The Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
This is the original Miracle on 34th street, and by far the
best version. Not to say that the others aren't good, it's just that this one
will always be my favorite.
The
Miracle on 34th Street tells the story of Kris Kringle, a man who believes
himself to be Santa Claus. Whether he is or not is implied by the movie but is
never explicitly stated beyond a shadow of a doubt. :) Kris is hired by Macy's
to act as their Santa Claus. There he meets Doris Walker and her daughter
Susan, both whom are hardened skeptics that Kris tries to convince of the magic
of Christmas. One of the most tender moments in this classic movie, however,
doesn't come from these two main characters. It's when Kris, as the Macy's
Santa Claus, meets a little girl from Holland. He learns from her adoptive
mother that she's a refugee that doesn't speak any English. He then proceeds to
have a lovely conversation with the child in Dutch. This is just one of the
subtle hints that Kris may indeed be Santa Claus.
As the movie proceeds, Kris is put on trial for his
"delusion" of being Santa Claus. Another reason I love this version
better than its remakes is when they question Mr. Macy about whether or not
Kris is Santa. In subsequent versions, Macy realizes how bad it would be for business
if he said that his Santa (who he's built his entire holiday program around) is
not really Santa. Although this briefly flits through the mind of Macy in the
original version, we also see him remembering how happy Kris made the children
during the Macy Day Parade and every day since. He determines in his heart in
that minute that this man is Santa Claus.
The ending also made more sense in this movie. After Susan
writes a letter to Kris in care of the Court House, the United States Postal
Service decides to send all the Santa letters sitting in their Dead Letter
Office to Kris. The court then determines that Kris is Santa because it is a
federal offense for Postal Workers to deliberately misdirect mail.
So is Kris Kringle Santa Claus? Watch the movie and make
your own decision. Personally, he will always be Santa Claus in my mind!
No comments:
Post a Comment