Christmas Review – “Miracle on 34th Street”

Christmas Eve. The countdown continues today, and
concludes tomorrow, on the off chance that some
people are still online.

Cast, Crew, and Other Info

Maureen O’Hara as Doris Walker

John Payne as Fred Gailey

Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle

Natalie Wood as Susan Walker

Written by Valentine Davies and George Seaton

Directed by George Seaton

Complete information is available from the
IMDB
.

Buy from: Amazon.com
or Amazon.ca

Past movie reviews can be found here.

Premise

When a department store Santa claims he is the
genuine article, people
begin to doubt his sanity.

High Point

Bringing in the letters.

Low Point

Maureen O’Hara’s acting isn’t impressive, and she has
a very large role.

The Scores

This is a fairly original story. It’s a
different take on
Santa Claus, with a fairly down-to-earth view of the
entire affair. I
give it 5 out of 6.

The only visual effect I noticed was the
parade outside the
apartment window, and it was well done. I give it 5
out of 6.

The story is quite well written. The
reactions of people to
the man who believes himself Kris Kringle are
surprisingly good, with
just enough realism to engage audiences of all ages.
I give it 6 out
of 6.

The acting from Gwenn, Payne, and Wood is
excellent. O’Hara
is weaker, as is Porter Hall’s work as Dr. Sawyer. I
give the
complete package a 4 out of 6.

The emotional response is quite good. This
is a really
enjoyable movie, with and ending well suited to
Christmas. I give it
5 out of 6.

The production is also very good. This is a
pretty
impressive construction in terms of editing, framing,
and pacing,
considering 1947 technology. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, this is a good film, well worth
seeing around the
holidays. I give it 5 out of 6.

In total, Miracle on 34th Street receives 35
out of 42.

2 replies on “Christmas Review – “Miracle on 34th Street””

    • Re: That wasn’t an effect

      That was the actual Macy’s parade.

      Then the problem is in the production with the
      timing/editing of the dialogue. (I thought it was the
      actual parade screened outside a fake apartment window,
      given the depth of focus it had.)

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