Miracle on 34th Street Blu-ray offers solid video and decent audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
A six-year-old has doubts about childhood's most enduring miracle... Santa Claus. The arrival
of one Kris Kringle, a department store Santa who believes he's the genuine article, turns the
skeptical child's world upside down.
No matter what you may think about its merits as a film, the 1947 original Miracle on 34th
Street is just as indelibly a part of the holiday season as mistletoe, wrapping paper, debt,
overeating, and long lines at the local Wal-Mart. For a film with such a strong anti-commercialism
message, though, it's a strange candidate to be remade. I mean, what is a remake besides a
nostalgia-fueled cash-grab? There are notable exceptions—John Carpenter's The Thing
always comes to mind—but this 1994 iteration of Miracle on 34th Street is not one of
them. While it isn't slavishly devoted to recreating, note for note, the 1947 masterpiece, it's not
exactly bold enough to drum up any real plot or thematic expansions of its own, and this John
Hughes-produced reimagining struggles under the burden of sameness and predictability. Had the
first film never existed, the remake might have made more of a mark—it is as warm and sweet as a
freshly baked cinnamon roll—but with the original still commanding legions of devoted fans, this
version seems completely unnecessary, a holiday redundancy on par with getting the same novelty
sweater from two separate relatives. Seriously, one is enough.
Despite a few minor changes, the plot will be familiar to anyone versed in the 1947 film—that is,
anyone who has ever watched cable television anytime between Halloween and December.
Elizabeth Perkins, of Showtime's Weeds, plays Dorey Walker, director of special events for
the fictional Cole's department store (replacing Macy's, which apparently wanted no part of the
remake). Strictly professional, rational, and emotionally guarded, Dorey is basically married to her
job, leaving her precocious daughter Susan (Mara Wilson) to hang out with next door neighbor
Bryan Bedford (Dylan McDermott), a lawyer who has a thing for Susan's mom. When the Santa
that Dorey hires for the Macy's, errr, Cole's Thanksgiving Day Parade turns out to be an drunken
slob, she recruits a kindly old man (Lord Richard Attenborough, reprising Edmund Gwenn's iconic
role) to don the red suit and take the reins. As it turns out, the old man is the self-professed Kris
Kringle, St. Nick, yes, Santa Claus himself. No one seems to believe him—besides the legions of
children who flock to Cole's every day to sit on his lap—but his is seen as a friendly, benevolent
delusion. Rival department store Shopper's Express sees a chance to put Cole's out of business,
however, and when they recruit the inebriated former Santa to call Kris Kringle a pedophile,
Kringle takes the bait, bopping the guy over the head with his cane, and getting sent to the
Bellevue mental asylum. Will Bryan defend Kringle in court and save Father Christmas? Will
Dorey ditch the ice queen routine and melt under the gaze of her lawyer neighbor? Will young
Susan learn to believe and get everything she always wanted—a house, a dad, and a baby
brother?
I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the answer is a big fat yes on all three counts. What sort of
inspirational holiday film would it be otherwise? Heartstrings are tugged, tears are jerked, and
cynicism is smothered with a blanket made of faith and love. Once again, the message seems to
be that belief, even wholly unsubstantiated belief, is better for the human psyche than good old
empiric evidence, which apparently only makes you bitter and disillusioned, like Dorey. Near the
beginning of the film, Kris Kringle tells her, "If you can't believe, if you can't accept
anything on faith, then you're doomed for a life dominated by doubt." Ouch. At one
point, Bryan asks the judge, "Which is worse, a lie that draws a smile, or a truth that draws a
tear?" It may just be me, but I'd rather have the truth. And I'm not sure if the "it's better to
believe in a comforting falsehood than to acknowledge a sad truth" idea is helpful or hurtful to
the film's spiritual subtext, which is made evident when Byran uses the "In God We Trust Motto"
on the back of the dollar bill to somehow "prove" that Kris Kringle is who he says he is. The whole
internal logic of the resolution to the court case is untenable, and much less dramatically effective
than the 50,000 letters to Santa that were used in the original.
While the film's ideology remains intact, the performances drop a notch from the classic
Hollywood-style acting of the 1947 version. Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott are blander
than figgy pudding, and much less likeable than Maureen O'Hara and John Payne, especially
Perkins, who is too cold and cruel to win our sympathy. I will say that the relationship between
the two is more fully developed this time around, as here we actually get to see them dating and
getting to know one another a bit. As Susan, Mara Wilson is more playfully quizzical than the
original's Natalie Wood, but she also gives off a distinct "child actor" vibe that's occasionally too
cutesy and put-on for her own good. And finally, while David Attenborough is perhaps perfect
casting for this remake, he'll always be in the shadow of Edmund Gwenn's, who delivered a
landmark performance that was jollier and infinitely more mysterious than what Attenborough
accomplishes here, impressive though it is. I can't think of a single way in which this film flat-out
trumps the original, so when it comes to whether or not a remake was necessary, I remain a
skeptic.
This updated take on a classic gets a decent visual upgrade on Blu-ray, with a 1080p/AVC-encoded
transfer that's about what you'd expect from a mid-1990's catalog title. Though overall clarity is
adequate, the film isn't incredibly sharp, especially when it comes to fine detail. A few of the scenes
look like they may have been shot with some kind of soft-focus/diffusion filter, but I also detect
traces of very slight digital noise reduction in the way that the grain in the film seems smoothed
out. It's
not as pronounced as some of the over-zealous DNR I've seen, but you will notice that facial
textures, especially, don't seem as crisp as they could be. The color palette is warm and stable,
though, showing expectedly rich 'n velvety reds and skin tones that are rosy and natural. Black
levels are fine throughout, with no overt crush apparent, but a slight bump in contrast wouldn't
hurt during a few duller scenes. There are no show-stopping moments of high definition splendor
here, but the film looks good
for what it is.
Likewise, the film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is sufficient but never superb, ample
but uninvolving. Aside from the jaunty Christmas score bleeding into the rears, the surround
channels don't get much play here, and during the few times when they are used, the effects are
stocky and abrupt. During one scene, when a horde of children rush into the Cole's department
store, their shuffling and chatter kicks in suddenly and then drops out just as unexpectedly with an
almost audible click, like someone hitting a "stop" button. When the track confines itself to the front
channels it proves much better, with a passable dynamic range and a mix that puts proper
emphasis on dialogue. The audio is consistently coherent and clear, but this track does little to
impress.
When Bryan takes Susan to see Santa Claus at Cole's, Susan, ever the doubter, says, "This seems
like a pretty pointless exercise." It's a sentiment that sums up my thoughts about the film exactly.
Both version of Miracle on 34th Street were released on Blu-ray this week, but only the
original is worth your time and money.
Miracle on 34th Street: Other Editions
3-disc set $16.99
Blu-ray bundles with Miracle on 34th Street (2 bundles)
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