The Film
The back of the new Blu-ray version of Miracle on 34th Street says that this three-time Oscar winner is "as colorful and resplendent as the holiday itself"... "in an all-new, colorized Blu-ray version." You may have a lot of holiday cheer in your heart, but no amount of believing will make this 1947 classic produce color.
This new release only comes with the original black-and-white version. That's great for purists; not so much for Blu-ray collectors. Either way, someone in Fox's packaging department royally screwed up here.
No matter what format, Miracle is still a classic. After all, nothing says "happy holidays" like claiming that Santa is a complete loon and trying to have him committed. Isn't this an annual news headline? Only this time, Kris Kringle (Oscar winner Edmund Gwenn) has the power to touch the lives of everyone he encounters.
Maybe it's because he speaks Dutch and lists his next of kin as the eight reindeer.
Gwenn does twinkle (as does a very cute, very young Natalie Wood). However, this film isn't just about the big man with the big white beard. Sure, it's a giant commercial for Macy's, but it's also about believing in something. Like many Christmas classics,
Miracle on 34th Street is a bit hokey, but after 62 years, it still works.
The Picture
We already know that you won't find any colors popping here, and frankly, it's just as well. The film was made in black and white, and that's how it should be viewed. Still, we'd expect Fox to offer both versions and let the viewer decide.
For a 62-year-old film, it looks pretty good in its 1.33:1 format. Black levels are pretty good, but the whites are gray and the film is sort of dark overall. It looks better than the DVD or any of the many showings on cable, of course. However, there's a bit of grain and not a whole lot of new detail, which is a bummer for a Christmas movie with the Macy's parade and department stores and Santa Claus.
The Sound
Fox has included the Dolby 2.0 track as well as DTS-HD Master Audio. The big bump in the DTS version is that you'll get full use of three speakers, instead of two. There's not much for the subwoofer or the rear surrounds, but the dialogue sounds nice coming from the center channel, with the rest of the crowd and store hovering around that in the two front surrounds.
The Extras
Many of the extras included are interesting, but also dated. Fox just carried over everything from the 2006 DVD release. Still, like the film itself, some are timeless classics. AMC's Backstory and the bit on the Macy's parade are worth watching. However, it would have been nice if Fox put a little something extra under the tree and into this release. Maybe the studio is waiting for a more monumental anniversary.
Final Thoughts
In one of the extras, star Maureen O'Hara states that Miracle on 34th Street will still be loved after 100 years. We can't predict the future, but after 62 years, it has more than a little Christmas magic left. It won't be the one that you show off to demo your theater and it could have used a few additional extras. However, this one should get some heavy rotation during the holidays, making it a worthy addition to any collection.
Product Details
- Actors: Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Gene Lockhart, Natalie Wood, Porter Hall, William Frawley, Jerome Cowan, Philip Tonge
- Director: George Seaton
- Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital Mono (English, Spanish, French)
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: NR
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: October 4, 2009
- Run Time: 96 minutes
- List Price: $34.99
- Extras:
- Commentary by Maureen O'Hara
- AMC Backstory: Miracle on 34th Street
- Fox Movietonenews: Hollywood Spotlight
- Promotional Short
- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Floating in History
- Poster Gallery
