Film #26 of Project 40

”Buffalo Gals won’t you come out tonight, come out tonight, come out tonight...”

Seeing the name of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life on top of American Film Institute’s list of most cheerful movies is not surprising. Hope is the key word in Capra’s movies and here that optimism about life is what lights up the whole thing. This is not a movie that gives you a false or hollow image of hope, decency and happiness. It is so honest, so good-hearted and so sincere in its portrayal that you can genuinely feel all the joy and courage that Capra wants to transfer to his viewers. This is a movie that makes you feel good. Even if it’s just for a couple of hours it truly makes your life look brighter. These are not exaggerations, those who have seen the movie know what I’m talking about.

”What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word, and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”

The biggest achievement of the film is that the innocence and goodness it intends to portray never feel artificial or manipulative, there are two reasons for that: first you can see that all actors involved in the film – at the center of them the almighty James Stewart – believe in what they’re doing and what they’re saying, Capra and his team believe in what they ultimately want to say and their faith makes the film look honest and eventually powerful. The other reason is that the plot of the film is incredibly simple making it easy for us to connect with the story and characters, there is a visible and recognizable line between the good guys and the bad guys which give the film the feeling of a fairytale, and add to this the film’s profound humanistic messages – which are embedded in the structurally simple narrative with enviable expertise and control – making the whole movie more like an astute ancient tale full of wisdom praising morality and modesty. And the fact that this has become an inseparable part of Christmas in many countries around the world just proves that even in modern times people still need fairytales that can give them hope and can make them feel good.

”To my big brother George, the richest man in town!”

It’s a Wonderful Life can be divided into two segments. The more realistic part – before the introduction of Clarence – where we see the pretty much normal life of George Bailey. We see a man who wants to travel and enjoy himself but never gets the chance as he need to stay home and help others. The character and plot development in this part is handled perfectly and generally it works incredibly well as a part that should introduce us to the characters and prepare us for the more exciting final third of the film. We get to know George and people around him , from his wife to the wicked Mr. Potter, and the films also gives us a 3D picture of the town and its politics and we realize how vital – yet under-appreciated – the role of George has been in the survival of town. But from the moment Clarence, Angel 2nd Class, enters the story the film becomes a totally different thing. Capra’s fantasy mixes with the nightmarish experience of George Bailey and creates something totally absurd and fresh looking. While Bailey’s situation in this part of the film leads to some unexpected comic moments but – as he realizes later – it points out to something fundamental that he has ignored all his life: what he has done in the past may seem totally routine and invaluable to him but in fact it is such small actions that make the essential and basic differences between Pottersville and Bedford Falls and on a broader scale between a corrupt society and an honorable one. As some critics have pointed out perhaps one reason for the film’s overwhelming popularity is that it replaces our Pottersville-like world with the more idealistic utopia which is Bedford Falls, that also explains why all of us are shocked by what’s going on in Pottersville, we can’t look at the world we’re living in.

”Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!”

The film is full of memorable and iconic scenes. The dancing scene in the high school reunion, the romantic scene between George and Mary with the old man saying: ”Youth is wasted on the wrong people!”, the first time Clarence meets George, the terrifying scenes at Pottersville and of course film’s final sequence which might be the most cheerful scene in the entire history of cinema. Capra’s sense of humor is present in almost every scene, even in some of the gloomiest moments of the film – George sitting in Martini’s cafe on Christmas Eve – you can see this humor which correlates with film’s fantasy – and at times insane – atmosphere, comedy is an essential part of the film’s tone and in the last third of the film Capra skillfully uses it to dilute some of the darkness and cruelty of Pottersville but it never becomes too much, this balance between comedy and tragedy is the key to film’s emotional power in the final third.

”Look, Daddy. Teacher says, 'Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”

This is the kind of movie that you can’t resist. An emotionally rich and moving experience with a golden heart. It’s a wonderful movie.