It's a Wonderful Film

Rating: 10/10 (15 August 2013)

When my father proposed this black and white film about a guardian angel for me to watch years ago, as a teenager, my initial reaction could hardly have been a more overwhelming 'no.' But after persistence that for weeks was just below the surface, waiting to be unleashed every evening pickings on the television were slim, one especially uneventful night I succumbed and with a sigh agreed to watch it with mostly the intention of getting him off my case. Little I knew it would be the best film recommendation I had ever, and likely will ever receive.
Most of the superlatives have been used up when describing this film so I will not go into them in too much detail again. The term perfection is thrown around loosely but I believe this is one of the very few films that can claim wear that lofty tag with comfort. Jimmy Stewart gives a stunning performance as George Bailey, one of the most endearing characters in cinematic history. The whole cast is excellent and the on- screen chemistry between George and Mary is a sight to behold.
The true power in this film is how it manages to, almost effortlessly but with complete conviction, leave a profound emotional impact upon the viewer. It is a film that the viewer can get so emotionally connected to and can relate to so deeply that it can become part of that viewers person and change their outlook, philosophy, and indeed, their life. Personally I have seen the film too many times to remember and it still manages to leave a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye.
It is perhaps ironic that years after that first viewing, I mirrored my father in turning pest and badgered my group of college housemates into watching. It is perhaps the best measure of a film's greatness that six sceptical 20year old college students could sit down, abandon the alternative option of an alcohol-propelled night out, and sit in silence as the film happened and blink away tears in the semi-darkness as the bells signalling the end of the masterpiece tolled.