Miracle on 34th Street (1994 film)
| Miracle on 34th Street (1994) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Les Mayfield |
| Written by | Valentine Davies (story) George Seaton John Hughes (screenplay) |
| Produced by | John Hughes William Ryan William S. Beasley |
| Starring | Richard Attenborough Mara Wilson Elizabeth Perkins Dylan McDermott J. T. Walsh |
| Edited by | Raja Gosnell |
Production company | Hughes Entertainment |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date | November 18, 1994 |
Running time | 114 minutes |
| Country | Template:Film US |
| Language | English |
Miracle on 34th Street is a 1994 film directed by Les Mayfield. It is the fourth remake (and the second theatrical version) of the original 1947 film. Like the original, this film was released by 20th Century Fox. However, the New York City-based Macy's department store did not want any part of this remake, which meant the fictitious "Cole's" had to be used as its replacement.
Plot
When the Cole's Santa Claus gets drunk before taking part in the Thanksgiving parade, Dorey, Cole's director of special events, fires him and must find a replacement immediately. She spots an old man (Richard Attenborough) berating the drunk Santa, and begs him to take over. He claims his name is Kris Kringle. Kris does so well during the parade that he is immediately hired to be Cole's main Santa for the holiday period. All the children in New York begin to believe that he is the real Santa, with the exception of six-year-old Susan, Dorey's daughter. Dorey's boyfriend, Bryan Bedford, does his best to convince Susan to believe. While being babysat one night by Kris, Susan shares with him her Christmas wish, she would like a dad, a house (used every year for the Cole's catalogue photoshoot) and a baby brother. Kris asks if she would begin to believe in Santa if she got all those things. Susan agrees that she would.
Kris is credited with bringing in many more sales to Cole's than previous years, until one night, when he is arrested, then sanctioned for supposedly assaulting a man on the street. Later, the truth emerges, that the man he assaulted was the original drunk Santa, who set up Kris to be arrested, with the help of members of staff from a rival of Cole's.
With the help of Bryan, Dorey takes Kris' case to court, and drums up support from him from the public. It soon becomes clear that to get Kris acquitted and freed, Bryan must prove that not only does Santa exist, but that Kris is the real one. It is a seemingly impossible task until Bryan comes up with a plan that requires some help from Susan.
Just as the judge is about to make his decision -- and it seems he was going to rule against Kris -- Susan walks up to the judge with a Christmas card containing a $1 bill. On the back, the words In God We Trust are circled. The judge realizes that, since the U.S. Department of Treasury can believe in God with no hard evidence, then the people of New York can believe in Santa Claus in the same way. This leaves the elated judge no other choice but to declare that Santa is real, thus freeing Kris.
Following the court case, Dorey and Bryan are maneuvered by Kris into realizing their true feelings for each other, and are married in a very small ceremony right after the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. On Christmas morning, Susan wakes to the news of the marriage and is elated to see that she has part one of her Christmas wish, a dad. Together, Susan, Dorey and Bryan drive out to the catalogue house and upon arrival, find that Kris has arranged for them to purchase the house. Susan, now having got two out of three of her wishes, excitedly runs upstairs in the house to look at her bedroom. Dorey and Bryan ask her what the last part of her Christmas wish was, and she triumphantly announces that it was a baby brother. Dorey and Bryan both look at each other, shocked, before glancing down at Dorey's stomach. The film ends with the belief that Susan has now gotten all she asked for.
Cast
- Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle
- Mara Wilson as Susan Walker
- Dylan McDermott as Bryan Bedford
- Elizabeth Perkins as Dorey Walker
- J. T. Walsh as Ed Collins
- Simon Jones as Donald Shellhammer
- James Remar as Mr. Jack Duff
- Jane Leeves as Ms. Alberta Leonard
- Robert Prosky as Judge Henry Harper
- Allison Janney as Brazen Woman in Cole's Christmas Shopping Center
- Joss Ackland as Victor Landberg, Store Competitor (uncredited)
- Jack McGee as Tony Falacchi, the Drunk Santa
- Hank Johnston as Cole's Child (uncredited)
- Emily Eby as Cole's child (uncredited)
