Holly jolly happy endings are the order of the day with the 1947 original version of Miracle on 34th Street, from director George Seaton. I’m aware that this and its various remakes are beloved films but I’ve never seen any of them, despite hearing so much about the 1994 version that I feel I know the story already.
For those who don’t already know, this is the story of how a jolly old fellow named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) lands a gig playing Santa in Macy’s famous New York department store, then surprises everyone by claiming he's the real Santa Claus. This leads to a bizarre, highly publicised court case to determine not just the old man’s mental health but whether he is the real Christmas figurehead. Along the way Kringle becomes close to the woman who hired him, Doris (Maureen O’Hara) and her precocious (aren’t they always?) little Santa-doubting daughter Susan (Natalie Wood), changing their lives – and faith – forever.
It's easy to see why the film has endured – Gwenn is wonderful as the jolly old gent who never breaks character for a second and really keeps you guessing about where this is all going. With plenty of chat about mental health issues and visits to ‘shrinks’, the audience is constantly left wondering when, or if the mask will slip.
It's incredibly coincidental that this guy should just happen to be passing as Macy’s original Santa-for-hire reveals he’s too steaming drunk to lead the Thanksgiving parade. Kringle, such a staunch believer in the magic and sanctity of the season, ensures the wino gets the chop and is only too happy to step in. The crowd love him, but I’m not sure why. Is there a way to be the best guy-dressed-as-Santa-on-a-float? Nobody ever explains but I won’t argue. He’s alright.
Anyway after getting the gig full-time for the Christmas shopping season, Kringle turns heads when he starts recommending customers shop elsewhere for toys Macy’s have run out of. This, weirdly, turns out to be great for publicity and business, though Kringle’s antics lead everyone to worry he’s gone cuckoo, like giving his real address as the North Pole and putting Dasher, Donner et al down as his next of kin.
This leads to the store having him psychologically evaluated. It’s an odd premise that a shop Santa can be considered such a rock star celebrity that the store is scared to just fire him. I don’t totally buy it, but they make a decent effort of selling it.
Kris ends up moving in with Doris, striking up a cute relationship with sweet but cynical little Susan. Doris got burned pretty bad by Susan’s absentee dad, so the kid’s been raised not to believe in anything fantastical. It’s sad to behold this child who poo-poos any thought of fairies or magic or such, so it’s a neat concept to have sharing a home with a guy who just might be the real deal.
This is a movie about the importance of faith and believing in things for noble reasons. Where’s the harm in perpetuating the Santa legend if it brings people joy?
Kringle eventually lands in court after whacking his grumpy psychologist with an umbrella leading to a bonkers case where his best defence might just be proving once and for all that Santa is real. It’s entertaining and endearing but I find it problematic as, whether or not Kringle really is the magical fat man, he does still assault a guy unprovoked. I find it hard to root for the guy, I’ll be honest.
Of course, the whole point of this is to put Santa in the dock, leading to lots of fun moments and a tricky moral quandary for the judge who can’t bring himself to rule Santa doesn’t exist. Who the heck would want to be that guy?
The film does a pretty good job of showing how a court could be convinced and it’s all done in a sweet, festive fashion. It’s fine, uplifting stuff, but I can’t shake the feeling that the way the story handles mental health issues is troubling. There’s lots of talk about how this guy may have legitimately lost his mind, but what’s the harm in letting him believe he’s someone else? I feel like families of people with real mental health issues might not agree with this concept. Also, in the real world when old men lash out and end up hurting people, it doesn’t tend to lead to a happy clappy ending wrapped up in a bright red bow.
Admittedly, I watch this one while incredibly sleep-deprived, so there’s a tiny wee chance I’m on a grumpy downer today. Or maybe watching over 130 Christmas films in a row is really starting to catch up on me? We’re well into Springtime and I must confess that this feels like a big chore some days. I guess a lot of what makes holiday films work is watching them in context, on the run up to Christmas day, with the whole viewing experience being entwined with the excitement and wonder of the season. Watching this before work on a dreary Friday in May doesn’t have quite the same effect, I suppose.
So, I find Miracle… to be well above-par but it doesn’t quite cast the spell I expected and I can’t help pick holes in it. Still, I really appreciate the film’s themes of faith and optimism. Today we’ve finally set the wheels in motion to buy our dream home, so I’m going to need a lot of faith in the coming weeks and hopefully just a wee bit of magic.
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