Miracle on 34th Street: A Heartfelt Christmas Classic
Amidst all the fun of the holiday atmosphere of New York, ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ bestows a new life at the classic tale of faith, family and Christmas. The movie is set around a male protagonist who calls himself Santa Claus or Kris Kringle who works in a department store. People’s view of him changes and so does his popularity which leads to legal battle to determine if Santamizer is a real Santa or not. However, six-year-old Susan Walker and her mom Dorey are discovering that faith and doubt are not that far apart; especially when dealing with Kris Kringle. The principles of magic, beliefs, and the spirit of Christmas are creatively incorporated in the plot, which is appealing and appeals to people in all ages.
This movie has a warm and loving suggestion of believing in things that are difficult to believe in. The movie pulls together Christmas and suspenseful drama well, it gives the best of both worlds: the feeling of comfortable and the feeling of deep thinking. In its essence, the movie touches on the social doubt of belief — a notion that remains as a social construct which has being questioned across generations. It encourages the viewers to challenge their mental picture of belief, people, and the merriment of Christmas. The theme of the movie is positive and depicts a soft natured world within which light will always leave darkness.
In the blockbuster, Richard Attenborough plays the role of Kris Kringle, an actor with extreme belief in the truth and goodness of the world. His performance is supported by Elizabeth Perkins as a role of Dorey Walker, who is a pragmatic but warm mother most of whom experience a significant character change which is the essence of the movie. Child artist Mara Wilson superbly fills the shoes of Susan Walker, thus depicting the fantasy of a child whose heart yearns for miracles. The chemistry between the cast is realistic and very important to pour the warmth into the movie. Dylan McDermott who portrays the character of Bryan Bedford as the appreciating lawyer and boyfriend figure does a good job of creating a realistic image while elevating the belief factor slightly unnoticed.
Director, Les Mayfield has remained loyal with the Christmas movie formula but well infusing some novelties. His method of work ensures that the main message conveyed in a particular story does not change but at the same time, it gets presented in a way that it can be understood by audiences of the present generation. , Mayfield pays attention to the plot about Christmas emotions, basing the shots on the actors’ natural emotions that appeal to the viewers of different age groups The music of the ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ matches the tunefully using the Christmas perspective on the plot. The music adds into Feeling of Christmas, improving the episodes’ being emotionally anchored and giving guidance as to the room’s tones from happy to sad. It perfectly describes the atmosphere of treasury of the warm winter holidays and plunges the viewers into the film’s setting.
In the context of cinematographic art, it is possible to state that the setting of ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ reflects the atmosphere of New York during the winter holidays. The colourful scenes which cover snow on the roads, festive lights, and people rushing through their shopping, make Christmas look beautiful, making it interesting and gives an extra layer to the story. Lighting and color are very important for the movie’s mood, the cinematographer Julio Macat did a great job in creating a warm and Christmas fuzzy feeling that is necessary for this film.
The setting of ’Miracle on 34th Street’ aptly reflects two major themes: the insane consumerist environment that envelops the retail industry and the clean, pure morale of Christmas. The department store is created intricately to look like a Christmas atmosphere with detailed Santa’s Cave and parade scenes. The appearance enhance the staking of the movie, the mise-en-scene is filled with symbolism and Christmas ambiance.
Like a true story the movie does not hardly use eccentricities but rather draws from real life emotions to portray magic. The special effects are incorporated into the movie in such a manner that they bring a form of enchantment within the context of the practical, realistic setting of the movie.
The scenes in ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ are smoothly edited in such way that they provide continuity in the presentation of storyline. Director Raja Gosnell is also able to provide just enough concentration on character growth and the legal elements that are necessary to provide interest but not so much that the viewers’ tear ducts are neglected. The pacing of the movie does that successfully, and the director makes sure that movies and subject matter are in a proper proportion. Pacing in the movie works well to help advance the plots further and make scenes realistic while, at the same time, customers are kept interested in the continued drama.
Dialogue in the ‘Miracle at 34th Street’, is well done, gets out the true shades of Christmas spirit and essence of belief. The script is a good blend of sentiments and humor so characters can be straightforward and be engaging, they can tell the truth. The progression of the theme of belief is also underscored by touching and key discussions between Kris and Susan.
Some viewers might consider the movie to be rather overly sentimental as ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ portrays the spirit of the holiday season rather optimistically and conventional. Despite invoking interest, the courtroom episodes at times tend to lose sight of emotional core of the story and turns fairly dramatic. Nevertheless, it is entertaining with a wonderful and meaningful plot that places it in the beloved holiday genre. The animated sequence then carries the viewer through familiar streets of the city if New York, as a warm nod to the audiences with a message of belief and hope. The film itself gives the audience a chance to wonder about the world for what children see it, and everyone wants to believe in the impossible, and because of that, this movie turns into a classic that you will remind yourself about much later.
