Miracle On 34th Street

Thanks to my friend - S's recommendation , I got to see this movie - which has got added to my list of all time favorite movies. A Little late to be seeing this movie - the best time to have watched it would have been during the X'mas season.

I love movies that re-iterate the significance of some holiday season and show the importance of sharing, giving and human feeling.

It is a warm tale of how one person goes about spreading joy during the best season in the US of A - Christmas - by believing himself to be Santa Claus and stressing on the message of goodwill above commercialism. In the process, he also manages to melt the stubborn won't-believe-in-fairy-tales-or-imagination heart of the heroine and her daughter.

It all starts when Doris walker - in charge of the Macy's parade - hires a Mr. Kris Kringle on the spur of the moment as a replacement for her drunken Santa Claus. He becomes a hit in the parade and the head of the Toy department hires him to be the Macy's Santa Claus for the season.

Mr. Kringle believes and tells everybody that he indeed is Santa Claus and true to his word behaves like one by telling people where to buy the choice of their toys, even if is selling at an opponent's place. The customers are shocked at this behaviour of a Macy employee and start praising Macy's for its act of goodwill over commercialism.

Though Kringle makes good friends in the process - Mr. Macy himself generously donates a huge sum to him, for his contribution in making Macy store popular; the owner of Grimble's adopts the same policy in order not to be left behind, Alfred the cleaning boy - who himself loves acting as a Santa Claus for the pure feeling of goodness that fills within him while doing so; he also makes a very big enemy in the form of the Macy psychiatrist - the evil Mr.Sawyer - who is jealous of the good nature of Kringle and tries to paint a black picture by stating that Kringle is insane.

He tricks Kringle and puts him into a Mental institution and books a case against him too. Now it is upto a young lawyer - Mrs. Walker's neighbour - who starts to like Kringle - Fred Gailey - to fight and prove that Kringle is indeed sane and innocent. In the process, the question of whether Kringle is indeed Santa or not comes up in the court and it is nothing but a "MIRACLE" actually that decides the verdict of the case.

The show stealer without a doubt is Edmund Gwen - who plays the role of Kris Kringle. There are often times when I wonder - how in the world do the casting team always find the most perfect person for a role. I cannot imagine anybody else in that role. It is almost as if he is indeed Santa Claus. His manner of speaking, physique , the beard and the warm warm smile on his face - it is just impossible not to love this "Christmas Thatha".

The Mr. scored one more point in his arugment that Britian indeed produces some of the most finest actors of hollywood. Edmund Gwen is a Brit!

There are some moments in the movie that made me really teary eyed and all gooey inside.

One of them is how patiently Kris explains to Mrs.Walker's daughter Susan about what "imagi"-nation is. It is such a simple but meaningful explanation.

All the scenes in the mental institution and the court, after Kris is accused of being unstable are very touching. The scene where the prosecutor's 8 or 9 year old son innocently states that he does believe that Kris is Santa claus because his father said so and his father never tells lies pulls at your heart strings.

A Must watch movie - one must see it with one's family , preferable holding and hugging each other.

I got Something 'Special' in my email while watching the movie - especially when the movie was coming to a happy end - which made me feel all aglow from inside too - A kind person left a very nice comment on one of my very old old posts - she need not have done it - but the fact that she did made me feel so nice. Thanks Srikala...