Directed by:
Frank CapraComposer:
Dimitri TiomkinCast:
James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame, H.B. Warner (more)VOD (1)
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George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all – and it’s Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn’t been for all of his good deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget suicide? (Umbrella Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (2)
This film is not without flaws. In the second half, the complications of the main character become overly drawn out, and the final walk with the angel is incredibly irritating in that George doesn't get it, even after his hypothetical nonexistence is demonstrated for the millionth time, which is maddening. But that is not what Frank Capra's Christmas family celebration of life is about. It's not about the details, it's not about the viewer studying the story. It's just about the fact that it's worth living, loving someone, and not stopping in the pursuit of anything, even if it means giving up on our life dreams. It's a strange coincidence that I watched the movie exactly when I was in the kind of mood where a personal, academic, or any other situation was simply wrong, and no movie could distract me from my any problems. And It's a Wonderful Life awakened something in me. That feeling that in the moments when we think it can't get any worse, that life happiness may be closer than we think.
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If someone other than James Stewart played the character George, he probably wouldn't be as believable, especially in the positive moments that are almost unbearable. Maybe Cary Grant could still do it. But it's precisely because of James that this is such a beautiful piece of work that everyone should see. It doesn't matter that it's an American work; the primary focus is on the kindness of a person and the meaning of their life. That in itself is beautiful and will endure for generations. At least in the movies, if not always in reality.
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