![]() ![]() I never tire of this film and I suspect I never will. I rarely cry at movies but my Better Half was amused to see me completely choked up at the ending. At its heart, the film is little more than a slight reworking of Dickens' A Christmas Carol but with its cast on form and Capra allowing the film to overload in festive schmaltz for the final scenes, it's one of the most powerful and emotive films I've ever seen. The film works on so many levels - technically, it's amazing to see the beautiful town of Bedford Falls morph into the vice-ridden slum of Pottersville while the story is a timeless fable, one which resonates with people like myself immeasurably. His chemistry with Reed is a winning one and even the comedic interplay between himself and Travers - who doesn't really appear until the final act - also feels organic and believable. It's a shock to see him crumble in such a way because, for the most part, he embodies the spirit of Bedford Falls against the tyranny of the Scrooge-like Mr Potter (wonderfully played by Barrymore). His scenes in the bar, before he heads out to possibly kill himself, are truly heart-breaking and utterly convince you that this is a man with nothing to lose. Stewart gives one of the best performances of his distinguished career as Bailey, an honest man who doesn't see his place in the world around him. I can't claim to have gotten drunk and wandered out to a bridge to contemplate suicide but Bailey's predicament seemed like one I was all too familiar with. You reach a point where everything seems to happen at once and, like Bailey, you too reach the end of your rope. At that time in my life (just a few years before writing this article), I too was someone who slowly let life get on top of them without becoming aware of it. Like most life-affirming pictures, the film lays on the bleakness pretty thick before redemption finally comes although never has a character struck a chord with me like George Bailey. I knew basic aspects - the plot, James Stewart running up a snowy highway shouting "Merry Christmas!", things like that - but personally, the movie was one of joyous discovery. ![]() Not being an American or particularly enthused by monochromatic movies, I had no previous exposure to It's A Wonderful Life which gave me the blessed approach of someone completely new to the experience. Stewart's performance as the increasingly desperate George is truly heart-breaking to watch What's to like? ![]()
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