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Miracle on 34th Street
Fox // PG // October 6, 2009
List Price: $34.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Whether you're fighting the cold, scraping your windshield, going shopping, cooking dinner, baking cookies or putting up decorations, all you want to do at the end of the day is kick up your feet and relax. There's no better way to cure the holiday hustle blues than to pop in a true holiday classic that warms the heart. Hollywood may think Christmas has become synonymous with comedy nowadays, but one only needs to see the original Miracle on 34th Street to understand what the spirit of Christmas is truly about. It's a clever film that's able to put an important (and still oh, so relevant) light on the commercialized sham this Hallmark holiday has become, and it does so while making Santa Claus an integral part of the mix. There were some light chuckles sprinkled throughout, sure, but the most memorable feeling you walked away with was that of warmth. This remake takes on a more serious tone however, as this particular variation told by John Hughes focuses more on corporate greed and corruption than the original ever did. This was always a pretty large part of the original story, but this 1994 reiteration pulls it out from the background and makes it the central theme. With the original black and white classic hitting Blu-ray on the same day this year, I highly doubt this is the one you'd be happy to find in your stocking on Christmas morning.
There's not much to say about the plot of the film. Even if you haven't seen it, I'm sure you've seen it parodied on countless entertainment mediums over the years. It's a fairly simple story all in all, as it starts with an old man with a chubby belly replacing a drunk for a department store's (this time Cole's as opposed to Macy's) holiday parade. He's absolutely fantastic with children and seems to have genuine qualities of kindness and cheer that's integral to the Cole's department store name. It isn't long before he claims to be Kris Kringle himself however, and although this is perceived to be a delightful and harmless holiday prank by many, his boss Dorey Walker doesn't find his routine to be cute in the least. She's raised her daughter to believe that Santa Claus is nothing more than holiday hogwash, and now here comes some ole' fuddy duddy shaking the very core beliefs she's tried raising her daughter by. To make matters worse, Dorey's significant other believes in Santa Claus, leading her daughter to be even more confused. Dorey tries to level with 'Kringle' time and time again, but not a word of his outrageous claims are altered.
Eventually the popular opinion about the cute old man that took his role at Cole's a little too seriously begins to change in the public eye. Kringle's kind face and generous heart had been drumming up a lot of business. It's caused such a stir in fact that the leading competitor, Shopper's Express, have been seeing their sales numbers decline as a result. In order to rectify the situation, Shopper's Express begins a conspiratorial campaign of deceit to let Kringle's unlikely story of beingthe Santa Claus get him into trouble. The concern over Kringle's frame of mind soon comes into focus and eventually he's labeled as a lunatic. The lack of warmth and compassion from the general public, as well as the lack of belief from Dorey and her daughter disheartens jolly ole' Saint Nick, and Dorey's significant other is convinced that if they don't turn things around quick, Christmas will end up disappearing at the hands of money grubbing corporate fat cats.
I feel a little bit like the Grinch right now, because this is the second Christmas holiday film review I've written in a row where I have to question the late John Hughes for his decision to take on certain films. He's created numerous timeless pieces of work throughout his career, but why did he decide to recreate a film that still holds up well enough today? The original Miracle on 34th Street is still just as relevant as it ever was, and its presentation is still considered by many (including myself) to be flawless. If Hughes had set out to modernize the original classic, there was simply no need for it. I can understand that he wanted to point out just how much business ethics have demoralized ever since the classic's debut in 1947, but this brought about a more serious tone that made his take on 34th Street a little too weighty. It's a quality I certainly don't mind in appropriate films, but the original classic already had a perfect blend between the 'light and tight' of it all, and provided a charm that simply could not be replicated in Hughes' retelling. And as far as modernization goes, what's the deal with changing Doris' name to Dorey? Every time I heard her 'remodeled for the 90s' name uttered throughout the film, I couldn't help but wonder why Hughes felt he had to make such a useless cosmetic tweak.
With all the negative stuff out there in the open, I have to say that 1994's Miracle on 34th Street isn't a bad film by any means, it was just unnecessary. Despite the questions that come into play when I think about John Hughes' thought process before beginning work on the film, the rest of the pieces that culminate to present the final product are executed fairly well. The writing in and of itself isn't bad at all, as is clearly evidenced by the fresh twist Hughes made to the film's conclusion. It was clever enough to be something I could actually accept in place of the original ending without asking myself, "Why did he do that?!" The acting is pretty noteworthy as well, but it's the symbolism used throughout the film that I found to be the most impressive aspect of all. Christmas is shown in this film to be larger than life, but in a 'money is the driving force of everything' sort of way, and I think the symbolism of an over the top look to the Christmas holiday was pretty brilliant to bring Hughes' point home.
Even though it's a pretty decent movie overall, it can already be said that this film has not withstood the test of time. The original 34th Street was an exercise in stirring up a debate of logic versus faith, and it presented that exercise with the Christmas spirit at its core. The remake however is an unintended exercise in irony. This is obviously an unnecessary money grab from Hollywood, yet the film is blatantly speaking out against corporate greed and doing things for the sole reason of gaining a few bucks. You're not going to have a bad time in the least if you decide to sit down and watch this film, but why bother when the superior original is available in high-def as well?
Video
Miracle on 34th Street (1994) is presented in an acceptable AVC 1080p encode (1.85:1), and although it's definitely a substantial upgrade over the DVD, it still doesn't provide the high-def experience I would have expected. Colors are bold, black levels and contrast are pretty impressive throughout, and these strengths ensure the visual Christmas assault that's used to back up the film's message is accurately represented with splendor. The entire presentation overall appears to be a little soft though, as some of the finer details you would expect to see even in a catalogue title appears to be hiding a bit. An increasing trend that we've been seeing in catalogue titles from certain studios, is a cleaning process that will scrub away some of the natural film grain element while leaving just enough so clarity isn't entirely stripped away. I'm pretty sure that's what I'm seeing here, although it's entirely possible a softer look may have intentionally been used to give this film a bit of a classic feel, but I doubt it. Can't really complain about any edge enhancement or digital artifacts though, so all in all the transfer is good enough, but it never stands on its own well enough to impress.
Audio
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on this release seems to accurately represent the source, but the mix itself makes the audio presentation an underwhelming experience. Dialogue remains crisp and clear throughout the entirety of the film and the musical score is impressive when it utilizes the entire directional sound field, but the majority of the film relies on the front end of the sound stage. There are plenty of moments that seem like they should have been given a lot more attention, such as the parade scene. Sound effects come through the rears, but they sound as if they've merely been tacked on at the last minute so the audience has some sense of environmental ambience. The parade should have been just as pleasing to the ears as it was to the eyes, but I usually felt as if I was merely listening to the experience as opposed to being a part of it. I figure if someone is bold enough to try and modernize a classic such as Miracle on 34th Street, they should at least be able to provide the best possible experience in every aspect of the film's presentation, and that unfortunately was not accomplished with the weak mix we've been given. This is as good as the film is ever going to sound thanks to the near flawless representation of the lossless audio track, but the film's sound design never goes as far as to impress.
Extras
I guess we're supposed to rely on a Miracle to get some supplemental material for this film, because none have been included.
Overall
I'm not really opposed to Hollywood cranking out a remake, but they need to come to terms with which properties should be remade and which ones shouldn't. 1947's Miracle on 34th Street was so flawlessly executed it was able to warm the hearts of moviegoers in the unlikely month of June, and its charm has only improved over time. It's a film that truly defines what timeless cinema is, so why attempt to recreate something that's never felt as if it depreciated for over half a century? The only answer I can come up with is 'money', which is hysterically ironic as the central theme of Hughes' retelling is all about the evil nature of corporate cash grabs. The film in and of itself isn't bad by any stretch. In fact, it's actually put together pretty well, but in the end you'll feel like you wasted your time because it doesn't really offer anything new. With the superior original also sitting on the Blu-ray shelf at your local retailer there's really no incentive to pick this one up. To make this even less enticing, the video and audio on this release is adequate but never impresses, and there's nothing in the way of supplemental material. Do yourself a favor and skip this release and pick up the 1947 original on Blu-ray instead. The original Miracle on 34th Street is timeless in every sense of the word, and it even includes some supplemental features as well.
There's not much to say about the plot of the film. Even if you haven't seen it, I'm sure you've seen it parodied on countless entertainment mediums over the years. It's a fairly simple story all in all, as it starts with an old man with a chubby belly replacing a drunk for a department store's (this time Cole's as opposed to Macy's) holiday parade. He's absolutely fantastic with children and seems to have genuine qualities of kindness and cheer that's integral to the Cole's department store name. It isn't long before he claims to be Kris Kringle himself however, and although this is perceived to be a delightful and harmless holiday prank by many, his boss Dorey Walker doesn't find his routine to be cute in the least. She's raised her daughter to believe that Santa Claus is nothing more than holiday hogwash, and now here comes some ole' fuddy duddy shaking the very core beliefs she's tried raising her daughter by. To make matters worse, Dorey's significant other believes in Santa Claus, leading her daughter to be even more confused. Dorey tries to level with 'Kringle' time and time again, but not a word of his outrageous claims are altered.
Eventually the popular opinion about the cute old man that took his role at Cole's a little too seriously begins to change in the public eye. Kringle's kind face and generous heart had been drumming up a lot of business. It's caused such a stir in fact that the leading competitor, Shopper's Express, have been seeing their sales numbers decline as a result. In order to rectify the situation, Shopper's Express begins a conspiratorial campaign of deceit to let Kringle's unlikely story of beingthe Santa Claus get him into trouble. The concern over Kringle's frame of mind soon comes into focus and eventually he's labeled as a lunatic. The lack of warmth and compassion from the general public, as well as the lack of belief from Dorey and her daughter disheartens jolly ole' Saint Nick, and Dorey's significant other is convinced that if they don't turn things around quick, Christmas will end up disappearing at the hands of money grubbing corporate fat cats.
I feel a little bit like the Grinch right now, because this is the second Christmas holiday film review I've written in a row where I have to question the late John Hughes for his decision to take on certain films. He's created numerous timeless pieces of work throughout his career, but why did he decide to recreate a film that still holds up well enough today? The original Miracle on 34th Street is still just as relevant as it ever was, and its presentation is still considered by many (including myself) to be flawless. If Hughes had set out to modernize the original classic, there was simply no need for it. I can understand that he wanted to point out just how much business ethics have demoralized ever since the classic's debut in 1947, but this brought about a more serious tone that made his take on 34th Street a little too weighty. It's a quality I certainly don't mind in appropriate films, but the original classic already had a perfect blend between the 'light and tight' of it all, and provided a charm that simply could not be replicated in Hughes' retelling. And as far as modernization goes, what's the deal with changing Doris' name to Dorey? Every time I heard her 'remodeled for the 90s' name uttered throughout the film, I couldn't help but wonder why Hughes felt he had to make such a useless cosmetic tweak.
With all the negative stuff out there in the open, I have to say that 1994's Miracle on 34th Street isn't a bad film by any means, it was just unnecessary. Despite the questions that come into play when I think about John Hughes' thought process before beginning work on the film, the rest of the pieces that culminate to present the final product are executed fairly well. The writing in and of itself isn't bad at all, as is clearly evidenced by the fresh twist Hughes made to the film's conclusion. It was clever enough to be something I could actually accept in place of the original ending without asking myself, "Why did he do that?!" The acting is pretty noteworthy as well, but it's the symbolism used throughout the film that I found to be the most impressive aspect of all. Christmas is shown in this film to be larger than life, but in a 'money is the driving force of everything' sort of way, and I think the symbolism of an over the top look to the Christmas holiday was pretty brilliant to bring Hughes' point home.
Even though it's a pretty decent movie overall, it can already be said that this film has not withstood the test of time. The original 34th Street was an exercise in stirring up a debate of logic versus faith, and it presented that exercise with the Christmas spirit at its core. The remake however is an unintended exercise in irony. This is obviously an unnecessary money grab from Hollywood, yet the film is blatantly speaking out against corporate greed and doing things for the sole reason of gaining a few bucks. You're not going to have a bad time in the least if you decide to sit down and watch this film, but why bother when the superior original is available in high-def as well?
Miracle on 34th Street (1994) is presented in an acceptable AVC 1080p encode (1.85:1), and although it's definitely a substantial upgrade over the DVD, it still doesn't provide the high-def experience I would have expected. Colors are bold, black levels and contrast are pretty impressive throughout, and these strengths ensure the visual Christmas assault that's used to back up the film's message is accurately represented with splendor. The entire presentation overall appears to be a little soft though, as some of the finer details you would expect to see even in a catalogue title appears to be hiding a bit. An increasing trend that we've been seeing in catalogue titles from certain studios, is a cleaning process that will scrub away some of the natural film grain element while leaving just enough so clarity isn't entirely stripped away. I'm pretty sure that's what I'm seeing here, although it's entirely possible a softer look may have intentionally been used to give this film a bit of a classic feel, but I doubt it. Can't really complain about any edge enhancement or digital artifacts though, so all in all the transfer is good enough, but it never stands on its own well enough to impress.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on this release seems to accurately represent the source, but the mix itself makes the audio presentation an underwhelming experience. Dialogue remains crisp and clear throughout the entirety of the film and the musical score is impressive when it utilizes the entire directional sound field, but the majority of the film relies on the front end of the sound stage. There are plenty of moments that seem like they should have been given a lot more attention, such as the parade scene. Sound effects come through the rears, but they sound as if they've merely been tacked on at the last minute so the audience has some sense of environmental ambience. The parade should have been just as pleasing to the ears as it was to the eyes, but I usually felt as if I was merely listening to the experience as opposed to being a part of it. I figure if someone is bold enough to try and modernize a classic such as Miracle on 34th Street, they should at least be able to provide the best possible experience in every aspect of the film's presentation, and that unfortunately was not accomplished with the weak mix we've been given. This is as good as the film is ever going to sound thanks to the near flawless representation of the lossless audio track, but the film's sound design never goes as far as to impress.
I guess we're supposed to rely on a Miracle to get some supplemental material for this film, because none have been included.
I'm not really opposed to Hollywood cranking out a remake, but they need to come to terms with which properties should be remade and which ones shouldn't. 1947's Miracle on 34th Street was so flawlessly executed it was able to warm the hearts of moviegoers in the unlikely month of June, and its charm has only improved over time. It's a film that truly defines what timeless cinema is, so why attempt to recreate something that's never felt as if it depreciated for over half a century? The only answer I can come up with is 'money', which is hysterically ironic as the central theme of Hughes' retelling is all about the evil nature of corporate cash grabs. The film in and of itself isn't bad by any stretch. In fact, it's actually put together pretty well, but in the end you'll feel like you wasted your time because it doesn't really offer anything new. With the superior original also sitting on the Blu-ray shelf at your local retailer there's really no incentive to pick this one up. To make this even less enticing, the video and audio on this release is adequate but never impresses, and there's nothing in the way of supplemental material. Do yourself a favor and skip this release and pick up the 1947 original on Blu-ray instead. The original Miracle on 34th Street is timeless in every sense of the word, and it even includes some supplemental features as well.
-About the Author- Michael Zupan is primarily a film guy, but has a variety of places where you can enjoy his work otherwise. Check Bytesizeimpressions.com for video game op-ed pieces and podcasts, and be sure to check out the sister site, Byte-Size Cinema, linked up top. This writer also contributes significantly to in-print magazines such as Minecraft Explorer and Fortnite Explorer!
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