You can't always get what you want.

Rating: 9/10 (31 May 2019)

My Rating : 9/10
'George Bailey, I'm going to love you 'til the day I die,' whispers an adolescent Mary (Donna Reed) into George's (Jimmy Stewart) one deaf ear. Her words echo through time, imbuing the film with a sense of predestination. It's a good thing that George can't hear Mary, because he'd probably tell her to take a hike; he has other plans and none of them can be carried out in Bedford Falls. George wants to see the world: 'I...I want to do something big, something important,' he insists. Herein lies the conundrum of 'It's A Wonderful Life', which explains why the film wasn't popular when it was released. Though the luminous - and often sentimental- spiritual center of the film is the power of courage and friendship to surmount any obstacle, it is a dark film. What lingers even after George looks at how empty the life of his town, and his family, would have been had he never existed is the fact that George wanted more out of life, but fate always got in the way. Ironically, because of problems with the film's initial copyright, the movie fell into the public domain, and ultimately became extremely popular through repeated viewings. Having the film fall into the public domain seems like an act of grace performed by Clarence himself. Had we not had the opportunity to see it again and again . we would missed the indelible power of this film. Every event in the movie - George's rescue of his brother from drowning, his discovery of the poisoned medicine, his terrible disappointments about not being able to leave Bedford Falls - and the depth of his love for Mary speak of something fundamental, something true abut life. Like a great fable, it resonates with our feelings about living in the world.