It's a Wonderful Life

This has been a favorite movie of mine for many years. It always leaves me feeling good about life, more than a little nostalgic, and with wet eyes. I always know what is going to happen, but it packs the same punch every year. I don't know why it never gets old and I don't know why it always hits a sentimental spot in me, but it never fails. I always set aside a Sunday afternoon in December to watch this beloved movie.

It's a Wonderful Life is a Frank Capra movie and it is from 1946. A young Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed play the Bailey's, George and Mary. Since this review is being written in 2006, the movie is enjoying its 60th year and the exceptional qualities, values, and morals of the movie continue to remind viewers how life should be. There is now a colorized version but I prefer the black and white.

Other cast members include Lionel Barrymore as a very cranky Mr. Potter, Thomas Mitchell as Uncle Billy, Beulah Bondi as George's mother, and Gloria Grahame as Violet. Did I leave out any major characters? Of course I did! George's endearing guardian angel who is trying real hard to earn his wings is named Clarence Oddbody and is played by Henry Travers.

To begin with, I always start with pitying George. His dream is to see the world. It almost happens for him and he even has a perfect suitcase to paste all of his travel stickers onto. He has plans to head into the big world and he almost makes it . . . but not quite. George's father dies at that time and he needs to save the family business; a savings and loan company. If George does not stay, the greedy banker, Mr. Potter will take over the rest of the town. That would be terrible for the residents so George stays.

George falls in love with a local girl, Mary, and they marry. They move into a run-down old house right there in their hometown of Bedford Falls. They have some money to go off for their honeymoon; the money George had saved for his travels. While they are trying to leave town for their honeymoon, there is a run on the banks and George and Mary end up using their honeymoon money to bail their customers out of financial ruin and to stop them from going to old Mr. Potter for loans.

George and Mary begin their family and it seems rather clear that George's dreams of traveling the world are forever put to rest. Years go by and Potter stays just as mean and greedy as he always was. After Uncle Billy loses a deposit for the savings and loan (but not really, Potter saw him misplace it and picked it up!) it appears that George is about to lose everything. He determines that he is worth more to his family dead than alive. George leaves his home and ends up at a bridge ready to end his own life.

Enter Clarence. Clarence needs to earn his wings, so he has to think fast. He jumps into the icy water himself and George ends up jumping to save Clarence instead of jumping to end his own life. Clarence is an "Angel 2nd Class" and he makes a plan so that he can get his wings by helping George to see just how special his life is. Clarence does this by taking George on a journey through time to see what everything would be like if he hadn't been born.

George is shown what the town would be like without his influence. There are scenes with his mother and Mary where they don't know him. Of course they don't, he was never born! He sees a tombstone for his brother, Harry, because George saved his life when they were kids. No George, thus no Harry was born. No Harry, no war hero who saved many lives in WWII, which actually happened to Harry.

Finally after being convinced that a world without George Bailey would not be a good thing, Clarence allows George to come back to the present and there is a scene with George running through the snow to his "old drafty house" where Mary gathered all the townspeople to help George. They were all giving financial donations and even Harry rushed home to help his big brother.

At the very end when my face is already very wet, a bell tinkles on the tree and George's daughter mentions that it means an angel just got wings. Of course everyone watching knows that it was Clarence.

It's a Wonderful Life is truly a magical movie. It is a holiday classic and will most likely always remain the same. Stewart and Reed are brilliant in their roles and I highly recommend buying a CD or DVD of this movie instead of trying to catch it on television. Although it's often played during the holiday season, it's just one of those things you want for a home library.