It's a Wonderful Life
1946 Directed by Frank Capra
Synopsis
It's a wonderful laugh! It's a wonderful love!
An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he never existed.
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It is almost unheard of for a person to have lived as long as I have and never seen It's a Wonderful Life. Every Christmas Eve the film airs on national television in the United States and somehow I missed it every time. It was not a fluke or accident, I just never had any desire to watch it. I knew all about an angel getting his wings when a bell has been rung, what happens if you were never born, and the romanticism about wanting to give a woman the moon, so much so that I had never really felt the need to watch it.
I am so glad that I have finally decided that I do not, in…
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Inexplicably never seen by me before tonight, it's every bit as good as its reputation and probably a lot better. Capra does some weird shit with the camera to go along with the weirdly dark material, but it all comes out all right in the end.
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Film #49 of The December Project
I have no idea how I managed to avoid this masterpiece for so long. It's the quintessential Christmas film, one I'm not sure has ever been matched after all these years. My heart was broken into a million little pieces and then immediately put back together again by that wonderful ending. If I had seen this is as a kid, I'm pretty sure I would be a better person today. I guess it's never too late to appreciate what you've got, right? Excuse me while I go tell a bunch of people Merry Christmas and that I love them. I'm definitely in the Christmas spirit, now!
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There are moments in life when you will be broken. There are moments when you will be beaten. There are moments of love, and of victory. There are the crooks who will be kept at bay by the few decent men of this world, and there are those who will be there to pick you up when you fall. Sometimes your friends won't be there for you at all; everyone will let you down at some point or another, even yourself. But sometimes, if you're really, really lucky, somebody might just come along and remind you what this life is worth living for; while George Bailey had Clarence, the world has Frank Capra.
From the bottom of my heart, Mr. Capra, thank you for reminding us that even when we fall, an angel can still get its wings. Thank you for showing us all that it is, truly, a wonderful life.
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This film is a testament to the hypnotic powers all great classics possess. Every time I watch this I want to call my mum to tell her I love her, call my mate I haven't seen for far too long to grab a beer and it makes me want to go outside to hand out smiles to everyone I meet.
It turns me into the biggest optimistic sap you'll ever see and I love it for that! -
"It's a Wonderful Life" is a perfect movie, the way "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a perfect book.
It's not too long, or too short. There are just enough characters, of different sorts, but not too many that you get lost. Each character is complete, nicely shaped, so that you don't mix up one person with another. There are young and old people, silly moments and tension, but everything's in the right place and the right proportion...without feeling wooden or contrived.
From the start, you care for and root for the good characters. You identify with their follies and faults. You see how they could be better, and you see them choosing small acts of tentative courage.
They do come…
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Uno de los filmes más inspiradores que he visto en mi vida! LO AME! Te permite darte cuenta de que eres importante, y que no valoramos lo que valemos como persona y como podemos influir en los demas.
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Like a fine bottle of scotch, this film only improves with age. Frank Capra had an incredible knack for making films that were "timeless" and "It's a Wonderful Life" is the pinnacle of that achievement. The morals, the characters, the story and the humanity of the picture are as relevant today as they ever were.
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My favorite movie of all-time. If you don't like it, you have no soul.
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Merry Chris...oh, crap!
Originally planned to watch this around Christmas for the first time, but sadly time got the better of me, had the DVD lingering around until finally I just said "Fuck it, I'm watching It's A Wonderful Life!".
And...well...this film is really weird.
Of course you had all the iconography, and the storyline is pretty much template now for every sitcom and kids program for the last 30 years. But about 3 minutes the camera pans up from a house and zooms in to the moon, where we then see 3 galaxies shooting the shit with one another and I literally let out a huge "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?!".
Not only that, but there's plenty of weird and wacky stuff going…
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This is the first non-Hitchcock movie I have seen Jimmy Stewart in and, whilst he acts like a completely different person, he does not disappoint. The movie follows the life of George Bailey who is desperate to leave his small home-town, but is really just a victim of his own circumstances. I was incredibly surprised how well the movie looked remastered, no way did it look like a movie nearly 70 years old and the coloured version makes everything look more vibrant. James Stewart is excellent here and shows incredible versatility being able to mask such disappointment and regret for such a number of years. Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore are also great as the two constants in Bailey'a life,…
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It's a Wonderful Life is nothing if not charming. Oh, yeah it's also one of the most beautiful films of all time. Charming and beautiful that makes a wonderful life.
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"To my brother George, the richest man in town."
The absolute essential Christmas movie that works so well on so many levels. Wonderfully shot, wonderfully written, and wonderfully heartfelt. If for some reason you haven't seen this film, go change that right now. You don't need to wait for Christmas to fully enjoy everything about this movie.
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A beautiful classic about divine intervention and second chances. This is one of those rare films that everyone should see at least once.
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The early part felt a bit slow to me, but it's not hard to see how this became such a beloved holiday classic. James Stewart is brilliant as always, and Capra's directing is masterful. Read full review.