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.
That wasn’t an effect
That was the actual Macy’s parade.
Re: That wasn’t an effect
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.)