It's a Wonderful Life
Details
While Hollywood in 1946 produced many post-war stories, Frank Capra quietly left behind a masterpiece on the silver screen. Moreover, he could not see the expected attention at the time he entered the vision; over the years, gradually, he wandered from viewer to viewer and reached his current legendary position. Sometimes it takes time for a film to become one of the most beloved in cinema history. George Bailey, played by James Stewart, is a man who has not lived his own life. She has dreams, places she wants to go, someone she wants to be. But each time, someone else's need comes first; the need of the town, the need of the family, the need of the neighbor. Sacrifice accumulates over time in such a way that one doesn't even realize it, until that night when everything collapses upon them. At this point, Capra takes her story to the edge of magical realism and asks the audience an extraordinary question: what would the world be like if you had never existed? The answer to this question is both chilling and deeply heartwarming. The film tells the story of how ordinary days in one's life are actually extraordinary, and how touching others leaves invisible but lasting marks. The town of Bedford Falls is small and modest; the people here are not great heroes. But as Capra looks at them, he finds true greatness precisely within this ordinariness. The character Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore, is one of the best-written villains in American cinema. You can read on a person's face, even in a single scene, how greed for money and power eats away at them from within. Every encounter between Stewart and Barrymore seems to vibrate within the black-and-white image. The fact that it is in black and white does not confine the film to the past; on the contrary, it gives it a timeless poetic quality. The sparkle of Christmas in the light snow, the dim lamp lights in the town, the trembling of George's hands... These are not just images; they are emotions. The Capra technique never supersedes emotion. The Magnificent Life moves something inside you after you watch it. Maybe that night you'll take a closer look at your life, and maybe you'll realize that what you've been searching for is actually right in front of you. Some movies entertain you, some make you think. This movie changes you by making you feel.
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Liberty ...
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Reviews
barrymost
August 18, 2019
10/10
It's practically an American tradition to watch this film with family at Christmas time each year. I just saw it for the first time myself a couple weeks before last Christmas, and I loved it. It's an uplifting, inspiring, dramatic, and at times laugh-out-loud funny story, with a cast that probably couldn't be improved upon if you tried. And, of course, it's directed by the superb Frank Capra, whose work I greatly admire. James Stewart gives a raw, totally honest performance, as the unforget...
Peter McGinn
December 25, 2020
9/10
Oh my goodness, I am not going to spend much time describing this gold standard of Christmas movies. If you have seen it, you know what it is. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and watch it now. It is funny, tense, sentimental, romantic and downright Capra-esque. I have liked Jimmy Stewart in everything I have seen him in. Was he that good, or did the camera just plain love him, like I heard said once about Steve McQueen. But it doesn’t stop there. If you notice the ensemble cast, you...
r96sk
December 26, 2020
8/10
Lovely film. <em>'It’s a Wonderful Life'</em> is enjoyable, hearty and well crafted. It takes longer than I would've predicted to get to 'the event', but it's very much worth seeing the journey that comes before - as we see the arc of James Stewart's George. It all crescendos with an ending that you can't help but smile at. Stewart is excellent in the lead role, you really do see every single emotion that his character goes through. He is, by far, the standout performer, but there are of c...
CinemaSerf
July 07, 2022
8/10
Every now and again you come across a film that just makes you think.... This is one of those. Recently upconverted to 4K and back on a big screen, it's quite simply a joy to watch. Jimmy Stewart is "George" - a man who has spent his adult life tirelessly trying to help those less fortunate to make their own way in life - and his savings and loan enterprise is the lifeline for many of them. When that all goes pear-shaped though, he feels a degree of despair that leads him to wish he had never be...
GenerationofSwine
December 26, 2023
10/10
I am not one of those snobs that thinks Black and White is always better... but don't watch the colored version of it, there is something about it that just doesn't look right. Maybe it's because the colors are off, maybe because I'm not as used to it, but something doesn't sit right with it. Anyway, still the best Christmas movie ever made. It's still about redemption. It's still heartwarming and family friendly and... perfect... ... perfect save some of the hard cuts. I don't know w...
aochin
June 15, 2024
9/10
It's a timeless and great film for everyone, straightforwardly telling us that life is worth living and a good deed is never lost. Frank Capra's films always remind me the world is not so bad. He shows us there is no need to beat or convince evil people to change. You will still have people helping you not from a sense of obligation but from a genuine willingness as long as you are kind and honest with them. In such a beautiful world, someone will impress you with their kindness and bring out...
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Frequently Asked Questions
It's a Wonderful Life was released in 1946.
It's a Wonderful Life has a runtime of 2 hr 11 min (131 minutes).
It's a Wonderful Life belongs to the following genres: Drama, Family, Fantasy.
It's a Wonderful Life has a rating of 8.3/10 from 4,925 votes on TMDB.
In the United States, It's a Wonderful Life is available to watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies.