MovieChat Forums > Miracle on 34th Street (1994) Discussion > What year is this movie set?

What year is this movie set?

posted 15 years ago by Lilly_Nicole
17 replies | jump to latest

I grew up watching the original "Miracle on 34th Street" because it is one of my mother's favorite Christmas movies. In the 1960's and 1970's, you could only watch it when the local TV station decided to run it. (This was before vcr's, dvds, dvr's, and cable tv!)

So I remember watching the 1994 remake on TV after it came out, and I spent the whole movie trying to figure out if it was set in present time (early 1990's) or the past.

Even though it's been 15 years since I watched it, I remember that the clothes and hair styles seemed like from the 1940's or 1950's. I don't remember if they showed modern cars or items like PCs. But I do remember that Elizabeth Perkins dressed like 50 years ago!

Does anyone know?

[–] teefus87 15 years ago

it was set in modern times. the showed a video camera and a tv.

sam tyler:David Bowie. Why does it always come back to David Bowie?

[–] Lilly_Nicole 15 years ago

Thanks for clearning that up!

[–] larryrf 14 years ago

although i have always thought it was set in present time, i have always thought the same about the clothes. even the kids all appear to be wearing clothing styles from the 40s. the cop at the parade is wearing a uniform you see on movie cops from the 40s as well.

[–] b_natrl88 14 years ago

And also, the taxi cab looked really really old lol. It didn't look like a 90's car...

[–] kennyalancramer 14 years ago

While the show was set in modern times, the art direction in this film is clearly meant to evoke the 1940s/Art Deco period (as a nod to the original film). All of the "vintage" looking elements (the costuming, the taxi cabs and cars, the emphasized architecture, etc) are things that truly existed 1994... The architecture: New York's more iconic architecture is rooted in Art Deco and Art Nouveau tradition... Furthermore, the taxicabs in the film do exist in Manhattan. They curry more to "tourists" than anything else (from my experience) to evoke that since of the nostalgic, popular-image of old-time New York... The costuming used in the film is modern, but the selected pieces are all inspired by vintage looks... Another film that does this is the live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians.

I personally love the vintage feel of the film... Had the costuming or props been distinctly 1990's the film would not feel as "timeless"...

Perhaps I am odd, but I find this film to be superior in many respects to the original. Call me a softy, but their is some beautiful dialogue in this film... the cinematography is also quite lovely... I love that scene right after Kris is arrested and Dorey has this epiphany on the street while Richard Attenborough's voice over echo's in the background ("Santa Claus is more than man with a beard... he is a symbol...", etc.). Also, the judges speech at the end is quite stirring...

[–] JarJarRocks 14 years ago

The 40's vibe set in the 90's was brilliant and classy!

[–] liscarkat (18373) a year ago

The Checker Motors Corporation Models A8 through A12, all of which had the same 1956 body design, were the most common type of taxi cab in big U.S. cities up through the 1980s, and many were still in use in the 1990s when the movie was made.

[–] eljaykay1219 13 years ago

The movie is set in the 90's. One of my daughters was nine when the movie was made. She wore the same types of clothes that Susan did especially for special occasions such as Thanksgiving dinner. She certainly would have worn a dress to court. Most of her friends wore similar dresses to church and often to school as well.

[–] deadbodieseverywhere17 13 years ago

I just rewatched it last night and I've always wondered that too. Last night I did notice that Dorey has a laptop on her desk when Bryan is talking to her in her office, so it is obviously set in the time it was made. Another movie (movies) I found that happened with was Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns. Done in '89 and '92, all the people walking around, the vehicle, even some of the policemen looked like they were from the 50's. However I just chaulked that up to Tim Burton's directing.

We Are The Corps!! "Left the GL boards after two years when the trolls showed up."

[–] joflo11 13 years ago

I don't think the clothes were supposed to be from the 40s. They simply had class and knew how to dress, something that few people do these days. Sorry they didn't wear tank tops and cut off jeans to please the morons of this world.

[–] deadbodieseverywhere17 13 years ago

They simply had class and knew how to dress, something that few people do these days.

There is a difference between dress clothes from '94 and the 50's and 60's. Having class has nothing to do with it. If that's what they were going for they could have used modern dress clothes.

We Are The Corps!! "Left the GL boards after two years when the trolls showed up."

[–] Muggle423 13 years ago

Yeah...I miss the days when little girls got dressed up in cute little lacy dresses. Now everybody's in a hurry to grow up. It's as if there's no difference between kids clothes and teenager clothes. It's kind of sad.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Well during the holidays, most people today rock out the ugly Christmas sweaters, onesies, and matching Christmas pajamas.

[–] R_Kane (15828) a year ago

Bravo, joflo11!

[–] cosmic_quest 13 years ago

It's set in the nineties but the way it's been filmed, with the lack of gadgets and nineties fashion, means it can stand the test of time and won't date. You compare that to something like the later Harry Potter films, where the cast look as if they'd stepped out of the latest Gap catalogue, leading to films that will look more dated in a decade or so.

"I always pretend to root for Gryffindors but, secretly, I love my Slytherin boys."~ Karen, W&G

[–] cool_dudez11 8 years ago

Dorey had a small laptop on her office desk, if you look carefully. Definitely set in the 90s, but kind of had a mix of old-fashioned designs/clothing styles as well.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

During the scene where Susan was watching the parade, there was a "Clifford the Big Red Dog" float. I'm pretty sure Clifford (tv show or books) were NOT around during the 1940s.

Susan is also portrayed as a surprisingly mature and classy 6-year-old girl. She didn't really act like most kids her age.