It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Frances Goodrich (screenplay) and
Albert Hackett (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 January 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

They're making memories tonight!

Plot:

An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed.

Plot Keywords:

Angel | Business | Christmas | Small Town | Bank

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins

Cast

James Stewart	...	George Bailey
Donna Reed	...	Mary Hatch
Lionel Barrymore	...	Mr. Potter
Thomas Mitchell	...	Uncle Billy
Henry Travers	...	Clarence
Beulah Bondi	...	Mrs. Bailey
Frank Faylen	...	Ernie
Ward Bond	...	Bert
Gloria Grahame	...	Violet
H.B. Warner	...	Mr. Gower
Frank Albertson	...	Sam Wainwright
Todd Karns	...	Harry Bailey
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Pa Bailey
Mary Treen	...	Cousin Tilly
Virginia Patton	...	Ruth Dakin

Also Known As:

Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (USA) (complete title)
The Greatest Gift (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

130 min | Spain:118 min (25 fps) (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | Sweden:15 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Germany:6 | Spain:T | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #11656)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills High School - 241 Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Liberty Films (II)

Trivia:

At $3.7 million, this was a very expensive independent production. In its initial box office run, it only earned $3.3 million.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Clarence disappears while being wrestled by Bert the Cop, you can see the shadow of Ernie the Cabdriver, shaking his finger. However, when the camera shows Ernie, he has both hands on the tree, and then he begins to shake his finger.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mr. Emil Gower: I owe everything to George Bailey. Help him, dear Father.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Greatest Movies: 10th Anniversary Edition (2007)

Soundtrack:

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Atop my Top Ten

I am a film lover from 'way back, having even served a stint as a newspaper movie critic. Entries in my personal list of Greatest Films of All Time include "Fantasia," "To Kill A Mockingbird," "Casablanca," "Singin' in the Rain," "North by Northwest," and "The Sound of Music. But sitting atop all of them, as undisputed champ, is "It's a Wonderful Life."

I have seen it hundreds of times (dating back to, oh, when I was a teenager I suppose, and our local PBS station ran it as part of a pledge drive). I drive my wife and family to distraction when we watch it together because I quote all the dialogue along with the actors.

I cry every time--and this is after viewing upon viewing--when Harry Bailey toasts his big brother George as "...the richest man in town." The emotions in that scene are so true and pure that I can't help but be affected by them.

The performances are unparalleled. Stewart is brilliant as a small-town dreamer who loses and finds his way. His superlative acting abilities cause us to identify strongly with him (how many of us have lamented--even to ourselves--that no one seems to notice the sacrifices we've made?), which is, I think, why the movie bears up under so many repeat viewings. Reed is just lovely here, the epitome of sunny girlfriend, caring lover, devoted wife, dedicated mother.

Capra's talent as a screenwriter are all over this script. He knows just how hard to tug the heartstrings without becoming overblown or phony. And his technical wizardry is evident too. I've never seen--before or since--more natural-looking onscreen snow.

Watching IAWL has become a tonic, a pick-me-up when I really need one--whether it's the Christmas season or not. Its message--that each one of us is important and has *something* to contribute to the greater good--is one about which the world could use some reminding from time to time.