34街奇缘

A straight-up classic Christmas oldie with legal proceedings appended as the climax, MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET propounds a fascinating if innately extravagant idea, how to prove someone is Santa Claus?

The said person is Kris Kringle (Gwenn), a nursing home resident clearly has no kindred left in this world (apart from some illusory reindeers), owing to his uncanny resemblance of his namesake figure, he is hired on spot by Doris Walker (O’Hara) to play the character in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and one thing leads to another, Kris is hired to play Santa at Macy’s flagship New York City store on 34th Street because of his jolly temperament, polyglot capacity and omniscient knowledge, not to mention en passant he even answers the “Does Macy’s tell Gimbels?” question by espousing goodwill policy which the rivaling stores are hot to trot, under the stipulation that it incentivizes the profit, “commercialism is the worst -ism in the world”, proclaims Alfred (Greenman), the young janitor who befriends Kris.

But the catch is, Kris is a delusional geezer who purports to be Santa himself, while it is a harmless delusion for sure (corroborated by the doctor in the nursing home), but a certain Mr. Sawyer (a bilious Porter huffs and puffs with no apparent reason), the psychological evaluator at the Macy’s, who holds an unwarranted grudge against Kris, and weasels his way into having Kris institutionalized for mental disability.

So it is up to attorney Fred Gailey (Payne), the neighbor of Doris and Kris’ current roomie, to prove to Judge Henry Harper (a face-making Lockhart) that Kris is indeed the one and only Santa Claus himself, and all he needs is a deus ex machina relative to USA postal department to tip the balance, however airy-fairy that sounds, the happy ending is a gladsome given, along the way, both Doris, a myth-averse divorcée and her similarly inculcated daughter Susan (an 8-year-old Wood, vividly demonstrative), have been swimmingly proselytized into avid Santa believers, especially for the latter, as long as her wish can miraculously come true, a little blind faith surely does not hurt.

Gwenn famously wins an Oscar for his benevolent portrayal of children’s beloved patron saint, although it is another flagrant case of category misplacement, all hale and hearty, his rendition is a fantastic performance of wholesome goodness, and devoid of any over-egged mannerism that detaches from its realistic milieu. Also O’Hara and Wood together make a fetching mother-daughter pair, especially the latter, an impish balm to any jaded, cynical heart.

Director George Seaton effectively capitalizes on the factual event of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and also finds a heart in this shaggy-dog story promulgating ultimate kindness and Christmas spirits, without giving up its tangy economic and political connotations, a magnificent gem for all seasons and all ages alike.

referential entries: George Seaton’s THE COUNTRY GIRL (1954, 6.4/10), AIRPORT (1970, 6.1/10); Henry Koster’s THE BISHOP’S WIFE (1947, 7.3/10).