It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Frances Goodrich (screenplay), Albert Hackett (screenplay),

Stars:

James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

Top 250 #29 | Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 5 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Stewart	...	George Bailey
Donna Reed	...	Mary Hatch
Lionel Barrymore	...	Henry F. Potter
Thomas Mitchell	...	Uncle Billy Bailey
Henry Travers	...	Clarence
Beulah Bondi	...	Ma Bailey
Frank Faylen	...	Ernie Bishop
Ward Bond	...	Bert
Gloria Grahame	...	Violet Bick
H.B. Warner	...	Mr. Gower
Frank Albertson	...	Sam Wainwright
Todd Karns	...	Harry Bailey
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Peter Bailey
Mary Treen	...	Cousin Tilly
Virginia Patton	...	Ruth Dakin Bailey

Storyline

George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George's modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George, with the promise of earning his ...

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Plot Keywords:

angel | christmas eve | christmas | business | small town | 

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Taglines:

Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful! How could it be anything else?

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, smoking and some violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 January 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,180,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£49,845 (UK) (19 December 2008)

Gross:

£682,222 (UK) (24 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Liberty Films (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 118 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The year that Potter offers George a $20,000 annual salary is unclear, but assuming that this scene takes place in 1939, that amount is equivalent to $310567 in 2010 dollars.

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Goofs

When everyone is jumping into the pool during the dance, the same person jumps in twice.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Emil Gower: I owe everything to George Bailey. Help him, dear Father.
Giuseppe Martini: Joseph, Jesus and Mary. Help my friend, Mr. Bailey.
Ma Bailey: Help my son, George, tonight.
Bert: He never thinks about himself, God, that's why he's in trouble.
Ernie Bishop: George is a good guy. Give him a break, God.
Mary: I love him, dear Lord. Watch over him tonight.
Janie Bailey: Please, God, something's the matter with Daddy.
Zuzu Bailey: Please bring Daddy back.

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Connections

Remade as It Happened One Christmas (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Vieni, vieni"
(1884) (uncredited)
Music by Vincent Scotto
Lyrics by Henri Varna and Georges Koger
Performed by Tino Rossi
Played in Martini's bar

User Reviews

A Wonderful Film and Timeless Classic

This film has become a Christmas tradition in my family. We watch it every year and never tire of it. Frank Capra is a master of creating films with a message that reinforce strong values. This is probably his greatest film in that regard. Both he and Stewart have publicly stated that this is their favorite film.

The message in this film is one of courage and sacrifice for the greater good as George Bailey, a man with big ideas about seeing the world, continually forsakes his own desires to do what is right for the town. The second message is that each life important. No matter how insignificant we feel we are, we are all inextricably linked to each other and play an important part in the fabric of one another's lives.

Capra's direction is brilliant. His genius is bringing human stories to life in a ways that not only make a point, but that totally involve the audience in the lives of the characters. He is always extremely optimistic about the human condition. He is known for testing his characters with overwhelming adversity to make them struggle to triumph in a way that causes the world to change and the character to grow. For this reason his films were always crowd pleasers and this film was the best of all in that regard.

Led by Capra's understanding hand, the actors all did a magnificent job. Stewart's wide-eyed enthusiasm and boyish charm, coupled with an unbending strength of character made him the perfect folk hero. Donna Reed was lovely and charming and attained the right balance between being supportive and inspirational. The romantic chemistry between her and Stewart was subtle and charming. Lionel Barrymore was towering as the greedy old skinflint who was trying to take over the town. Thomas Mitchell plays one of my favorite characters, as the bumbling Uncle Billy in probably his most memorable role.

This film is number eleven on AFI's list of best films of the century. It was nominated for five academy awards and won none. It was swept in 1947 by `The Best Years of Our Lives', a great film that won seven Oscars that year but in my opinion was the lesser film. History has corrected that minor injustice by rendering `It's a Wonderful Life' an enduring classic that is viewed and loved by generation after generation. Of course, I rated it a 10/10. I can't wait to see it again this Christmas.