore spot to many for years and years. I even catch myself forgetting about the original meaning sometimes as we’re inundated day in and day out with caroling, stores shoving Christmas sales down our throats, annoying music that is played on every tech support line for months, and the frustration of dealing with the hustle and bustle of relatives coming to town and the insanity that brings to the picture (my favorite film for that angle of Christmas will always be National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation). The idea of ’s birth, or if you’re not religious, the holiday spirit of giving and showing kindness seems to slip further and further away as an ever increasing segment of society starts to forget.
Even back in 1947 the frustrations of a commercialized element of the holiday was prevalent, as Miracle on 34th Street starts with the upcoming Christmas Parade in New York City. Doris Walker, a high level manager at Macy’s department store, is trying to organize the parade when her resident Santa Clause is kicked off the job for boozing it up. This opens up the opportunity for the next fat man in a beard she sees, which just so happens to be a man claiming to be Kris Kringle himself (Edmund Gwenn), to take over the job. Well, things start to get a little hairy when the straight laced and practical Doris finds out that Kris believes himself to be the ACTUAL Santa Clause. A problem that is made worse when the new Santa Clause accidentally turns Macy’s selfish marketing gimmick into a selfless one that makes them even MORE money than before. This means she can’t fire the man for being crazy, and instead allows him to continue on.
Miracle on 34th Street was a smash hit in 1947, but no one could possibly foresee the sheer legs that the movie would have. Much like Jimmy Stewart’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle is one of those films that played, and replayed, every holiday season for the last 50 or so years. It has become a staple of holiday cheer, and easily one of the most relate-able holiday films out there. The movie dances very deftly around the idea of Santa being real, or whether he’s just a crazy old man, but the result is still the same. It doesn’t matter if he is, or if he isn’t and all of the little miracles are just skillful coincidences, but whether you believe in the spirit of the season. I could wax eloquent of hour about Christianity and the views on the origination, but that’s not the point. What is the point is a sweet family film that rejects the commercialized idea of the holiday that it has become, and embraces the simple happiness as seen through the eyes of a child.
Rating:
Not Rated by the MPAA
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Extras:
• AMC Back Story: Miracle On 34th Street
• Movietone News: Hollywood Spotlight
• Promotional Spot
• Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Floating in History
• Poster Gallery
Final Score:
Maureen O’Hara and Edmund Gwenn are absolutely magical in this little holiday fantasy, and it is always a treat to revisit during the upcoming season. I have seen the film at least a dozen times and still get a little choked up at the end, and I know that I’m not the only one of us that does that either. Fox has unfortunately not done a whole lot to update the film since it’s 2009 Blu-ray release, as it is essentially the same disc with new cover art and a fancy slip box for the 70th anniversary. The same transfer, same audio specs, and same extras are on the disc, so if you already have the disc then the only thing new would be the digital copy that comes included. For those who DON’T have the 2009 Blu-ray, then this is the perfect chance to jump on this holiday classic and grab it in an attractively priced package.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Maureen O'Hara, John Pane, Edmund Gwenn
Directed by: George Seaton
Written by: George Seaton, Valentine Davies
Aspect Ratio: 1.37.1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English, French, Spanish DD Mono
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: NR
Runtime: 96 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 10th, 2017
Recommendation: Great Watch
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