Brendonyu668’s review published on Letterboxd:
This is my 2nd time watching this movie. I haven't seen this film for nearly 2 years. You can see my original brief review HERE. I upgraded from 4.5 stars to 5 stars. This is a perfect movie and I don't quite know why I didn't give 5 stars in the first go.
The direction is great, but the screenplay is even more spectacular. In the first few scenes, we get an insight into the guardian angels that discover George's life. It is very clear that George is a person who is very supportive by helping the community and doing the right actions. He has huge aspirations until there is a disaster happening with Potter and his father. I can understand his frustrations when he has to stay in the small town and get committed to his family business, while handling with Potter.
Potter is a classic example of a Machiavellian character driven with greed and money. He is a cunning manipulator that made Potter go into insane amount of trouble. The themes are all timeless. Even George has his angry and happy moments, which is exactly a summary of life. The last 20 minutes is the best part of the movie - the alternative universe enables George to actually understand how much his contributions make to the society. And with a heart-warming ending, it's a Christmas movie. Some parts were confusing in my first view, but this time, I understand the confusing parts.
James Stewart is fantastic as the lead. We understand his character more through his performance. Donna Reed is gorgeous. Lionel Barrymore is so evil - an all-timer performance! There is not a single weak performance in the cast The cinematography is pretty good. The editing is top-notch - there is not a single boring and unnecessary scene throughout the runtime. The pacing is consistent without a single drag. The production design of Bedford Falls and Potterville are both wonderful - Potterville is so crazy, yet we see this all the time today (maybe it was risque back at that time?) The music works nicely.
The best Christmas movie ever made, although Die Hard is my most favourite Christmas movie. It's a must watch for the Christmas season!
For more of my other classic film reviews, click HERE.
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