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Summary: GEORGE SEATON IS MARVELOUS!!!!
Review: What a fantastic film! Faith IS believing when common sense tells you not to. For a world that seems to be losing faith by the minute...this is the picture to see. Hats off to George Seaton and the entire crew! It is a shame that the 1990's remake doesn't hold a candle to the original.
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Summary: But Virginia, there is NO Santa Claus
Review: I did not like this movie because its theme is that you should believe in Santa Claus and everything will work out.THERE IS NO SANTA CLAUS!!! I much preferred "It's a wonderful life" because there it shows the value of a human being's life and what you can contribute to the world, instead of relying on a mythical santa. Note that I am not running down spirituality. God is real, and people can get real strength from Him, but telling your kids Santa is real is lying. Yes, yes, I know this is just a movie, and you're not expected to believe it. But the whole culture of lying to kids that Santa is real is just reinforced by it.
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Summary: I love this version of a classic tale!
Review: I watch this movie every holiday season and will definitely be adding it to my DVD collection. I think they updated it wonderfully, and it touches my heart. Good performances all around, especially Mara Wilson.
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Summary: MY vote for the best move of the 20th century.
Review: Unfortunate that this movie is only rolled out during Christmas, its perfect script, perfect casting, and perfect directing makes this movie *THE BEST* of the 20th century. Its many sub-plots accent the climax of the movie, when a man selflessly "throws away" a happy future for the sake of one simple old man... <--- Republicans could learn from this!! :)
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Summary: I believe!!!
Review: "Miracle" is a must-see every Christmas. Everyone who has ever believed in Santa will appreciate this endearing classic.
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Summary: Faith and Believing In a world of Empty Promises
Review: Miracle on 34 th street is a treasure and a must have for ever househlold as a Christmas Classic, I prefer the black and white version although there is a color version, I saw the first televised color version and it was not that good all the colors where hideous, But they have done some work on the video release and it is not that bad. So this make me feel young at heart and yes even shed a tear or too. The original is better than the 1994 one. Grant I would like to see the one with Sebastion Cabot, any info would be appreciated
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Summary: Don't let the heartwarming plot fool you...
Review: Don't let cute little Natalie Wood and the heartwarming plot fool you... this is a wickedly funny comedy that is easily the best Christmas movie ever made. Maureen O'Hara is wonderful as the scorned woman (isn't it funny how a female character in a romantic comedy from the 1940's is so strong and independant, while nowadays the romatic leads are usually scatterbrained flaky blondes?), and Natalie Wood steals the show as the perfectly well brought up little girl who confuses imagination with schitzophrenia ("it's when you think you see something that isn't there" she tells Kris Kringle). I remember loving this movie as a child, but it is actually a grown-up movie. Politics, pop psychology, and commercialism all take a wicked beating... if you are looking for treakly magical endings, you might be surprised at the motives behind what finally 'saves the day.' If you've never seen it, or if you've only seen the 1994 sacharine-sticky-sweet remake, then you must see this movie. It is great for all ages: the kids will see the heartwarming plot, and the teenagers and adults will understand the delightful cynisism that crops up in the most surprising places.
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Summary: Classic radio show gave additional insight to movie theme
Review: This is a great movie,as many have posted before me. However, after hearing the classic radio show (heard it on Sirius) originally aired around the same time as the orginal movie release, I learned something entirely new about this old classic I enjoyed for many years. In the classic radio show at the end when the lawyer talks with Santa about the house, he learns that Santa set the entire sanity trial up, Santa knew the lawyer could not afford the house unless he bacame a famous lawyer, and by going to trial it made the lawyer famous. I never realized that Santa set it all up by making them think he was crazy, but it makes sense that Santa could be that smart.
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Summary: Please ignore the remakes and see this magical original
Review: Many of us have seen Miracle on 34th Street many times (once a year), and for me it never wears out. Just seeing Edmund Gwenn convince the sceptical, but adorable Natalie Wood that he's Santa is always both moving and hilarious. The theme is that sometimes good (Gwenn) triumphs over evil (Sawyer) with a little luck and magic (unfortunately not this year though.)
The way the plot is put into place is masterful and George Seaton's direction flawless. Maureen O'Hara and John Payne (Gailey) do a great job and if you listen carefully you can hear O'Hara's Irish accent creep in. Also great is the judge played by Gene Lockhart who gives his role just the right dash of comedy, as well as William Frawley (better known as Fred on I Love Lucy).
The swipe it takes at psychiatry is too mild though. It depicts Sawyer as a fake psychiatrist...not challenging the legitimacy of psychiatry itself. However the message gets subtly through...there are those in the profession "with no humanity" as Kris Kringle puts it.
Even though you know the outcome it's still great to watch the triumphant result of Gailey's efforts, as well as Kringle's winning over of everyone at the end.
To me THIS is the quintessential Christmas film, not Wonderful Life or Christmas Carol which are too sentimental and dated. Miracle is intelligent, human, and timeless.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic and a Gem
Review: Great movie, even after all these years. Black and white or colorized, you can't go wrong.
Edmund Gwenn as Santa is the heart and soul of this movie. He is as we all imagine (and hope) Santa to be. It almost hurts when we see the other characters not actually believing he is the one and only Saint Nick.
But the other actors are also top notch...except for Maureen O'Hara. She may be the nicest lady in the world ... I don't know ... but she almost single-handedly torpedoes this movie. It achieves classic status despite her.
The guy who plays the lawyer, he is excellent. A nice understated but still believable performance. And Natalie Wood is cute and believable as the little girl. But the rest of the cast is a superb collection of unique characters who really fill out the movie nicely.
One last thing ... the one scene I like (love) best is the one where the little Dutch girl, who can't speak English, comes to sit on Santa's lap. A priceless, priceless moment.
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