ニューヨーク西34丁目にある老舗デパートのコールズは、営業不振に苦しんでいた。そんな中、クリスマス恒例のパレード開始直後にサンタクロース役が酔い潰れてしまい、責任者のドリーは、偶然居合わせた老人クリスを代役に起用する。サンタのイメージにぴったりのクリスの活躍でパレードは大成功を収め、デパートの売り上げも急上昇。しかし、ライバルのデパートの社長たちの陰謀によって、事態は思わぬ方向に…。
興行収入: $46,264,384 (69億円)
※製作費・興行収入はTMDBのデータを参照しています。収支は(興行収入 - 製作費)で算出したFindKey独自の推定値であり、広告宣伝費や諸経費は含まれません (1ドル=150円換算)。
監督: Les Mayfield
脚本: George Seaton / John Hughes / Valentine Davies
音楽: Bruce Broughton
制作: John Hughes / William S. Beasley / William Ryan
撮影監督: Julio Macat
制作会社: 20th Century Fox / Hughes Entertainment
I'm not sure that this really needed reimagining, but Sir Richard Attenborough was probably the best man at giving it a go when it was remade. He is "Kris Kringle", recruited by a struggling toy store to take part in their Christmas parade when their regular fella hits the bottle once too often. He goes down a treat and is soon in their store chatting to all the children. He has an honest streak - he tells the parents where they can shop more cheaply and that's risky for his job! His bosses see a marketing opportunity in his altruism though, and the store's profits soar. He isn't popular with everyone, however, and after a street altercation with his walking stick a his predecessor's head, he finds himself in court. He isn't charged with assault: they are trying to certify him for claiming to be - well, whom he cannot possibly be. Or can he? It's a wee bit long, this, but Sir Richard enters into the spirit of things enthusiastically. Though his accent isn't as reliable as it might be, he brings a certain mischief to the role. He is well supported by the increasingly incredulous prosecutor "Collins" (JT Walsh) and by Robert Prosky in the judge's chair. It's a pleasing story, well told, with some gentle humour that takes a swipe at the bah-humbug society that has long since forgotten what Christmas really ought to be about. It hasn't the charm of the 1947 version, but it's still enjoyable enough to watch at this time of year.
