It's a Wonderful Life (A or 4/4 stars)
'It's a Wonderful Life', director Frank Capra's bittersweet classic, tells the story of George Bailey (James Stewart), the beloved hero of Middle America's Bedford Falls. As a young boy, George was selfless, risking his life to save his brother from drowning in a frozen lake. As an adult, he gave up his dream of traveling the world/going to college so that he would stay home to manage the Bailey Building & Loan Society after his father suddenly died. Throughout his life, George lived by a personal testament that always placed human need above $$ and, as a result, his only fortune was in his friends & family. George marries his high school sweetheart, Mary (Donna Reed), raises a family, & even helps the poor folks in town to buy homes. The movie's villain {so to speak} is a cantankerous old banker, Mr. Potter (played with proficient nastiness by the great Lionel Barrymore), who uses his wealth to bleed Bedford Falls' citizens dry.
See, The Bailey Building & Loan Society is the ONLY business in town that he doesn't own and he's willing to do anything to get his hands on it. There's no end to the schemes that Potter devises to take-down poor George. When faced with an $8000 shortage in his books, George figures that prison awaits and, perhaps, killing himself is the way to go; declaring that he wishes that he had never been born. This is when Clarence (Henry Travers), George's lovable-if-bumbling guardian angel, comes down from Heaven to prove to George that his life is worth living; if Clarence can achieve this, he'll finally 'earn his wings'. As the two of them travel through a nightmarish alternate reality, they observe how much worse-off his friends & family would be had George never existed; and he's made to realize how many lives he has touched through his existence. George realizes that despite all his misfortunes, with the love of his familiars, he really does have a wonderful life.
This film has it all: there's romance (George's sweet courting of Mary), there's comedy (a funny, unexpected surprise at a high school hop when the dance floor opens into a swimming pool), there's heavy drama (George rescuing his brother after falling through the ice; George's copious $$ misfortunes); there's even tragedy. And, although the overall tone of the proceedings is upbeat, director Frank Capra effectively captures the darkness of George's psyche as his mounting troubles (personal, financial) send him spiraling into despair. 'It's a Wonderful Life' is known as this gooey, sentimental holiday classic ... but audiences shouldn't forget the gloominess of some of the late scenes. i.e., those that culminate in George strongly contemplating suicide.
The movie works as a sort of a reverse Christmas Carol: instead of following a Scrooge, we have a hero who plunges into despair and must be shown the way out by a ghost/angel. Speaking of Scrooge, I must make mention of Lionel Barrymore's Scrooge-like portrayal of Potter. Simply put, it's excellent. Thomas Mitchell is wonderful as George's kindly, but incompetent Uncle Billy. I loved Henry Travers as the angel. H.B. Warner warmed my heart as the drunk, grieving druggist who suffers further by almost killing a sickly child by mistake. Gloria Grahame brings a lot to the small role of Violet, the town 'bad girl'. Donna Reed is just great as Mary, George's loyal, understanding wife. And James Stewart ... well, what can you say? It's an iconic performance. Stewart is warm, selfless, but then terrifically tortured near the end. He lays every emotion out for us to see; I'm reminded of a romantically-charged telephone scene he shares with Donna Reed's Mary. And I'm reminded of the over-the-top beaming joy he expresses in the film's final moments. The look on his face is enough to bring tears to my own eyes.
Technically, 'It's a Wonderful Life' is fantastic, as well. The black-&-white cinematography is beautiful -- there's nothing like watching George Bailey bound through Bedford Falls as the snow falls around him. The sound design of the movie is crisp & clear. The music is lovely. And as for the actual town of Bedford Falls ... it's a set! That's right, a huge, 300-yard long 'Main Street' was constructed, with 80+ stores & buildings, and 20 some-odd oak trees. Since the film was shot in the summer (in a heat wave, no less), the enormous amounts of snow used during the winter scenes had to be man-made (3,000(!) tons of shaved ice, 300 tons of plaster, & 6,000(!) gallons of chemicals were used to provide the illusion of a cold, wintry setting.
'It's a Wonderful Life' strikes a chord with many people & for many reasons. Now, while there's no doubt that this movie is one of today's most popular Christmastime classics, even surpassing other faves like A Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol, or The Christmas Story, really, 'It's a Wonderful Life' is just as great to experience now in July as it is in December. It also strikes a chord because it shows that no matter how seemingly insignificant we may seem at times in our lives ... we all have the power to make a difference. Despite being brought to life back in 1946, 'It's a Wonderful Life' - with it's wonderful characters, heartwarming story, universal message & superlative performances - is simply a superb, timeless movie for the ages.
See, The Bailey Building & Loan Society is the ONLY business in town that he doesn't own and he's willing to do anything to get his hands on it. There's no end to the schemes that Potter devises to take-down poor George. When faced with an $8000 shortage in his books, George figures that prison awaits and, perhaps, killing himself is the way to go; declaring that he wishes that he had never been born. This is when Clarence (Henry Travers), George's lovable-if-bumbling guardian angel, comes down from Heaven to prove to George that his life is worth living; if Clarence can achieve this, he'll finally 'earn his wings'. As the two of them travel through a nightmarish alternate reality, they observe how much worse-off his friends & family would be had George never existed; and he's made to realize how many lives he has touched through his existence. George realizes that despite all his misfortunes, with the love of his familiars, he really does have a wonderful life.
This film has it all: there's romance (George's sweet courting of Mary), there's comedy (a funny, unexpected surprise at a high school hop when the dance floor opens into a swimming pool), there's heavy drama (George rescuing his brother after falling through the ice; George's copious $$ misfortunes); there's even tragedy. And, although the overall tone of the proceedings is upbeat, director Frank Capra effectively captures the darkness of George's psyche as his mounting troubles (personal, financial) send him spiraling into despair. 'It's a Wonderful Life' is known as this gooey, sentimental holiday classic ... but audiences shouldn't forget the gloominess of some of the late scenes. i.e., those that culminate in George strongly contemplating suicide.
The movie works as a sort of a reverse Christmas Carol: instead of following a Scrooge, we have a hero who plunges into despair and must be shown the way out by a ghost/angel. Speaking of Scrooge, I must make mention of Lionel Barrymore's Scrooge-like portrayal of Potter. Simply put, it's excellent. Thomas Mitchell is wonderful as George's kindly, but incompetent Uncle Billy. I loved Henry Travers as the angel. H.B. Warner warmed my heart as the drunk, grieving druggist who suffers further by almost killing a sickly child by mistake. Gloria Grahame brings a lot to the small role of Violet, the town 'bad girl'. Donna Reed is just great as Mary, George's loyal, understanding wife. And James Stewart ... well, what can you say? It's an iconic performance. Stewart is warm, selfless, but then terrifically tortured near the end. He lays every emotion out for us to see; I'm reminded of a romantically-charged telephone scene he shares with Donna Reed's Mary. And I'm reminded of the over-the-top beaming joy he expresses in the film's final moments. The look on his face is enough to bring tears to my own eyes.
Technically, 'It's a Wonderful Life' is fantastic, as well. The black-&-white cinematography is beautiful -- there's nothing like watching George Bailey bound through Bedford Falls as the snow falls around him. The sound design of the movie is crisp & clear. The music is lovely. And as for the actual town of Bedford Falls ... it's a set! That's right, a huge, 300-yard long 'Main Street' was constructed, with 80+ stores & buildings, and 20 some-odd oak trees. Since the film was shot in the summer (in a heat wave, no less), the enormous amounts of snow used during the winter scenes had to be man-made (3,000(!) tons of shaved ice, 300 tons of plaster, & 6,000(!) gallons of chemicals were used to provide the illusion of a cold, wintry setting.
'It's a Wonderful Life' strikes a chord with many people & for many reasons. Now, while there's no doubt that this movie is one of today's most popular Christmastime classics, even surpassing other faves like A Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol, or The Christmas Story, really, 'It's a Wonderful Life' is just as great to experience now in July as it is in December. It also strikes a chord because it shows that no matter how seemingly insignificant we may seem at times in our lives ... we all have the power to make a difference. Despite being brought to life back in 1946, 'It's a Wonderful Life' - with it's wonderful characters, heartwarming story, universal message & superlative performances - is simply a superb, timeless movie for the ages.