It's A Wonderful Life

Year Released: 1946

Runtime: 131 minutes

Directed: Frank Capra

Produced: Frank Capra

Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi

Oscars: Won: Technical Achievement (for a new way of creating snow) Nominated: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Editing, Best Sound

IMDb Plot Summary: An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.

Context, Context, Context: What Created It’s a Wonderful Life, and Why it’s Still Relevant

Capra, Stewart, and “The Greatest Gift”. Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart had both cemented themselves as among Hollywood’s most beloved figures by the time that the United States got involved in World War 2. A very fair modern-day comparison for Stewart would be Tom Hanks, and Capra could potentially be the Spielberg of his time, especially the type of Spielberg responsible for Lincoln. However, as war came, both men left Hollywood to get involved. Capra and a handful of other American filmmakers created propaganda documentary films to encourage soldiers and recruits. Stewart flew bombing missions over Germany, experiencing harrowing aerial combat along the way. They were both lauded by the public for their efforts, and a reunion between the two (they had previously collaborated twice) felt natural. Capra’s friends at RKO practically forced him to read the short story “The Greatest Gift”, and then he moved quickly to secure the rights and worked with collaborators to create a full-length screenplay, as the story only contains the guardian angel/alternate reality section of the movie. Stewart, in the meantime, struggled to readjust to civilian life after the war, and so Capra personally reached out knowing that playing George Bailey may serve quite therapeutic to Stewart. RKO studios helped Capra flesh out the rest of the cast and crew with talent, and the production went exactly on schedule. Besides the names involved, there was very little to suggest this film would become so special.

The legacy of It’s a Wonderful Life. Despite the film’s current legacy and continuous praise, it was far from a hit when it premiered in December of 1946; it failed to reach its budget, and major studios began to write Capra off due to a lack of financial success. It received mixed reviews from critics, as there were both more topical WWII films (like The Best Years of Our Lives) and more true Christmas films (Miracle on 34th Street), while this film straddles the line of being both. The FBI even labelled it as potential Communist propaganda for its villainous portrayal of the wealthy Mr. Potter. With all this working against it, it flew well under the radar of most audiences and only won one Academy Award. It wasn’t until the 1970’s, when networks broadcast it regularly during Christmas, that the film achieved the type of recognition and celebration that it enjoys today. Modern critics continue to consider this film as among the best ever made, suggesting that Capra wasn’t wrong, he was just early in terms of what audiences would latch onto – this is often the case with masterpieces.

The Story and its Characters

Post-War American Values. As “The Greatest Gift” covers around 30-40 minutes of this film’s runtime, Capra had an opportunity to not just set up every aspect of George’s alternate reality in “Pottersville” by expanding on all the characters that George would encounter, he also had a chance to weave the historical events that would have shaped George’s life in the years leading up to his “crucial night” and present them through the prism of the town of Bedford Falls. Since show much of the film is concerned with George feeling trapped by his small town and sense of duty to keep it from turning into “Pottersville”, but after seeing the alternate reality he comes to realize that the soul of the town changes with the soul of its people, and George is perhaps the most crucial element keeping that soul intact. Nearly 75 years on, I agree with the critics who claim that Bedford Falls is more of a fairy tale ideal than a representation of real life. I also agree with both modern critics and the film’s contemporaries that the world looks an awful lot more like Pottersville, and probably did back then. Where I and most modern critics disagree with the critics of this film’s day is on if the fairy tale portrayal of an American small town is a bad thing. Every film worth watching has something to say about the world, and even the ones set in ostensibly real-world settings dip into the realm of the fantastic to truly make their mark – and the fact that Capra does this through the film’s storytelling is a wonderful thing. Carrying the vision of a Bedford Falls with us allows us to shape our Pottersvilles closer to that; even if we never get there, it’s more than worth trying. The film also has moments of overwhelming positive emotional release, especially in its final scene where George gets the overwhelmingly happy ending that he so deserves. While this is a step back into fairy tale land (the George Baileys of our world rarely get this recognition) the power of the catharsis in these moments ensure this film will live on and on.

The performances. This is a very expensive Hallmark movie without the cast bringing genuine feeling to their performances, and it would never have experienced the profound re-evaluation that took place. With a relatively simple approach in its storytelling and film production, the film’s most timeless moments are a result of the dialogue and the characters who say it. Prolific and talented character actor Thomas Mitchell brings his special mix of humor and piteousness to the role of Uncle Billy, winning the hearts of the audience in the process. Samuel S. Hinds serves brilliantly as George’s father, the film’s early conscience, and Todd Karns is charming as Harry Bailey – George’s younger brother, who has the life that George should. Ward Bond and Frank Faylen are delightfully funny as Bert and Ernie, respectively, and Beulah Bondi brings dramatic gravitas and humor in equal measures as George’s mother. I can’t say enough about Lionel Barrymore’s portrayal of Mr. Potter; it is as close to cartoonishly villainous as you can get without slipping into the ridiculous, yet also contains intensely nuanced moments that will never age. Henry Travers steals his entire section of the film as Clarence and is absolutely unforgettable. Donna Reed turns in an incredibly ranged performance as Mary, who ends up being the film’s true heroine by rallying the town offscreen to come to George’s aid.

It’s without a doubt James Stewart’s turn as George Bailey that is the best performance in this film, and among the most memorable in his immensely storied career. He expertly plays George across multiple ages and emotional states; the bottoms that he reaches in this movie is some of the most moving work put on screen, and he evoked some of his war-based trauma to get himself in the right headspace. Even before the film’s most emotional scenes, his tenderness, frustrations, humor, vulnerability, and romance are the standards that actors today still hope to achieve in their best moments.

Technicalities

Creating Bedford Falls. This may be my shortest technical analysis yet, as Capra was known for his very simple technical style and chose to rest the power of his films on the characters, basic storytelling, and performances. I will acknowledge the fact that this film invented a new way to simulate snowfall, and it the effect really is beautiful. One other thing to nod to is the cinematography; in the time of black and white, the use of lighting and framing of shots was crucial to create the mood of the scene – when done well, it adds to the timelessness of films from this era and it’s done quite well here. What I do want to focus on briefly is the town of Bedford Falls; the location was built from scratch on RKO’s 89-acre ranch, with the main street of town taking up most of the space. The commitment to making the town a living, breathing place during production translates fantastically well into the final product, and the way that it’s designed creates both a distinct feeling and a relatable feeling for the audience.

John’s Highlight Reel

· Heavenly Conversation. I’m not sure if this sequence was technically stunning when the film debuted, but the shot that “travels through space” following a montage of prayers for George comes across as something sweet from a bygone era. However, the mix of charm and self-serious genuine emotion this scene effectively conveys matches the tone of the rest of the film perfectly, setting the table for what’s to come.

· Harry’s Party. This film is masterfully paced; it has longer sections of shorter scenes, but never seems to skip over any important moments for plot development, character development, or emotional richness. George’s conversation with his father gives us a profoundly emotional moment in a film that’s full of them, the party scene works as a great example of the mix of gentle humor and tenderness that marks the majority of this film, and Donna Reed gets to prove that her Mary is a great match for Stewart’s George in their walk home.

· Phone Call from New York. I love this entire section between Harry’s wedding and George’s, but the scene where he and Mary go back and forth before finally admitting to their feelings about each other is a masterclass in romantic tension without even using editing. Just perfect framing of our two leads in close-up, trying to make a coherent conversation with a third party over the phone and trying not to meet each other’s gaze.

· Run on the Bank/Honeymoon. This is one of the most memorable stretches of the film for me, and a perfect microcosm of the film’s story at large: George Bailey is put to the test and decides to sacrifice his own happiness for the good of those around him, has a brief moment of despair as a result, but is terrifically rewarded for it by the one who loves him most. It’s that simple, and that great.

· George’s Lows. Just as the joyous and sentimentally sweet scenes have lost none of their potency, neither have the scenes where George hits rock bottom. I was blown away by the scene where he ultimately yells at and berates his children, turning their love for him into fear; this is the nightmare of every decent man, to express the darkest side of yourself to your own children, knowing they will never forget and possibly not forgive.

· Pottersville. This extended sequence is perhaps the most famous plot element of the film while also being an expertly paced slice of filmmaking that painstakingly shows how every aspect of George’s life and those in it has turned upside down. It also balances the existential terror that George faces being in the alternate reality with light humor, an excellent Henry Travers performance, and just enough of an emotional gut punch.

· Attaboy, Clarence. Wanna watch me get misty eyed from pure cathartic happiness? Watch this movie with me and see what happens when we get to this scene. This is pure emotional payoff, so unabashedly positive, expected, but so well deserved for George Bailey. This film works so well because George Bailey represents both an aspirational figure for us and the best people that we happen to know. Thus, when we watch George finally get everything he deserves, we see ourselves as both rushing in with a smile on our face to help a friend in need, and as the recipient of utmost generosity. It’s a reminder that we are loved, and of the joy it is to love one another; these feelings will never vanish from people, and so neither will this film that captures them terrifically ever vanish.

Came for _____, Stayed for ______

My Dad’s Christmas favorite. It wasn’t until I was in high school that my Dad showed this movie to our whole family for Christmas. I appreciate him holding off, not because of the thematic heaviness of the film’s central conceit (a man considering suicide), but rather giving me time to fully appreciate the maturity and complexity of emotion this film explores in nearly every scene. There must be something that connected with my Dad; why else would he love this old black and white movie so much?

My new Christmas favorite. I was brought to tears the first time I watched this movie, and the “honeymoon” scene and final scene still do it to me, which is rare. There may not be a true Bedford Falls anywhere, but every time I watch this movie, I’m reminded that in my times of lows or frustrations that I should appreciate my own Bedford Falls; the people in my life who make it infinitely better. Like George Bailey did for his, I hope I’ve been able to do the same for them. Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan.