It's A Wonderful Life (DVD)

►►► Synopsis

As a child George Bailey (James Stewart) dreamt of becoming an explorer, travelling the world in search of excitement and adventure. But having grown up he is forced to abandon his plans when his father, Peter Bailey (Samuel S. Hinds), suddenly passes away and he is forced into taking over the running of the family business, the Bailey Building and Loan Society, or else selfish and miserly tycoon Henry ...
...the seemingly dull town of Bedford Falls, in a job he resents, George marries his childhood sweetheart, Mary (Donna Reed), and becomes a pillar of the community as his selfless attitude and compassion for the poor and the penniless win him many friends, especially as all the other financial institutions are owned by Potter who would rather see people starve than for his businesses to lose any money.

But when George's business partner, ... more

►►► Synopsis

As a child George Bailey (James Stewart) dreamt of becoming an explorer, travelling the world in search of excitement and adventure. But having grown up he is forced to abandon his plans when his father, Peter Bailey (Samuel S. Hinds), suddenly passes away and he is forced into taking over the running of the family business, the Bailey Building and Loan Society, or else selfish and miserly tycoon Henry F. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) will close it down. Stuck in the seemingly dull town of Bedford Falls, in a job he resents, George marries his childhood sweetheart, Mary (Donna Reed), and becomes a pillar of the community as his selfless attitude and compassion for the poor and the penniless win him many friends, especially as all the other financial institutions are owned by Potter who would rather see people starve than for his businesses to lose any money.

But when George's business partner, Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell), accidentally misplaces a large amount of money belonging to the business, financial ruin looks set to befall George. Depressed and distraught, George contemplates taking his own life until prayers from his friends and family results in his guardian angel, Clarence (Henry Travers), being sent down to Bedford Falls to give him a glimpse of what life would have been like for his friends and family if he had never existed.

►►► Opinion

Out of the hundreds of Christmas movies I have had the pleasure, and occasional displeasure, of watching, "It's a Wonderful Life" has to be my all time favourite, an opinion which is shared by millions of people around the globe, both young and old. But why would a black & white film which is now 60 years old and to be honest, extremely sentimental, appeal to so many people. The answer for me is quite simple, it has that feel good factor which leaves you feeling happy and positive about life, no matter what time of the year you watch it.

► The Story

"It's a Wonderful Life" is based upon the novel "The Greatest Gift", written by Philip Van Doren Stern and basically follows the life of selfless George Bailey as his life fails to turn out how he wants and eventually faces ruin through no fault of his own. With elements of humour, romance as well as dark drama, the story masterfully carries you on a journey as you become involved in the life of George Bailey, ultimately being able to relate to the emotions that he feels through out the movie.

The story itself is cleverly constructed as the film actually starts with the angels above being alerted to George's state of despair from the numerous prayers coming up from his friends and family, where upon the decide to send angel Clarence to show him what life would have been like with out him. But before they do so, we get the first major section of the film, which takes us through George's life from childhood right up until the point where he is contemplating taking his own life. To be honest this, section takes up the majority of the film, probably at least two thirds and really takes us on a journey where we watch George slowly change from being full of life and dreams to a man bogged down with the burdens of responsibility and work. Personally I am able to relate to the emotions which George displays as he sees his dreams disappear, as I am sure many people can and this is one of the many reasons why this film is so popular.

The second major part of the story is where George gets to see what life would be like for his friends and family if he had never existed and this is the point where his guardian angel, Clarence appears. Again this whole element ties in to the thoughts and feelings of many people, including myself, who at times have wondered if friends and family would have been better off if they had never existed. Of course, this is where the film is most powerful as it goes on to demonstrate the important contributions which George has made in the lives of all his friends and family, providing a truly uplifting, feel good element to the film.

What is quite surprising is that for a film which is mainly classed as being a Christmas film, there is very little mention of the festive season in the film. With the majority of the film covering the life of George Bailey, the only mention of Christmas comes from the fact that George reaches the height of his despair just around the Christmas period. Another quite surprising fact, is that most people think of "It's a Wonderful Life" as being a light hearted feel good movie, but in fact it has quite a lost of dark undertones to it. The most notable darkness comes from the fact that the lead character is contemplating suicide, but also the film shows us how the burden of his life was slowly breaking him down.

► Cast and Characters

Now although "It's a Wonderful Life" features the impeccable talents of such stars as Lionel Barrymore and Donna Reed, it is without doubt the casting of James Stewart in the lead role of George Bailey that has helped to make it such a popular film. Not only is Stewart absolutely brilliant at providing the light hearted fun side of his character, but his ability to demonstrate the emotions of a man as he becomes depressed and desperate is truly exceptional. One of the most powerful scenes comes when George returns home after finding out about the loss of the funds and you watch him sit there holding one of his children as you can see the despair through his eyes as he tries to figure out a solution, truly magnificent acting.

Of course one actor can not make a film, and the aforementioned Lionel Barrymore puts in a great performance as the miserly old business man Henry F. Potter. You can really feel that his motivation in his life is the love of money and his apparent willingness to manipulate the system whether legally or illegally to get what he wants. Some people would call the character a real Scrooge, which would be quite appropriate as Lionel Barrymore regularly played the character of Scrooge in radio broadcast of the classic "A Christmas Carol", for once a very good piece of type casting. Also making the film so enjoyable is the lovely Donna Reed as George's wife Mary. Again, I can not fault Reed's performance or characterization of Mary as you really get the feeling that all she wants is to have the perfect family and that she truly does love and care for her husband.

It is testament to how popular "It's a Wonderful Life" is that the characters Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street were actually named after the characters Police officer Bert and taxi driver Ernie who are both minor but very enjoyable characters in the film.

► Direction

"It's a Wonderful Life" is directed by one of the most popular directors of the golden era, Frank Capra and some would say it was his finest film, even though it was a complete box office failure when it was first released. What is quite amazing is that for a film which was made over 60 years ago it does not feel technically inferior to today's mega dollar movies, which can be solely put down to Capra's masterful direction. Not only that, Capra brilliantly holds your attention through out the movie and his ability to build atmosphere through direction really helps to convey the story.

►►► DVD - Bonus Features & Quality

► Bonus Features

The first thing to mention is that this is a double sided disc, with the first side featuring the film whilst the reverse side featuring 2 bonus features and a theatrical trailer.

The Making of "It's a Wonderful Life" - This is a retrospective look at how the film was made and is hosted by Tom Bosley, yes Mr. Cunningham from the Happy Days series. What we get is a selection of clips and stills from the movie, plus some interviews with the stars discussing their contributions. Although this is by no means an in-depth look at the film, it is a surprise inclusion which really helps to explain some of the difficulties they had in making the film over 60 years ago.

A Special Tribute to Frank Capra - This is presented by Frank Capra jr. and to be honest the title is somewhat misleading as rather than just discussing the director it looks at why "It's a Wonderful Life" is such a popular film and has been so for many years. Again, not the most in-depth look at the success of the film but another enjoyable inclusion to the DVD package.

Also included is the original theatrical trailer which although not overly useful is actually a nice addition to complete this DVD package.

► Picture Quality

For a film which is over 60 years old, the picture quality is remarkably good. Generally the picture appears sharp and clear although occasionally some shots appeared slightly fuzzy but these were in the minority. What I would have thought would have been a problem was the graininess of the print, but to be honest I hardly noticed it, and in reality I would have found a completely cleaned up print off putting, spoiling the feel of this old black & white movie. Thankfully this DVD version remains true to the fact that the film is in black & white and doesn't attempt to colour it, unlike some versions which I have had the misfortune to see on television.

► Sound Quality

Although the sound quality was pretty clear, it remained lifeless and dull as it was presented in mono. For a film this age it was acceptable, and I am not sure that if they were able to make the sound more dynamic whether or not it would spoil the feel of the movie.

►►► Summary

What can I say, I absolutely adore this classic movie, no matter what time of the year I watch it, although it does give you that extra special tingly feeling when you watch it over the festive season. Although the film is heavily over sentimental and paints a rather fake picture of the perfect American way of life, it does so to achieve the desired effect of delivering what is truly an exceptional feel good movie. Also making this so special is the brilliant acting from James Stewart, as well as Lionel Barrymore and Donna Reed who really bring all their characters to life. Out of all the Christmas films you can watch and own, "It's a Wonderful Life" is the one which I would truly recommend that you at least watch if not buy this festive season.

For a film which is over 60 years old I was not expecting any bonus features, but the inclusion of the two features is a very welcome bonus. They may not be the most informative features ever created but are ones which help to enhance the already exceptional appeal of this classic film. Although the picture and sound quality is not brilliant, it is a far improvement from the VHS release as well as some of the poorer versions which get shown on TV each year. Although the DVD is quite expensive seeing the limited amount of features, it is a price which is more than acceptable for such a classic movie.

►►► Price & Availability

Amazon.co.uk: £10.79

►►► Technical Details

Certificate: U
Duration: 130 mins
Year of Release: 1946
Genre: Drama, Family, Romance, Fantasy

DVD Release: 2005
Subtitles: English
Audio: English
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Region: 2

Director(s): Frank Capra
Writer(s): Philip Van Doren Stern (Novel), Frances Goodrich (Screenplay)

Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, Frank Albertson, Todd Karns, Samuel S. Hinds, Virginia Patton

© Christianfilmcritic December 2006 

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