CHRISTMAS REVIEW OF THE DAY: It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

In my first Christmas Review of the Day, I will be reviewing a film that is so uplifting, meaningful, and full of heart, that it is very hard for anybody to not like it, whether you support the holiday season or you think it is one great "bah-humbug". That film is It's a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra. It's a Wonderful Life tells the story of  a family man named George Bailey, played by James Stewart, who ever since his childhood has done remarkable acts of good deeds that have greatly benefited the lives of the civilians in Bedford Falls including his little brother, the drug store owner, his wife, the cop, the cab driver, and almost everybody in the town. This is thanks to inheriting his father's bonds, loans, and insurance company where thanks to it he was able to house a good number of families. But even though through his compassionate and good deeds he gets respect from and befriends many of Bedford Falls' citizens, there were many consequences to his deeds whether he never reached the goals he expected to achieve in life, he gets physically hurt, or his record of being a crime-less citizen. The straw that breaks the camel's back happens when the inhumane,cruel, and cold-hearted miser Mr. Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore, who after years of  trying taking over the bonds and insurance company run by George's family, steals $8,000 from the company that causes George's company to have a deficit and be bankrupt, plus he can be arrested for mishandling of people's money. Absolutely torn and frustrated by the situation, George takes out all his problems on his friends and family who in reality are teared to pieces that George is so frustrated about his feeling of his world crumbling before his eyes. When George decides to commit suicide though he is saved by his guardian angel Clarence, played by Henry Travers, who shows him how the world and especially Bedford Falls and its citizens would be if George were never born. What results is a renewed George who wishes the merriest of Christmases to the world , an appreciation of the greatest gift of all, which is life and all the other gifts it has to give, and probably one of the happiest and uplifting of all endings in film history. 

Now that I covered the overall premise of the film, now as usual we must look at the different significant characters of the film. The main protagonist George Bailey has got to be without a doubt one of cinema's greatest heroes. I have never seen a character that was not only very likeable but who is unconditionally nice, compassionate, selfless, helpful, and charming and at the same time going above and beyond being general nice by having a complex personality. I say this because the word "unconditional" maybe too much as the man does have his limits and as we see further into the movie he has an emotional breakdown because even though he does not expect any reward for his good deeds, all he wants is at least some respect and recognition, even though his friends and the people of Bedford Falls do respect that. But maybe "unconditional" can mean he does good deeds and not expect anything in return, and it is not done in an obnoxious way like the film was portraying him as just the perfect being  born with no sin, he knows he has to be a good man and he feels he has to represent the inner goodness of humanity even though things may not turn out the way he wants. He makes sacrifices and even at times puts his own life at risk in order to help the needy and to make people happy, even at as a youth he has been this way. And when he was a child, the film succeeded in not portraying him as a "goody two-shoes" kid, but instead a kid with a genuine heart and sense of what is right and wrong, and you can totally buy it. James Stewart's acting makes the plausibility of the character shine through his delivery, facial, and emotional expressions. During the scenes in which he experiences a world in which he was not born, you can see the fear and agony in  him not only through his delivery of his lines and his emotional involvement within the role but his with his superb and realistic expressions on his face. Also in the scene in which a renewed and joyous George runs through the streets wishing a Merry Christmas to the town is just simply uplifting thanks to Jame Stewart's ecstatic performance during the scene. For George Bailey you feel for the character and it is so easy to connect and relate to his character, and even at times you wish you can be his character not only because he gets a lot of respect, but he dares and succeeds the impossible of what any human being wishes they can do and ultimately that is being selfless and thinking about others more than yourself. George Bailey is the heart of this film and he deserves to be recognized as a great film character. George's wife Mary, played by Donna Reed, who I am just going to point out is probably just the PERFECT wife. And I don't mean perfect like she was lazily written as just being the stereotypical and "perfect" wife, no I mean this is a very good and very likeable character and she can really melt a guy's heart. She's supportive, understanding, quick, witty, playful, enjoyable, beautiful, smart, clever, she is just overall very pleasing and not to mention entertaining to watch. The scenes she shares with George really sell. I cannot explain whether it was due to good script writing, the great chemistry between the two talents, or both but I totally believe that George and Donna are truly in love.  Men wish they had a woman like her. I might have gone a little bit too far by saying that but to be honest that is how real she is to me. The main antagonist Mr. Potter is a genuine slime. Like how George can be considered as one of cinema's great heroes, Potter can easily deemed as one film's greatest villains, and the film greatly proves that. You can just hate this character because again it is not because he is written horribly, but because he was cleverly written as the kind of guy  no one could ever see as a humane and good person. Actor Lionel Barrymore did a terrific job through his delivery and ability to perfectly adapt the character from the script of making this foul miser into a person we can identify as someone who can easily push our buttons and makes you heat up with anger at this guy. Then we have George's guardian angel Clarence. As much as I say I love films I would be lying if I said I saw many movies featuring Henry Travers, the actor who portrays Clarence, but I can say that even though I have not seen much of his films this was very ideal casting. Travers plays Clarence as a bubbly, hopeful, sweet, innocent, but yet still wise Guardian Angel. When you see this character you immediately say to yourself "Why doesn't he have his wings, he is like the perfect Guardian Angel" and throughout the movie you really hope that he gets them. He's supportive, helpful, wise, smart, and you can definitely see that he has hope and care for George just through the way he speaks. It is like he is proud of the man George turned out to be, but is saddened and disappointed by the fact George wants to end his life and cannot see what a truly wonderful life he has how many others' lives he had made wonderful. He sort of reminds me of a caring and whimsical type of grandfather figure who is wise enough to tell you about the joys of life and why it is so special. 

The story of It's a Wonderful Life is so simple but yet it has so much depth and rather complex at the same time. I say this because throughout the entire review I said that the characters were a perfect representation of what they were representing. Some may argue and say that the characters could be really boring, obnoxious, or lazily written because of this but my argument is that It's a Wonderful Life was not made or intended to be a narrative full of logic or realistic grittiness, it was made to be a wholesome and emotional narrative and it greatly succeeds at that. The way these characters and the story were set up and written already seem so real and ready to leap off the screen and into our world from the get go, whether you emotionally love them or hate them and emotion is really the fuel to this film. You get so attached to George, Donna, and Clarence because you emotionally connect to them and you wish there were more people in the world like them. And even with an antagonist like Mr.Potter no matter how much the bigot can make you angry, he still makes you emotionally connect with him because your deep emotions are allowing you to hate this guy as if he were real or you knew him in real life. That I believe is a very good thing in what the film is doing here. And when I mean that the film does have some depth and complexity to it is because it is pretty balanced out with the happiness and harshness that is in it. Equal to the amount of happy and uplifting moments, you do get a share of dark and depressing moments as well. A good example of  this is the scene in where George feels there is no point in living and the whole world is turn against him. Scenes like this can really get to you especially when you are emotionally connected with this character and pray that nothing bad happens to him. But the scenes that really deliver the harshness is of course when George experiences the world in which he was never born in, you have this feeling that you left someplace great and wholesome and entered a world of evil, depression, despair, and sadness and just the imagery and performance of these scenes alone are gut-wrenching as well as heartbreaking. So you do get a dose of grittiness in this film, just the type of grittiness that will rip your heart to shreds. And that is why this film is so great at being an emotional film, rather than one run through logic. It gives you want you want to see as an emotional and hopeful human being.

And why it shouldn't be an emotional film it's a Christmas film, you're supposed be or at least emotionally engaged in it. Christmas is all about hope, renewal, the goodness of humanity, peace on earth and goodwill toward men. The holiday teaches us these things because they are lessons and morals we should go by everyday not only during the Christmas season, which is probably why this the kind of film that you don't have to whip out necessarily only at Christmas time, but instead any time of the year. It just perfectly represents what Christmas is all about the appreciation of life, including ours and our loved ones and just how truly wonderful life can be and the gifts that we receive from it are just equally as wonderful. A must watch for the holiday season, It's a Wonderful Life is simply a wonderful, wonderful film!

SANTA'S LIST STATUS: NICE

GRADE: E