Its A Wonderful Life

One of the most popular American films of all-time and a perennial holiday favorite, It's A Wonderful Life is one of the most popular and heartwarming films ever made by director Frank Capra who regarded this film as his own personal favorite - it was also James Stewart's favorite of all his feature films.

It was nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (James Stewart in his first film in almost six years), Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Sound Recording and Best Film Editing, but won no Oscars.(It was eclipsed by William Wyler's award-winning The Best Years of Our Lives.)

After slipping initially into obscurity, it began appearing on television occasionally in the late 1950s. But when the film's copyright lapsed in 1973, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE quickly became a staple of American TV programming between Thanksgiving and Christmas and belatedly earned its rightful place in the lexicon of American popular culture.

The American Film Institute named it one of the best films ever made, putting it at the top of the list of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers, a list of what AFI considers to be the most inspirational American movies of all time. The film also appeared in another AFI Top 100 list: it placed at 11th on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies list of the top American films. It's A Wonderful Life is an indisputable movie classic.

Cast List

George Bailey was James Stewart's first role after WWII. As George Bailey, he has never been better than he is here. Throughout the film, he convincingly ages a few decades, from a youthful, bright-eyed college graduate to a sincere but disillusioned husband and father who realizes that he never had the chance to fulfill he dreams. The role is one of humor, obsession, gloom, and, finally, hope, and it would go on to be the part with which Stewart was recognized for the rest of his career.

Mary Hatch Bailey was Donna Reed's first starring role.

Other cast members included:
Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter
Henry Travers as the angel Clarence Oddbody, AS2
Thomas Mitchell as Uncle Billy
Ward Bond as Bert
Frank Faylen as Ernie Bishop
Beulah Bondi as Mrs. Bailey
Gloria Grahame as Violet Bick

Plot Outline

James Stewart stars as George Bailey, the kind of nice guy who does so much for others that he ends up with almost nothing.

In flashback, we review George's life, learning that he has always wanted to leave his hometown to see the world, but that circumstances and his own good heart have kept him in Bedford Falls, sacrificing his own education for his brother's, keeping the family-run savings and loan afloat, protecting the town from the avarice of banker Potter (Lionel Barrymore), marrying his childhood sweetheart (Donna Reed), and raising a family.

When an error of his uncle Bill causes George's business to go belly up, he starts thinking that he's done enough, and that everyone would be better off without him. He considers suicide.

As a drunken George is considering jumping off a bridge, God sends down one of his angels (Clarence, who has yet to earn his wings) to help him out. Clarence then shows him how things would be if he hadn't indeed ever been born, like "A Christmas Carol" in reverse.

George is taken on a journey showing him what the world would be like if he'd never been born and its a nightmare vision. He begs Clarence to give him another chance and the film ends happily.

That brings us to the message of the film. George might not have lots of money, but he has countless friends and a family that loves him, and that makes him the richest man in town.

It sounds corny but it works. A real 'feel-good' film.