Doris Walker works for Macy's department store in New York and hires an unusual man, Kris Kringle, to play Santa Claus. The problem is Kringle claims he really is Santa Claus and wants to convince Doris and her daughter Susan of the need to believe in magic
Everybody likes a good Christmas movie (my favourite is Gremlins) and this is one of the best, with a funny script by writer-director Seaton, excellent performances throughout and a cheerfully whimsical atmosphere. What I particularly like about it is that it lets you make up your own mind about Kris Kringle - is he really Santa Claus, or just a somewhat deluded but nice old man ? What's important is not so much whether you believe in Santa but whether you believe he believes he's Santa, and the story wisely never resorts to having him perform some miracle, thereby ruining the wonder and mystery. Gwenn is fabulous in the pivotal role, but then he's always good (check him out also in Foreign Correspondent, Them! and particularly The Trouble With Harry). He plays scenes like the one where he talks to the Dutch girl without ever overdoing it or sentimentalising; he's more irascible and down-to-Earth than your average movie Santa. For me, this is also a quintessential Noo Yawk picture, with Bugs Bunny accents, bubblegum kids (eight-year-old Wood is remarkably sassy and straight-laced) and a slightly cracked wiseguy sensibility. It somehow manages to be both tender and streetwise, but most of all is just good fun. There are a lot of Christmas movies - everybody from Monty Python to Arnold Schwarzenegger has tried one - but this is one of the best. Remade several times for TV and again as a feature in 1994, but none of them are as good as this original. An Oscar-winner for both Seaton and Gwenn, and a warm-hearted classic.
Everybody likes a good Christmas movie (my favourite is Gremlins) and this is one of the best, with a funny script by writer-director Seaton, excellent performances throughout and a cheerfully whimsical atmosphere. What I particularly like about it is that it lets you make up your own mind about Kris Kringle - is he really Santa Claus, or just a somewhat deluded but nice old man ? What's important is not so much whether you believe in Santa but whether you believe he believes he's Santa, and the story wisely never resorts to having him perform some miracle, thereby ruining the wonder and mystery. Gwenn is fabulous in the pivotal role, but then he's always good (check him out also in Foreign Correspondent, Them! and particularly The Trouble With Harry). He plays scenes like the one where he talks to the Dutch girl without ever overdoing it or sentimentalising; he's more irascible and down-to-Earth than your average movie Santa. For me, this is also a quintessential Noo Yawk picture, with Bugs Bunny accents, bubblegum kids (eight-year-old Wood is remarkably sassy and straight-laced) and a slightly cracked wiseguy sensibility. It somehow manages to be both tender and streetwise, but most of all is just good fun. There are a lot of Christmas movies - everybody from Monty Python to Arnold Schwarzenegger has tried one - but this is one of the best. Remade several times for TV and again as a feature in 1994, but none of them are as good as this original. An Oscar-winner for both Seaton and Gwenn, and a warm-hearted classic.