The Greatest Film Ever Made

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2014)

So often the movies that claim the top spot on people's "Best Movies" lists are iconic films that are suitable to watch any time of year. "Gone With the Wind", "Casablanca", "The Godfather", and many more would easily fit into that category, and certainly those movies along with your favorite that I'm leaving out all should be in the discussion whenever we talk about the best movie ever made.
But whenever I'm asked that question, be it now (five days before Christmas in 2014) or in mid June or July, the movie that I always come back to time and again is the iconic Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life." This movie is the greatest film ever made.
The film features James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who dreams of seeing the world only to be a victim of fate that finds him staying in his hometown and running the family business, the Bailey Savings & Loan Company in the fictional town of Bedford Falls. James Stewart turns out the performance of his career (barring no other role, including "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"). The tale sees him fall in love with Mary (Donna Reed, who offers a similarly strong performance as supporting actress). The two are wed and life goes well for a while, until a fateful day when George's world comes crashing down on him, prompting him to wish he had never been born...only to eventually realize what a wonderful life he has.
The story is of course much more complex than that brief summary, but it's the story itself that is the most prevalent star in this movie. The script is a masterpiece in the art of conveying an entertaining and emotional narrative, taking the viewer on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Over the course of two hours you grow to love George Bailey for his character and his perseverance in standing up for the little guy against the tyrannical Mr. Potter, the film's antagonist. When George is elated, you feel it with him. When the frustration of life overwhelms him, you sympathize with him. When he finds himself in the midst of great despair, your heart breaks. And when his grief turns to joy, your heart swells....along with your eyes. I cannot watch this film without crying time and again in its final minutes.
Along with the acting and the script, the other major contributing factor to this movie being such a wonderful film is its cinematography. I have seen this movie pop up on "film noir" lists from time to time, and I'm not sure that I would agree with that categorization at all, given that film noir movies tend to be more tragic in nature. That said, though, there are a few scenes in which the film uses strong shadow effect in a similar way that noir films are known to do. In at least two scenes, Stewart is shown staring prominently into the camera as he realizes the gravity of certain situations he finds himself in. Those scenes become impressed in your memory after you've seen the film a time or two, and overall the film is well produced with good scenes and settings, and good camera work.
All of this makes "It's a Wonderful Life" my pick for the Greatest Film Ever Made. We may not always think of it immediately when we're sitting around the picnic table in the summertime thinking about great movies, but it's nevertheless a top notch movie that stands out for its artistic and cinematic value in a way that makes it much more than just a "Christmas movie". The wonderful story and well constructed script, the tremendous acting, and the excellent camera-work and film production all make this movie the cream of the crop.
10 out of 10 stars!