The Miracle of Manhattan (1947)

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Movie
German title The miracle of Manhattan
Original title Miracle on 34th Street
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1947
length 92 minutes
Rod
Director George Seaton
script George Seaton
production William Perlberg
music Cyril J. Mockridge
camera Lloyd Ahern ,
Charles G. Clarke
cut Robert L. Simpson
occupation
synchronization

The miracle of Manhattan (original title: Miracle on 34th Street ; alternative title Das Wunder der 34th Street , also The Tale of Santa Claus ) is an American Christmas film from 1947 by George Seaton . Maureen O'Hara , John Payne , Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle and Natalie Wood as the child of divorce Susan Walker star.

In 1994 there was a remake with Richard Attenborough , Elizabeth Perkins and Mara Wilson under the direction of Les Mayfield .

action

When Thanksgivingparade of Macy's the cast of Santa Claus falls out drunk, a replacement must urgently ago. Kris Kringle, a good-natured elderly man with a beard, whose origins nobody really knows, lets Macy's manager Doris Walker persuade her to give it a try. Kringle proves to be an excellent choice and is therefore allowed to take over the position of Macy's Santa Claus in the large department store in the middle of Manhattan . The fact that Kringle also recommends products from other shops doesn't hurt him or Macy's: on the contrary, customers are enthusiastic about the honesty and buy all the more at Macy's. Walker's neighbor Fred Gailey, family friend and lawyer, takes their daughter Susan, a sometimes precocious child of divorce, to Kringle, although Susan has already been told by her rational mother that believing in Santa Claus is nonsense. With his credibility, Kringle succeeds in increasingly convincing the little girl that he is the real Santa Claus. When Doris Walker asks Kringle to tell her daughter that there is no real Santa Claus, he sticks to his claim. When the manager tries to fire him, the management stops her.

Nevertheless, Kringle now has to be examined by the department store psychologist Granville Sawyer. The unfriendly Sawyer hates Christmas and therefore also hates Kringle. An argument ensues between him and Kringle, after which Sawyer pretends to be seriously injured, which leads to Kringle being admitted to a psychiatric ward. Sawyer is later fired from Macy's, but Kringle remains in the mental hospital for the time being and believes that Doris betrayed him. A visit to Kringle's psychiatric ward gives Fred Gailey the opportunity to tell the visibly dejected man that Doris Walker, despite her previous cynicism, was against his admission. This gives Kringle new courage for mankind. When he is about to be declared underage in court, Gailey helps him in his role as a lawyer. However, his chances are rated as rather slim, as Kringle continues to firmly claim that he is Santa Claus. Witnesses testify in court - for example, department store manager Macy or the prosecutor's little son - who believe that Kringle is Santa Claus. Then the US Post also sends bags of letters addressed to Santa Claus in the courtroom to Kris Kringle. Gailey argues that if this reputable US agency accepts him as Santa Claus, then the court can hardly disagree.

Kringle is acquitted and reconciles with Doris, who has reconsidered her behavior, which also leads to her and Fred finally becoming a couple. And Susan is happy not only because of this fact, but also because she has found her faith in Santa Claus again.

production

Edmund Gwenn's costume as Kris Kringle (2011), owned by Debbie Reynolds at auction

Production notes

It's a 20th Century Fox production . The filming took place on Madison Avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York, also on 19 East 61st Street in Manhattan. Macy's Department Store was located at 151 West 34th Street in Manhattan and Susan's dream home was at 24 Derby Road in Port Washington, Long Island. The film was also shot at 20th Century Fox Studios.

Soundtrack

synchronization

Curt Ackermann speaks Fred Gailey, played by John Payne , in the 1949 theatrical version, while Wolfgang Eichberger can be heard as prosecutor O'Mara ( Jerome Cowan ). Erich Räuker lends his voice to Fred Gailey in the DVD dubbing of a few scenes .

publication

The film premiered on June 4, 1947 in New York, and opened on June 11, 1947 in Chicago. It was also published in Argentina, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, France, Brazil and the Netherlands in 1947, and in Japan and Italy in 1948. In 1949 he started in Hong Kong, Finland, Portugal and on August 26, 1949 in the Federal Republic of Germany and on December 16, 1949 in Austria.

He was seen in Spain (Madrid) in 1950, as well as in Denmark. It was released on DVD in Greece in 2011. It has also been published in Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Norway, Poland, the Soviet Union, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The English working titles were: Christmas Miracle on 34th Street and It's Only Human , script title: The Big Heart .

DVD release

The Wunder von Manhattan has been available on DVD with a German soundtrack since November 26, 2007, published by Twentieth Century Fox in their Große Film-Klassiker series. The edition includes the original black and white version as well as a colored version. On October 25, 2013, Twentieth Century Fox released a DVD containing both the 1947 and 1994 versions.

Reviews

The film received mostly positive reviews. Channel 4 Film , for example, praised the film as a “classic Christmas film with so much sensitivity that it is more enchanting than superficially sweet”. According to Almar Haflidason of the BBC , the film offers a “clever and profound story that is confident and self-assured, and also exudes considerable charm.” Bosley Crowther of the New York Times announced that The Miracle of Manhattan was the “most refreshing [... ] Film for a long time and perhaps the best comedy of the year. ”The Protestant film observer was also full of praise:“ A lovely film about an old man in the role of Santa Claus. Warm-hearted love and the hope for a miracle stand against the cold world of profit, technology and department stores. "

Awards (selection)

The film won the 1948 Academy Awards in the categories

excellent and in the category

nominated.

He also received two Golden Globes in the categories that same year

At the 1948 Locarno International Film Festival , George Seaton was in the category

  • "Best Adapted Script"

excellent

In 2005 the film was entered into the National Film Registry .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ German synchronous index: German synchronous index | Movies | The miracle of Manhattan. Retrieved December 22, 2017 .
  2. ↑ The Miracle of Manhattan DVD Case Great Classic Movies
  3. ↑ The Miracle of Manhattan (1947 & 1994) DVD case
  4. ↑ The Miracle of Manhattan Film Review adS Channel 4 Film, November 27, 2007, accessed March 14, 2008.
  5. ↑ Almar Haflidason: Miracle on 34th Street Film review adS BBC, December 8, 2000, accessed on March 14, 2008 (English).
  6. ↑ Bosley Crowther : Miracle on 34th Street , The New York Times , May 20, 2003, accessed March 14, 2008.
  7. ↑ Evangelical Press Association Munich: The miracle of Manhattan. Review No. 152/1949.