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TCFHE Press Release: Miracle on 34th Street (Blu-ray)

post #1 of 16
8/12/09 at 3:35pm
Thread Starter 
 


 
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS AND DISCOVER THE MOST PRECIOUS GIFT OF ALL – SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN
 
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
BLU-RAY DISC
 
Academy Award Winning* 1947 Black-And-White Original Classic 
And 1994 John Hughes Production Remake Debut On Blu-Ray Disc October 6 
From Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
 
Loaded With Bonus Features Including Commentary By Maureen O’Hara,
A Making Of Featurette and More!
 
“Christmas wouldn't be complete without it.”
- 7M Pictures
 
CENTURY CITY, Calif. - Journey through the eyes of one skeptical young girl convinced that Santa Claus does not exist, and experience the magic of Christmas as she learns dreams do come true, when Miracle On 34th Street debuts on Blu-ray Disc October 6 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. The original enchanting Oscar winning 1947 black-and-white classic and the 1994 remake will be released separately in stunning high definition for the first time.
 
When the man assigned to play Santa in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is found intoxicated Kris Kringle is hired to take his place, and does such an impressive job, he is appointed to continue the role at Macy’s flagship store on 34th street in New York City. Insistent that he truly is Santa Claus, Kringle is faced with disheartening cynicism from children, their parents and Macy’s executives, and ultimately forced to undergo psychological evaluations. Determined to prove himself, he manages to rekindle the miracles and enchantment of Christmas and make believers of them all.
 
Starring Maureen O’Hara (The Parent Trap), John Payne (Kansas City Confidential), Edmund Gwenn (The Trouble With Harry) in his Oscar-winning performance as Kris Kringle, and Academy Award nominee** Natalie Wood (West Side Story), the original Miracle On 34th Street is one of the most endearing and beloved holiday classics. Ranked ninth by the American Film Institute on its AFI’s 100 Years... 100 Cheers list, in 2005, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” 

The Blu-ray Disc is loaded with bonus features including commentary by silver screen legend Maureen O’Hara, a making of featurette, a historical overview of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and more.
 
The modern John Hughes production retelling stars Golden Globe nominee*** Elizabeth Perkins (Big), Golden Globe winner Dylan McDermott (Best Actor, “The Practice”), Oscar winner Richard Attenborough (Best Director, Ghandi) and Mara Wilson (Matilda).
 
Each film will be available for the suggested retail price of $34.99 U.S. / $37.99 Canada. Prebook is September 9.
 
Synopsis:
Six-year-old Susan doubts childhood’s most enduring miracle, Santa Claus. Her mother told her the “secret” of Santa a long time ago, so Susan does not expect to receive the most important gifts on her Christmas list. But after meeting a special department store Santa, who is convinced he is the real thing, Susan is given the most precious gift of all – something to believe in.
 
Blu-Ray Disc Specs:
Miracle On 34th Street Blu-ray disc (1947 Version) is presented in Full Screen; Audio: English: 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, Mono / Spanish & French: Mono; English and Spanish subtitles
 
Bonus features include: 
  • Audio commentary by Maureen O’Hara
  • AMC Back Story: Miracle On 34th Street
  • Movietone News: Hollywood Spotlight
  • Promotional Spot
  • Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Floating in History
  • Poster Gallery
 
Miracle On 34th Street Blu-ray disc (1994 Version) is presented in Widescreen; Audio: English: 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, 5.1 Dolby Digital / French: Dolby Surround; English, French and Spanish subtitles
 

Miracle On 34th Street Blu-Ray Disc (1947 Version)
Street Date:
October 6, 2009
Prebook Date:
September 9, 2009
Pricing:
$34.99 U.S. / $37.99 Canada
Catalog #:
2261784
Rating:
G
Total Run Time:
96 Minutes
Closed Captioned:
Yes
Miracle On 34th Street Blu-Ray Disc (1994 Version)
Street Date:
October 6, 2009
Prebook Date:
September 9, 2009
Pricing:
$34.99 U.S. / $37.99 Canada
Catalog #:
2261792
Rating:
PG
Total Run Time:
114 Minutes
Closed Captioned:
Yes
 
*1948: Best Supporting Actor, Edmund Gwenn; Best Writing, Original Story; Best Writing, Screenplay
**1956: Best Supporting Actress – Rebel Without A Cause; 1962: Best Actress – Splendor in the Grass; 1964: Best Actress – Love With the Proper Stranger
***2006 & 2007: Best Supporting Actress – “Weeds”
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) [Blu-ray]
$16.38 at
See it »
Miracle on 34th Street (1994) [Blu-ray]
$14.66 at
See it »
post #2 of 16
8/12/09 at 4:53pm
I'll pick up the original, but the remake is a definite pass.
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post #3 of 16
8/13/09 at 7:39am
There's no earthly reason they couldn't fit both of these on one Blu-Ray disc -- if they had, I'd have shelled out for the upgrade. As it is, I'll pass. Lame.
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post #4 of 16
8/13/09 at 8:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shakey67 View Post

There's no earthly reason they couldn't fit both of these on one Blu-Ray disc -- if they had, I'd have shelled out for the upgrade. As it is, I'll pass. Lame.
 

You can always fit more on a Blu-ray if you apply additional compression. At some point, though, you start sacrificing quality.
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post #5 of 16
8/13/09 at 8:42am
 I only want the original, and I'm relieved to see them calling it "the original black and white classic"; on DVD it was stuck on the second disc while the colorized version got disc 1.

And it's interesting to see them refer to it as "full screen". I assume it means the original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, but since the native HD resolution is 16x9 it can't possibly be called "full screen" anymore.

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post #6 of 16
8/13/09 at 2:17pm
Where's the love for the 1973 tv movie remake?
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post #7 of 16
8/13/09 at 2:50pm


Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Reuben View Post


You can always fit more on a Blu-ray if you apply additional compression. At some point, though, you start sacrificing quality.

In this case with a total running time of a little over 200 min, and considering that one film is pillar boxed and B&W, I don't think there would be any sacrifice in quality.

Doug

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post #8 of 16
8/13/09 at 3:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Douglas Monce View Post




In this case with a total running time of a little over 200 min, and considering that one film is pillar boxed and B&W, I don't think there would be any sacrifice in quality.

Doug

 

I didn't say there would be. Not having access to the digital files, and not knowing the requirements of the extras, I wouldn't presume to say either way.
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post #9 of 16
8/13/09 at 5:20pm


Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Reuben View Post


I didn't say there would be. Not having access to the digital files, and not knowing the requirements of the extras, I wouldn't presume to say either way.

Yes if there were HUGE amounts of extras, it could push the limits. But with what is listed here, and likely all of it is 480i from the original dvd releases, they aren't even coming close to pushing the limits for a 50 gig blu-ray.

Doug

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post #10 of 16
8/13/09 at 6:17pm
Or they simply knew that a lot of people thought he 1994 remake was crap, and therefore would feel ripped off if it was included in the set and MSRP was higher. :)
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post #11 of 16
8/13/09 at 8:06pm


Quote:
Originally Posted by Shakey67 View Post

There's no earthly reason they couldn't fit both of these on one Blu-Ray disc -- if they had, I'd have shelled out for the upgrade. As it is, I'll pass. Lame.

This is the first time I've ever seen a studio called "lame" for paying no attention to the idea that it's supposed to include the original film AND its remake.  Talk about going overboard with demands....
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post #12 of 16
8/14/09 at 1:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertR View Post

This is the first time I've ever seen a studio called "lame" for paying no attention to the idea that it's supposed to include the original film AND its remake.  Talk about going overboard with demands....

Overboard? Phooey! The Criterion Collection included the 1935 version of "Magnificent Obsession" along with the 1954 Douglas Sirk version that all the kids are raving about these days.  And Universal threw in a startlingly awful 70's remake of "Double Indemnity" with the Billy Wilder classic.  Why not do the same with this picture?

In all fairness, though, I suppose one's opinion on this matter may hinge on one's opinion of the remake.  I always considered the original "Miracle" to be vastly superior to the 90's remake (and a 70's TV version? Yikes), so I guess it just wouldn't occur to me that there would be an equal demand for both; hence, throw 'em together as a two-fer.

And Fox is still lame.  If not for this, then definitely for threatening to hold up "Watchmen".  Also, they stole my lunch money one time.

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post #13 of 16
8/14/09 at 4:44pm
The BRD of Gigi included an earlier non-musical version of the story.  The (IMHO pointless) remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still included the original classic version.  More food for thought.
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post #14 of 16
8/14/09 at 6:19pm
The earlier Gigi was standard def from a fairly poor print (EN subs burned in, IIRC).

The original The Day the Earth Stood Still was released by itself already.
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post #15 of 16
8/15/09 at 10:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis Nicholls View Post

The (IMHO pointless) remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still included the original classic version.  More food for thought.

That's right - I forgot about that one! Another reason why Fox is lame: that remake. Putting the '51 original with the remake is like recording a cover of "She Loves You" with barking dogs and putting the Beatles version on the b-side.
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post #16 of 16
8/15/09 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shakey67 View Post

Quote:


That's right - I forgot about that one! Another reason why Fox is lame: that remake. Putting the '51 original with the remake is like recording a cover of "She Loves You" with barking dogs and putting the Beatles version on the b-side.

It would have been, if the original were not available separately.
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) [Blu-ray]
$16.38 at
See it »
Miracle on 34th Street (1994) [Blu-ray]
$14.66 at
See it »
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › Blu-ray › TCFHE Press Release: Miracle on 34th Street (Blu-ray)