As George Bailey, a man who has spent a great deal of his life helping others, contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve, he is joined by an angel named Clarence, who shows George what life would have been like if he had ever existed.
"George Bailey, I'll love you till the day I die."
George Bailey is a man with big dreams. He wants to travel the world, go to college, and be somebody. Having lived his whole life in the small town of Bedford Falls, a place that he both loves and hates, George longs for the opportunity to stretch his legs, but it always seems to be just out of his reach. After settling down with Mary Hatch, a girl who's loved him for years, and having a bunch of kids, George finds himself in a difficult situation when a great deal of money that he owes is misplaced. Feeling he has no other options, George results to suicide. But before he can go through with it, an angel named Clarence, who's trying to get his wings, prevents him, and shows George what he means to the people of Bedford Falls.
Frank Capra directed a couple of fantastic films in the 1930's and 1940's. It Happened One Night (1934), You Can't Take It With You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) all belong to him. But his best film, and certainly his best known film, is It's a Wonderful Life. It was Capra's third and final collaboration with James Stewart, and one of the last Hollywood films that he directed. This was due in part to the commercial disappointment of It's a Wonderful Life. Though the film was hardly a failure, it didn't make as much money upon its release that the studio, RKO Pictures, had hoped, and Capra was no longer seen being able to produce popular pictures. It's ironic that his most famous film is the one that very nearly ended his career.
It's funny to think that in a time where we pay to see such films as Dance Flick (2009), that we've also learned to appreciate older films that weren't so fondly thought of in their time. It's a Wonderful Life was hardly a "must-see" picture back in 1946. The "big" film of that year was the post-war drama The Best Years of Our Lives, which went on to win the Best Picture of 1946 Oscar, beating It's a Wonderful Life. The Best Years of Our Lives is a very good film, and I like it a lot, but, I bet if you were to ask people about it today, many wouldn't even know it was a movie. On the other hand, I'm certain that a majority of people would be able to tell you at least a little something about It's a Wonderful Life. It joins the likes of Casablanca as one of the best films of the 1940's. A classic in every sense of the word, and it was made one by us, not the critics.
"A toast to my brother George: The richest man in town."
Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, in his first major post-WWII role. In 1941, Stewart was enlisted in the United States Army as a pilot, and would spend the next four years of his life flying planes as part of the Air Force in World War II. Stewart was the first major Hollywood star to enlist in the war, with other stars, such as Henry Fonda and Clark Gable, following in his footsteps. While Stewart would remain in the Air Force Reserve after the war, in 1946, he would return to filmmaking as his primary occupation, with his first serious role being George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life. Bailey is the character for whom Stewart is best known, with the film It's a Wonderful Life often being considered his best work. He plays the role of George brilliantly, as he did with all his roles. Stewart always played these nice guy characters, and I have a feeling that this was simply because he was a nice guy in real life. Hardly anybody ever said a bad word against him. He seemed like a terrific guy and he certainly had terrific talent. It's a shame that the stars of today can't be more like Jimmy. It's a shame that we all can't be more like him. I feel that, if more people were as nice as Jimmy Stewart was, the world may be a nicer place to reside.
Donna Reed plays Mary, a very sweet girl who has been in love with George Bailey all of her life. Reed is great as Mary, and makes a perfect onscreen companion to Jimmy Stewart's George. She glows whenever she's on screen. Henry Travers is also very good in his small role as Clarence the Angel. He brings a whimsical edge to the film. Lionel Barryore (That's Drew's Greatuncle) is menacing as Mr. Potter, the man that sets out to distroy the Baileys. He plays the perfect mean old man.
As I've already stated, It's a Wonderful Life didn't become known as the great film it is until its later years. Now, it's considered one of the best American pictures ever made, with the American Film Institute voting it as the 20th greatest American film of all time. The AFI also voted George Bailey as the 9th greatest Hero in American film and Mr. Potter as the 6th Greatest villain. The film also landed the number one spot on AFI's list of the most inspiring films in American cinematic history. That's a great many honors for a film that was once considered a major disappointment. I wonder what the original critics of It's a Wonderful Life thought of their reviews of the film in later years...
It's a Wonderful Life is a wonderful film that everybody should see at least once in their lifetime. 10/10
Trivia: George Bailey was Jimmy Stewart's favourite film role. The part, which was originally written with Cary Grant, was rewritten to suit Stewart after Frank Capra signed on as director of the film.
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