“It’s A Wonderful Life” is a fantasy family drama co-written and Directed by Frank Capra based on the story by Philip Van Doren Stern.
The
film is a slightly dark, almost bittersweet tale of a savings and loan manager
George Bailey (James Stewart), a bit an earnest do-gooder who struggles against
a greedy banker Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) and his own self-doubting nature in
a small town.
After
suffering a financial catastrophe, he see’s suicide as a possible solution to
his predicament only to be rescued by a whimsical, endearing, trainee-angel
named Clarence (Henry Travers).
However
its only when George says he wished he had never been born that Clarence is able
to show him what life would be like for his mother (Beulah Bondi) and Uncle
Billy (Thomas Mitchell), his friends Ernie, Bert and Violet, (Frank Faylen,
Ward Bond and Gloria Grahame), former employer Mr. Gower (H.B. Warner) and his
loving wife Mary (Donna Reed), in a world in which he had never existed.
So,
George Bailey, after years of feeling trapped in a small town finally
recognizes his life to be wonderful and truly rich.
A
typical performance by the ever-dependable James Stewart and ably supported by
the beautiful Donna Reed and the incomparable Lionel Barrymore as the grasping
villain of the piece.
Even thought it was not a success at the box office at the time, it is now one of the most popular and heart-warming films ever made...
