Loved It

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2004)

I haven't watched this film in about 4 years. But I love the film. Sure, there are things borrowed from previous stories, but there are certainly things unique in this film. Jimmy Stewart was great in his role as the troubled George Bailey. He was not the typical "good-guy." He has flaws. The subject matter is dark which may be the reason the film didn't hit well after WWII. If you look at the movies that were made in that time period, they were upbeat and musicals were hitting their stride----again.
I had a problem with the film, though.....When Bert is going after George, why did Bert shoot at him with innocent bystanders in the way? Could you imagine the lawsuits had he hit one of the pedestrians?
I thought Capra did a wonderful job with this movie. Geroge has dreams of travelling the world but the death of his father postpones his plans. Then he falls in love with Mary and they get married. On their way to the honeymoon, George is sidetracked again, by the crash of the market. Then George is ready to leave again to fight in WWII and he's sidetracked---again because the army can't accept him the the hearing problem. All the while, George is helping people. He just doesn't realize his contributions until a hapless, wingless angle named Clarence shows him just how meaningful his life is. The end of the movie IS uplifting. It's a fantastic movie with a fantastic cast.