It's a wonderful film

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2010)

A must watch, best on Christmas Day preferably, Capra's evergreen classic will surely stir hearts and emotions so long as there are eyes and ears and hearts and minds to drink it all in.
Incredible to think it was a commercial failure on first release and indeed was the great director's last recognised masterpiece of a long, distinguished career. The story, of course, is pure "Capra-corn", the last word in his trademark straight-guy-takes-on-big-bad-world M.O. and who through demonstrating his own sheer humanity overcomes adversity to restore our collective faith in human nature.
I've seen it many times previously, but not for a long while, yet still had to wipe away a tear at the gladdening conclusion as Everyman James Stewart's George Bailey gets his just rewards for a lifetime of good intentions and good deeds and so overturns the machinations of the grasping local tyrant, Henry Potter, played with almost pantomime relish by Lionel Barrymore.
The writing is wonderful, (people forget the playful humour which abounds in the early sections), Capra taking time slot in all the components, before the breathtaking twist which sees George's careless remark, as he turns his back on the world, fanned into flame by his angel overseer, Clarence, played beautifully by Henry Travers. As ever, Capra manages his ensemble cast of familiars with aplomb, but still leaves plenty of room for Stewart's wonderful performance to occupy centre-stage. Yes, the viewer's emotions are manipulated occasionally (for example,the heavenly choir is heard in the background, for all of the last 10 or 15 minutes), but Capra by and large reins in the schmaltz and leaves you thinking that the "wonderful town" of Bellfield Falls could have actually existed in some between-wars long-ago time and place
Although not completely perfect (let's not forget Potter effectively gets away with Bailey's Bank's depositors' hard-earned money), Capra's universal parable will surely forever continue to maintain its pre-eminent position as a true Hollywood classic, for all seasons.