MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
US, 1994, 114 minutes, Colour.
Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan Mc Dermott, J.T. Walsh, Joss Ackland, James Remar, Jane Leeves, William Wyndham, Mara Wilson, Robert Prosky.
Directed by Les Mayfiield.
Another version of Miracle on 34th Street? Is it necessary? Probably not. Enjoyable? If an audience hasn’t seen the original with Maureen O’ Hara, Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood, yes. Even a very good actress is very difficult to replace Maureen O’ Hara. The original 1947 screenplay has been moved to the 1990s, it stays very close to it. The story is familiar. The story of the nice old man with the beard who thinks he is Kris Kringle, charms the children at a department store at Christmas, but has to go to court to establish that he is Santa Claus. Richard Attenborough enjoys himself immensely as Kris Kringle. It is just what one would expect for entertaining Christmas sentiment, a nice remake, but the original still stands.
1. The popularity of the original film? The effectiveness of the remake?
2. The New York settings, homes and apartments, the streets and parades, the shops, the Christmas decorations, sales? The atmosphere of commercial Christmas? (Very little religious overtones, except for the priest and the Christmas Eve wedding.)
3. The credibility of the plot? Belief in Santa Claus? Children and their not believing? Parents and their fulfilling the expectations of Santa’s bringing gifts? Parents bringing children to the department stores to meet Santa? His promises?
4. The miracle, the believing in Santa Claus, Susan asking for a house and family, her getting them?
5. Dorey, her job at Coles, supervisor, special projects, the parade? The drunken Santa Claus, his fall? Her desperation? The encounter with Kris Kringle, his credentials, her inviting him to be the Santa? His genial presence? The success of the parade?
6. Coles, the owner, the chairman? His wariness, the rivalry with the other store? Victor Landbergh? Shoppers’ Express? The rivalries?
7. Landbergh, his personality, Shoppers’ Express, his domination? Jack Duff as his assistant, his getting him to spy on Coles? His bad tactics, Duff and his bribing the drunken Santa to testify that Kris Kringle had attacked him?
8. Kris, the success in the store, parents wary about the gifts, his explaining that they could be bought more cheaply at another store, the chairman and his reaction, seeing it as a good advertising means for the prestige of the store? The children, Kris and his ability with them? Christmas joviality?
9. Dorey, at home, the collapse of her marriage? Bryan Bedford, the lawyer, his daughter, Susan? The bonds between them? Bryan’s proposal, Dorey turning him down? His giving the ring to Kris for someone else?
10. His defending Kris in the court, the presiding judge and his genial attitude, the argument about Americans’ belief in God from ‘In God We Trust’ on the dollar bill, the argument from collective faith, justifying a belief in Santa Claus? His decision that Santa Claus was Kris Kringle?
11. Dorey and Bryan, the reconciliation, the invitations to go to St Mary’s, the priest, the ring, their marriage?
12. The Christmas Day, Susan, her thinking that Santa would not fulfil his promise, confirming her belief that he did not exist, testing her change of belief in her encounter with Kris? The marriage, the house and its being the dream house, the prospect of a baby brother?
13. Christmas stories, stories of Santa Claus? Christmas sentiment? Christmas cheer?
