Customer Reviews

Miracle on 34th Street

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I hestitate to buy this dvd because I bought the vhs thinking i was getting the original theatrical release. I didn't. I got the version I see on TNT every Thanksgiving. The version that is cut up from years past. People always write that the part they love is when Maureen O'Hara and John Payne find Kris's cane by the fire place in the house for sale. For me the part that makes the movie is always cut. Tommy Mera is just done with his testimony in court and asks Kris on his way out of court for an offical football helmut and Kris says OK. After the happy resolution of the trail Maureen O'Hara ask Kris to dinner party, but Kris says it is Christmas Eve. The next scene should be the Mera house Christmas morning and Tommy getting his football helmut and mom and dad saying I didn't get it while Tommy is wearing this over sized football helmut. Until I see a completely restored version I will not buy the dvd.

This movie is one of the greatest Christmas stories ever! This was so entertaining that I was laughing for weeks. It may seem like a fairy tale, but it teaches good morals. Who says Santa Claus is not real? I recommend for everyone to watch this movie at Christmas time or any other time of the year. The newer version of the movie is also good, but the two are quite different. The other version makes some good points, but I like the part of this movie about the postal service.

This is my favourite version of this story,even though I grew up watching both the newer colour version as well. It is one of the sweetest and most innocent Christmas movies out there!! I so glad I could get it now that they aire it so little on t.v. The acting is very good, and not stiff like in a lot of older movies, and the end has me grinning every time. If you really do, deep down, beleive in Santa Claus, then this is the movie for you.

This is by far my favourite Christmas story ("modern" Christmas, anyway.) Ed Gwenn is perfect as the genuine Santa - genuinely interested in the children and making Christmas special for everyone he meets - adults included. Natalie Wood is brilliant as the "worldly wise" daughter of the somewhat hardened single mother and dept. store executive. Kris is even able to convert her after much hard work and hardship on his own account. The ending is the best, and I won't spoil it for you. Watch it yourself! DO NOT bother with the modern remake - this is the genuine article!

This is a great movie for young and old! It is truly one of the Christmas Classics.... and Christmas doesn't go by without seeing it at least once.

I always prefer the colurized version but it was widescreen, giving it a mor clear & sharp picture to watch compared to a regular DVd.

As a child this movie helped with the age old "is there really a Santa Claus" question, by putting it all into context with a more modern age. I prefer to watch it in the original black and white, but to each his own.

Natalie Wood is amazing in "Miracle on 34th St." The colorized version is great to have. This shipped to me in 2 days!

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.

1947's "Miracle On 34th Street", starring the great Maureen O'Hara and Edmund Gwenn, is a motion picture that can be watched over and over again without losing one bit of its original flavor. And its flavor is quite tasty, in my opinion!

A very spunky 8-year-old Natalie Wood helps to make this movie an even bigger treat. Natalie shows an acting talent in this film that belies her tender age. She gives one of the best performances by a child actor in a film I've ever come across. "34th Street" was Natalie's 4th screen appearance, in a successful career that would eventually span 52 films before her sudden and tragic death at the age of only 43.

Miss Wood seems well-suited for her good-sized role as "Susan Walker" in this movie. She blends perfectly with the other actors, and her scenes with Gwenn (who, of course, plays the part of "Kris Kringle" to utter perfection) are highly memorable.

Could the studio have possibly found a better choice for the part of "Kris" (Santa) in this motion picture? Well, perhaps. But ONLY if the REAL Santa Claus were to have taken a break from his duties at the North Poll and played the part himself. Oh...wait...Gwenn turns out to BE the REAL Santa, doesn't he? LOL! :)

Yes, Edmund Gwenn actually DOES become "Santa Claus" for the 97-minute running time of this movie. He's *that* believable in the role. Gwenn was so good here that he won an Oscar for his memorable performance (Best Supporting Actor).

This is a perfect movie to show your children. It must be a lot of fun watching a child's reaction to seeing Mr. Gwenn's very realistic portrayal of the portly fur-clad Christmas-time gift-giver. To a child that still does believe that Mr. Claus visits his or her house every December 24, this movie must be quite an eye-opener.

This 20th-Century Fox DVD version of "Miracle On 34th Street" brings us the film in its intended (original) screen ratio of 1.33:1 (Full Frame); and the picture looks just dandy! The film, which was shot in "glorious black-and-white", exhibits outstanding clarity on this DVD. I can't spot a bit of grain or "noise". An absolutely beautiful digital transfer. Especially considering the age of this flick.

The audio comes via an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono soundtrack. The audio comes across nice and clean, with just a small amount of background "hiss" present. There's also a foreign-language track here, too (French). This French track (which is also 2.0 DD Mono) sounds a bit on the "muffled" side. Not nearly as clear-sounding as the English track. There are subtitles in English and Spanish.

There's not a whole lot to talk about in the way of "Special Features" for this DVD release. But there is the Original Theatrical Trailer and a short "TV Spot" advertising the movie (which is a bonus *not* shown on the DVD's packaging). Plus: there's also a small text-only area on the disc, featuring "Cast Credits".

I *must* say, however, even though we don't get many bonus extras with this title, I'm very pleased that the Trailer is included. This Theatrical Trailer is one of the very best, and most innovative, I think I've ever witnessed. It's a relatively-lengthy trailer, which features a studio executive bumping into multiple actors while on the FOX movie lot. He asks several of these actors what they thought of the just-released picture, "Miracle On 34th Street". And what he receives in return (naturally) are glowing reviews for the film.

It's a very well-done trailer, and doesn't seem overly "hokey" or staged. And it's very fun to see stars the likes of Rex Harrison and Anne Baxter pop up here, promoting "34th Street". Harrison even speaks briefly in this trailer of his then-current work on "The Ghost And Mrs. Muir", which, ironically, also featured young Miss Natalie Wood as one of Rex's co-stars. This trailer is a real treat. And it's in remarkably good shape too. Very good video quality. The audio for the trailer is in DD 2.0 Mono, and sounds just fine.

Menus .... I like a good (and simple) Menu design. And this disc has just that. The Main Menu is a "static" one, with separate links to other Sub-Menus (such as Language Selection, Chapter Listing, and Supplements). When you select any of these three items, you'll be treated to a very short (but fun and well-designed) animated transition, which then dissolves into the chosen sub-menu screen. These short "transitions" are all slightly different, with each one featuring a Christmas tune playing as "background" music as the screen fades from the Main Menu to your desired selection. This themed music seems as though it's being played over a Department Store's P.A. system (which is appropriate for this DVD, since we often hear the soft playing of Christmas tunes during the "Macy's" scenes in the film). One menu transition also features a "snowflakes falling" visual effect, along with the music. Very cleverly done, IMO.

Additional Disc Information for this title ..............................

>> Enclosures? .... Yes. There is one here. A one-page Chapter List insert is included (21 chapters), with an excellent promo picture of actors Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, and John Payne on one side; and on the "Chapter" side, an image of "Kris" (Mr. Gwenn). I particularly like the fact that FOX Home Entertainment used a different picture for the insert than what we see on the front cover (normally on DVDs, the two pictures are identical). I might also add, in case one or two picky people might be interested in such trivial matters, that this insert is made out of better-quality (thicker) paper than what we usually see for such paper enclosures.

>> Region? .... This is a "Region 1" (NTSC) disc. Single-sided.

"Miracle On 34th Street" is one of those films that deserves to be seen more than once, and not only in the month of December either (IMO). It holds up very well even in the summer months. And this clear-as-a-bell DVD from FOX Home Entertainment makes viewing this 1947 classic an even more enjoyable experience -- no matter if it's in December, March, or August.