8:38 p.m. - 2011-12-01
Miracle on 34th Street
Watching this movie for at least the 34th time, I couldn't help noticing how much of the "miracle" was owed to cynical self-interest. Kris Kringle was found to be sane in his court hearing because:
1. The judge wanted to be re-elected, and no one who ruled against Santa stood a chance with the voters.
2. Mr Macy didn't want to admit to potential shoppers that he didn't believe in his own department store Santa.
3. The prosecutor wouldn't admit that he had lied about Santa to his own son.
4. A clerk in the Post Office saw an easy way to unload all those dead letters addressed to Santa Clause.

I personally cannot believe that Kris was the real Santa, because on his job application at Macy's he clearly misspelled the name of one of his reindeer. It's Donner, not Donder, Kris.

The other clearly crazy person in this movie is the idealistic attorney Fred, played by John Payne, whom we see brushing his teeth before bedtime and then immediately lighting a cigarette.

previous - next