October 17, 2017

Blu-Ray Review: MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947): 70TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood, Porter Hall, William Frawley, Jerome Cowan, Gene Lockhart, Philip Tonge, Harry Antrim. Directed by George Seaton. (1947, 96 min).

Holiday movies don't get much better than this. In my humble estimation, it's really only been surpassed by A Christmas Story (and, okay, maybe Die Hard) as the greatest yuletide treasure ever made. Even seven decades later, the film still hasn't lost any of its charm.

Miracle on 34th Street is one of those rare classics where, if you actually manage to bump into anyone who hasn't seen it, you tend to do a double-take and go, "Huh? Really?" After all, it's damn near unavoidable on television during the holidays. One would have to make a conscious effort to avoid catching at-least part of it while channel surfing. So if it's all over TV in December, why buy the Blu-Ray?

"...and the body was never found!"
Uh...because it's Miracle on 34th Street. Because it's the original 1947 charmer in all its black & white glory, not an inferior remake or a blasphemous colorized version. Because it looks better on Blu-Ray. Because its inclusion on every movie collector's shelf is required by-law in most U.S. territories. 

But if you've already purchased the previous edition, you're covered, because this 70th Anniversary re-issue features the exact same picture, sound and bonus material. This one does include a digital copy, though.

I gotta say, though...it was weird watching this in October. Then again, Christmas decorations are already on store shelves, so maybe I'm lagging behind. 

EXTRA KIBBLES
"Hollywood Backstories: Miracle on 34th Street" ("HB" was an AMC series back when they were still focused mostly on movies);
"Fox Movietonews: Hollywood Spotlight";
"Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Floating in History"
AUDIO COMMENTARY: By Maureen O'Hara
PROMOTIONAL SHORT
POSTER GALLERY
DIGITAL COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
MEE-OW! LIKE A STOCKING FULL OF CATNIP

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