Some movies, even good ones, should only be seen once. When we know how they turn out, they've surrendered their mystery and appeal. Other movies can be viewed an indefinite number of times. Like great music, they improve with familiarity. It's a Wonderful Life falls in the second category.
From the beginning, director Frank Capra and onscreen everyman Jimmy Stewart never intended the 1946 classic It's a Wonderful Life as a holiday feature. Immediately following their service in the second World War, they were each interested in making a picture that was uplifting and inspiring. Based on Philip Van Doren Stern's short story "The Greatest Gift," It's a Wonderful Life tells the story of small town citizen George Bailey, who dreams of exploring the world yet feels stuck in his hometown of Bedford Falls, including the local building and loan, and his role as a family man opposite wife Mary (Donna Reed).
The centerpiece of this "tour" of America in the first half of the 20th century, if you will, is the plot where a bank loan is misplaced, driving George into despair and bitterness, and on the brink of suicide, until a visit from his guardian angel, Clarence, helps him see what life would've been like had he never existed, and how meaningful his life really is.
The centerpiece of this "tour" of America in the first half of the 20th century, if you will, is the plot where a bank loan is misplaced, driving George into despair and bitterness, and on the brink of suicide, until a visit from his guardian angel, Clarence, helps him see what life would've been like had he never existed, and how meaningful his life really is.
Not a financial success upon its initial release (see also The Wizard of Oz and The Shawshank Redemption), the film has (like George) gained another life by means of television and, in particular, a copyright error in the 1970s. (This despite leading to a "colorized" version of the film, which Capra and Stewart did not approve of and claimed robbed the purity of the original black-and-white version.) It's one of those rare films that gets better with every viewing, and deserves to be seen at least once every year. It may be a sentimental movie, but at least it's an honest one.
First-time viewers expecting a thorough "Christmas movie" may find George's life story a bit long at first. But in time, the story will grow on them, including its ageless iconography, from Zuzu's pedals to George "lassoing the moon," to Jimmy the raven, and the repeated use of "Buffalo Gals" on record.
First-time viewers expecting a thorough "Christmas movie" may find George's life story a bit long at first. But in time, the story will grow on them, including its ageless iconography, from Zuzu's pedals to George "lassoing the moon," to Jimmy the raven, and the repeated use of "Buffalo Gals" on record.
It's universal message of the significance one person makes on others never gets old. Ebert called the film "a celebration of the lives and dreams of America's ordinary citizens, who tried the best they could to do the right thing by themselves and their neighbors." And this theme of giving and serving is, perhaps, what makes it a fitting (and perennial) staple around the holidays and in the history of film.
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