It was probably a very brave decision to remake Miracle on 34th Street. The original 1947 movie is much loved and pretty near to a perfect Christmas film. This 1994 version is actually the third remake, but the only remake made for cinematic release. The story is more or less the same. A young girl named Susan doesn’t believe in Santa Claus, but then she meets the new Santa at Cole’s Department Store (the original film used Macy’s, but Macy’s didn’t want to lend their name to this film, so the fictional store of Cole’s was used instead), who insists that he is is the real Santa Claus. Susan starts to wonder whether Santa might in fact really exist…
There are a few changes in this version. In 1947 those who wanted to prosecute Kris Kringle only needed to prove that the man really believed he was Santa Claus, in order to prove him insane, and have him committed. In 1994, the fact that a man might believe he is Santa Claus would not be enough to have him committed – he is no danger to anyone else or to himself. To that end, the reason for Kris going on trial is changed slightly. There are also a couple of added villains who provide a tangent that was not in the first film.
I would say that while this was not an unenjoyable film, it simply is nowhere near a patch on the original. Richard Attenborough is certainly great as Kris Kringle/Santa; I preferred Edmund Gwenn in the role, but Attenborough cannot be faulted. However, whereas the little girl Susan was so adorably portrayed by a young Natalie Wood in the original version, I found Mara Wilson somewhat irritating in the same role (and I do feel bad criticising a child actor in a Christmas film!). The real difference however is in the chemistry – or lack of – between Elizabeth Perkins as Dorey, Susan’s mother, and Dylan McDermott as Bryan Bedford, Dorey’s some-time boyfriend who defends Kris in court. There simply wasn’t any spark between them; Bryan came off as bland, and Dorey verged on being unlikeable (unlike in the original film when the chemistry between Maureen O’Hara and John Payne really crackled).
The story dragged a little bit more as well, and the added elements didn’t really work.
On a shallow note however, there was one thing going for this film – James Remar as a spy for a rival department store, was GORGEOUS! I very much enjoyed watching him on the screen!
Overall I would say that my enjoyment of this film was slightly lessened by my enthusiasm for the original. If you watch the 1994 version first, you may really enjoy it; it just doesn’t stand up well to comparison.
Year of release: 1994
Director: Les Mayfield
Writers: Valentine Davies (story), George Seaton, John Hughes
Main cast: Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan McDermott, Mara Wilson
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Click here for my review of the 1947 movie.
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